The title is provocative, especially since at first glance it seems contrary to some of the key goals of coaching – the ability for self-observation and better self-knowledge.
However, this time we are talking about good and bad habits. A person is a creature of habit, and although rationally one knows that some of the usual behaviors should be changed, or new, healthier, and more productive habits introduced, it is usually easier to stick to standard routines.
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In addition to being enslaved by habits, the problem often lies in the fact that medium-term and long-term goals are very distant and hard to imagine for our mind. Therefore, it is much simpler to lie down in front of the television at thirty-five than to envision how much healthier we will be at sixty if we had chosen walking or swimming instead of television earlier. It should also be taken into account that these are deeply rooted habits, the change of which would significantly improve our health or bring significantly better life or business results (if, for example, it concerns learning, meditation, spending time with family, and so on).
Therefore, in order to change such bad habits, all tricks and weapons are allowed!
And here comes ‘deceiving oneself’: how to organize life and arrange things and actions so that they support good habits and discourage bad ones? We bring you a few simple tricks, think about them and come up with your own:
- Close relationships with family: if after a hard day at work each family member watches TV or plays games for themselves, try with planned ‘meetings’. Once a week, schedule an hour or two dedicated only to the children, or go for a drink with your partner.
- Enter a fitness goal in your smartphone app – half an hour of walking daily. Take the stairs to the floor above and chat with colleagues – you get a bit of movement and social contact at the same time, which according to the latest research is one of the key prerequisites for health.
- Declare Saturday afternoon as time for going out into the fresh air. Let an alarm remind you to go out. For additional motivation, commit to donating a small amount of money to one of the organizations whose goals you find particularly repulsive every time you stay indoors despite the alarm.
You can track your ‘tricks’ on smartphone apps, or arrange with a colleague or friend to mutually monitor the achievement of your goals. Whatever tricks you choose – it is worth deceiving your own mind in the battle for a better quality of life!
