For an adult with ADHD building new habits can be one of the most difficult things you can experience in your life. You tend to get distracted or change your mind after a week, in spite of your best intentions. If you want to change a habit, you must think about what you want to change and understand the why before you can effectively replace it with a new habit. The following steps can help you.:
- Write Out Description of the Habit – Write out a description of the habit that you want to change. Don’t just focus on what the behavior looks like but go deep into the negative impact of the habit and how it is impacting on your ADHD work/life. Before you can effectively change a habit, it is important that you understand why you want to change it. It is this understanding that will give you the motivation and determination to push through with the change.
- Keep Track of Your Habit– Once you start feeling determined and committed to change the habit, it is time for you to learn more about the bad habit. When you keep track of yourr habit you can learn about the problem and go into changing your habit with an open mind. Sometimes adults with ADHD fail to make successful change because they underestimate the extent of problem which can lead to be less focused and driven than required.
- Monitor Your Habit – At this point it is the best to take a few days or week to monitor your habit. When you feel ready look at your habits and determine important information such as: How often is it happening? How is it impacting on your work/life? What factors are causing you to perform this habit?
This information will help you to decide the best course of action and the appropriate replacement habit to adopt.