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> There is no magic or shortcut that undoes the habit patterns without the individual choosing to make changes and following through on implementing them. How dare you! This is victim-land, where nothing can be the fault of the individual! /s Seriously, though, this is the truth that nobody wants to hear, because it’s inconvenient. Want to stop facing the negative impacts of technology? Stop using it. Want to lose weight? Eat less. Want to gain muscle? Go to the gym. Want to quit smoking? Stop smoking. Study after study comes out showing that dietary restriction “doesn’t cause long-term weight loss”. Want to know why? Because people stop doing it! The solution to almost all problems that can be solved by forming or unforming a habit is, in my experience, two-fold. First, identify the thing you want to start or stop doing. Second, start or stop doing it. Anyone can cry for months about how hard it is to stop being distracted by their phone because of addictive ad tech, notifications, tailored AI algorithms, etc. I’m not saying all these aren’t issues and we shouldn’t fight these battles because they make it harder for people to enact their will, but I am saying people need to have some will, and use it! You can’t give up on stopping (or never try to stop) a bad habit and shrug your shoulders and say “I can’t do it because <insert reason habit is hard to stop>”. I mean, you can, but you’ll never stop your bad habit that way. Even if there is something that defeats your willpower, that you can’t beat, that’s getting in your way, identify it and find a way around it. Can’t eat less because you get tempted by snacks? Don’t have snacks on hand. Can’t stop looking at your phone because notifications spam you? Silence your notifications. Want to quit social media? Delete the apps. The most powerful form of willpower is the willpower that you saved for later because you architected your life to not need it. |
I would personally add though that there are multiple "you"s. I like to imagine the elephant, and the rider. The elephant (habitual, non-conscious behaviour) is powerful, strong and hard to redirect.
BUT in the end the rider IS in control. It's worth looking for strategies to help the rider, to give them a better chance, and to strengthen their ability to do so over time.