23 Bad Habits (And Mindset Habits)To Quit In 2023

Have a list of bad habits to quit today?

Me too. Let’s identify and work on it!

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Table of Contents

BAD HABITS LIST

As 2023 approaches, I have pondered upon the days that have passed in 2022. The good, the bad, the ones that teach me, the opportunity I get, and so on.

And all of this is reflected by the daily habit that I have repeated every single day.

That’s when I think, I need to stop a few bad habits that stunted my growth. And I need to quit those bad habits

And not only me, I feel like the new year gives the spirit of restarting the journey for the majority of us.

The question is, how exactly we can identify the habits that we need to change?

Two words, Habit Scorecard

The habit Scorecard concept is taken from the best-selling book, Atomic Habits

Habit Scorecard: Tool to identify the bad habits we want to get rid off

A habit scorecard is a simple exercise used to discover which habits we should change.

How to do it? Just list down everything you do in a day. Give a positive sign (+) if it’s a good habit and a negative sign (-) if it’s a bad habit for you.

By listing down all the activities that we do every day, we can probably see which habit doesn’t benefit us in the long run.

“The labels “good habit” and “bad habit” are slightly inaccurate. There are no good habits or bad habits. There are only effective habits. That is, effective at solving problems. All habits serve you in some way—even the bad ones—which is why you repeat them.
When completing your Habits Scorecard, however, you can categorize your habits by how they will benefit you in the long run. Generally speaking, good habits will have net positive outcomes”
James Clear, Atomic Habits.

The mindset habit is a bit difficult. As we cannot see exactly what’s happening in our minds. But one way that helps me is by flipping through my journal.

If you want to start bullet journaling, check out this post. And get the best Bullet Journal Notebook to start your journey

As I paused and reflect, I’m able to notice what I do automatically without thinking and what’s really happening in my mind during a certain situation.

As I audited both the habit scorecard and my journal, I summarized 23 bad habits (and mindset habits) that I want to quit in 2023.

1. Using phone before bed

Probably one of the worst habits and the most common to have. I have the urge to check on my phone before bed although I have set it to non-disturb and set a limit time for all apps.

It’s clear, the problem is me. The blue light will keep me awake and the dopamine spike caused by continuous scrolling caused me to crave the phone even more.

Plan:

Stop using the phone by 8 pm and place it outside the room.
Use a blue light glass whenever use your phone or laptop. (The glass will not filter 100% of the blue light, so reducing the amount of screen exposure is needed as well)
Another option if you don’t like wearing glasses is to use the laptop screen protector

2. Sleeping late or inconsistent sleeping time

Sleeping late is the initial trigger of having an organized and messy upcoming morning. Everything will be in rush, and I will feel the urge to come home and get back to bad again.

The thing with the sleep cycle is it needs to be at a consistent time, and I failed sometimes because I eat dinner a bit late.

Plan: To eat dinner at a consistent time to be able to go to bed on time

3. Sitting for too long

The sedentary office lifestyle. Slouching over with eyes fixed on the screen. The bad posture, the back pain caused by it, the negative effect is endless.

Plan: Probably need to have a reminder to stand or brief walking after 1hour of sitting (It’s crazy how humankind has come to this).

Another option is to use a walking pad or standing desk when working.

Best standing desk

Best budget

Alternative to a standing desk

4. Working without a schedule

The thing with working without a schedule is that I am unable to prioritize work. I keep it inside my head, and I know I should be doing it, but without a schedule, it’s not going to happen as I want. I just went into autopilot mode. So, at the end of the day, everything just piles under a big, unsettled mess.

Plan: Set aside 5 -10 minutes each day to roughly plan the day.

5. Not replying to text messages immediately after I read it

..and always feeling guilty afterwards. The thing is, sometimes I’m a bit occupied with work, and think that I will reply to it soon, then completely forget about it.

After a few days, when the same person texts me again I will be wondering when exactly I read the message.

Plan: Be mindful when checking the phone and just reply right after reading it

6. Not drinking enough water

Once I track how many cups I drink per day, I realized I drink only 3-4 cups per day (not including coffee). And normal female adult needs around 8-9 cups per day. This may sound trivial, but really, a lack of fluid can easily cause tiredness.

Plan: Buy the big tumbler with a straw to encourage yourself to drink water.

7. Not checking finance

After reading The Psychology of Money (Everyone should read this one), I have come to one conclusion. The reason so many people just live paycheck to paycheck is that they don’t manage their finances well.

I have improved over time in terms of tracking my finance, but this is still my top priority this year

Plan: To buy one of those financial trackers and track my finance.

I have found the best budget planner that I can use. It is UNDATED, which is good because I know I won’t be tracking every day. and the budget binder can help me with my daily expenses.

8. Eat out too much

This point aligns with a previous bad habit (not monitoring my finance). I never track my expenses, so I spend a lot on food. I know I will get hungry at certain times but never make an effort to cook it, so I will just click and buy.

Is not just it affects my finances, but also my weight and my energy level as well. The store-bought food has a lot of additives, MSG and salt, explaining why I keep on gaining weight.

Plan: Start meal prepping. And stick to the budget allocation for eating out.

9. Not taking enough rest take too much rest

I know no balance. Sometimes I noticed that I work hard for certain times until I reach the point of being burned out then I stop and crash in the opposite direction.

I am still struggling with this in which I feel by having the routine and feedback system

Plan: Schedule break time and stick to it. Allow yourself to rest before reaching the bottom point.

10. Unrealistic to-do list

Another bad habit to quit is an unrealistic expectations. I will create a long to-do list and end up being overwhelmed and end up doing nothing.

Net output: zero

Plan: Create a reasonable action plan and to-do list.

11. Not socializing

Before covid, I’m a complete homebody and I rarely go out socializing. Then covid happen, and it amplifies the situation

I feel like meeting people is important so that new ideas can be exchanged or just the basic need to feel belong to a certain crowd.

Plan: Meet people and say yes once a month (at least)

12. Not taking care of the appearance

via GIPHY

The moment I noticed I am not bothered with the way I look; I rarely take care of myself. I don’t watch what I’m eating, I don’t exercise, and turning into a slob.

This cycle perpetuates daily and needs to stop. The impact of taking care of oneself is usually left unnoticed. The more you pay attention to yourself, the more you value yourself as a whole.

Plan: Start to act what I preach, incorporate the daily skincare routine, and at least look at the mirror before I go out

13. Do not exercise when I am busy

Compromising my health overwork, I’m guilty of it, every single time. Exercise is crucial, science has reported it again and again. And I have met people with great success who never left exercise as part of their routine.

So whether is only a short 15 minutes stretching or a 45-min full-body workout, I need to work out 3-4 times per day.

Plan: To do cardio (jog) on weekends and do body exercise on weekdays

14. Listen or read to too many talks on productivity

Okay, I know this sounds weird. I feel like listening or reading too much productive or motivation-related stuff makes me feel that I have accomplished it like I’m there at the top.

Even though I didn’t do anything. So, I’m still there, at the old spot

Too many things are not good for us, I guess. Get the dose of motivation and then get going. I should focus on execution rather than lingering on the planning all the time.

15. Too much complaining or excuses

Number one success killer. I have realized I’m giving out too many excuses and complaints on things so I can get away with it. But let’s be real, who am I kidding?

These excuses and complaining will not make me grow as a person.

I am too comfortable with things, and when things get a little bit hard, I complain and give an excuse.

Plan: Before giving an excuse, try first whatever possible ways.

16. Getting too comfortable with current life

Life has been good. So good that I stop pushing myself sometimes. I make goals and deadlines, but I don’t really achieve them. The worst thing is, I don’t feel bad about it.

That’s how my routine worsens at the end of every month. The problem could be due to the goal is not big enough to keep me excited or maybe I am being too complacent.

Plan: To join a community with similar interests and passions so I can be around the right people. Or listen to an autobiography or entrepreneur podcast aside from motivation/productivity.

That way I can learn from their mistake and wisdom from real-life experiences.

17. Waiting to be comfortable before acting

..and the feeling of comfortable never actually comes. The idea of the need to be comfortable and have certain things before starting to take action is a form of procrastination

Or actually scared of taking action. Both need to be overcome if I want to improve myself

Plan: Create the blueprint and execute the plan

via GIPHY

18. Thinking about the past too much

The past is the simpler time. And when I face any difficulty, I noticed I think more about the past. It’s easier. The truth is, the more I think about the past, the more depressed I feel. This is another bad habit to quit today.

The reason for dwelling in the past is that I’m wasting my time doing nothing. If I am occupied and taking action, I rarely felt this kind of feeling.

Plan: Guard my thoughts by daily journaling.

19. Want something but doesn’t take any action

Let’s be real, everyone wants the feeling of success. Having reached certain goals and the target is what everyone wants, including me. But, it is just wishful thinking as no first step was taken.

Maybe the effort is there, but it is not consistent. And things can only be achieved if action is taken. So, I need to stop wishing and start doing

Plan: Focus on one thing at a time. Yes, we should dream big, but if it’s too much, it can lead to inaction. Focus on one single thing and do it well. I need to use one of those daily to-do lists to help me highlight important tasks of the day.

20. Thinking about other people’s life

Other people seem to have better things compared to me. They seem to have it all. The house, car, and career, and they went on vacation to all places. And it’s embarrassing to think how frequently I think that their life is so much better.

It’s a foolish thing to even think about. And I blame my tendency to scroll on Instagram for this.

I am blessed and I have whatever I need. I have to remember this. Always

Plan: To quit scrolling Instagram frequently and be consistent in writing in the gratitude journal.

21. Too busy or mindlessly busy

Live life in autopilot mode with no proper intention. I tend to do this when I stop journaling. I will go on my day without any intention and the cycle repeats every week.

It’s tiring because I don’t even know what I’m busy with. I need to have more intention in my action.

Plan: Again, journaling, consistently. I have been using the Moleskin as my journal and loving it so far.

22. Multitasking

Juggling multiple tasks can appear productive at first and I’m guilty of it. But the outcome is the opposite. I don’t have any focus and my mind shift from one thing to another. It’s crazy. That’s why I easily feel mentally tired.

When my mind starts focusing, I’m piling other things. It doesn’t give me anything, to be honest. Need to learn how to focus better.

Plan: I need to create a realistic target, cut down on the excessive, overly ambitious to-do list and do things one thing at a time

23. quit with the shiny Object Syndrome

Too many things I wanted to do but too little effort was put into it.

Learn to focus and get better at one thing before diving into others

There you go 23 bad habits (and mindset habits) I want to quit in 2023- and how I plan to tackle it!

BAD HABITS LIST

It’s a long list, I know. But there is so much thing to improve and lots of bad habits to quit today

What is the bad habit that weighs you down in 2022? Drop your comment and share it with us.