If you want to give up a bad habit, you don’t start by giving up the bad habit. You start by picking up a better habit.

So if you wanted to quit smoking, you don’t just stop smoking. You could start jogging.

So if you wanted to back away from junk food, you don’t just stop ordering junk food. You could add a salad to that order.

So if you wanted to cut out some of your late night, extra-curricular activities, you don’t just stop your late night, extra-curricular activities. You could pick up a book and start reading 15 minutes before you were planning on going out.

As silly as it sounds, and as silly as my suggestion seem, the principle comes from the weighing perceived loss with perceived gain.

If you were to stop smoking cold turkey, immediately ax junk food from your diet, or just stopped clubbing, you would immediately feel it. You would immediately miss it. And you would immediately start craving it, regardless of how good the reverse should make you feel.

But, if you were to add small substations with gradual increases, you have a better chance to ease into your new lifestyle as you come to the subconscious relaxation you don’t have time for two opposing forces in your life. And since thing seem to be going fine doing the ‘good’ stuff, you’ve be more amenable to giving up the ‘bad’ stuff.

Releasing the bad habit without establishing a good habit to firmly take its place works just like a vacuum. Once you suck out the air, there is nothing. But as soon as you give it more atmosphere, it will instantly refill itself with air, and your case, instantly look to fill itself with the habit you are trying to kick.