Breaking the habitual dependence on mindless escapes such as incessant TV watching, video games, email checking, internet surfing, shopping, etc., takes a huge amount of will, tolerance, and commitment. These mindless escaped are so insidious, and you may be surprised how much they wiggle their way into your day. That’s why breaking your addiction can be a bit unnerving. When taking on a mindless escape, you’ve got to be brave, and the best approach is cold turkey.

Here are some mindless escape habit breakers:

Engage more deeply. If you are feeling bored or anxious, challenge yourself to stay put by engaging more deeply in your current activity. Boredom kicks in when we go on “automatic pilot.” Listen more closely to the conversation at hand, pay extra attention to the visual clues in your surroundings, notice the sounds and scents of the space you are in.

Replace instant gratification with complete gratification. Figure out what is causing you to reach for your “fix,” and then address the need completely. If you are bored, find something more stimulating to do. If you are feeling anxious, do something to alleviate your worry directly (talk to a friend, take a deep breath, go for a walk, write in a journal, read an encouraging quote). See if there is a particular activity that causes you frequent anxiety.

Create healthy alternatives. Decide specifically what you’d prefer to spend that time on, even if these are only temporary replacements, until you find something more permanent to fill the time you free up by heaving mindless escapes. Try listening to music, reading a book, or doing something creative, like drawing, knitting, or working on a crossword puzzle. Unless you are mindful and protective of the open space, your schedule will fill up anyway—likely with the habit you thought you eradicated.

Place alternatives within easy reach. You need to divert your attention quickly from the temptation with an easily accessible alternative. If you’ve decided to listen to music instead of watching TV, put your top 10 CDs in your stereo system. If you plan to read, write, or do quiet work instead of checking email, decide specifically what project you’ll be working on in advance, and make sure you have the necessary materials on your desk or in your briefcase.

Reward yourself. No matter how many tries it takes you to get all the way to 30 days, once you make it, reward yourself. The long-term reward, of course, is the absence of the activity, but also treat yourself to something tangible, like a nice out, a space treatment or a round of golf.

            Track your success every day in your planner, calendar, or journal. Keep notes indicating what causes you to reach for your mindless escape, and see if there is a pattern to the events or circumstances that trigger the need. In this way, your bad habit continues to be of value, because each trigger point moment leads you to more insight into areas you need to address. You may discover that there are certain activities you need to drop because they cause you to reach for your habit, or others where you need to develop new skill sets in order to tackle them with less worry.

            Ask a friend or family member to be your buddy and touch base with them every night to report your results. Being accountable to someone motivates you to hold strong and fight the temptations to slip back; you’ll want to make a good report each night. It’s also fun to have someone to celebrate with and cheer you on when you’re making the most of your time.