Some difficult moments follow a familiar pattern. Choose one routine you want to change, such as the trip home after work or an unstructured evening. Focus on the surroundings and available choices instead of relying only on willpower.
Find the decision points
Describe the routine in three parts: what starts it, what happens next, and where the risk increases. Look for one point you can change before the urge becomes intense. Examples include arranging a ride, carrying a meal, scheduling a call, or taking a different route.
Make the alternative practical
Plan for cost, transportation, fatigue, privacy, and competing responsibilities. Prepare one item or contact in advance. Test the new routine once and notice what helped. If it was difficult, adjust the plan; the result is useful information about what support is missing.
Reflection prompts
Use these questions in conversation, on paper, or in the downloaded PDF. You may adapt or skip a prompt.
- The routine and its three main steps are
- The earliest decision point I can change is
- My alternative route or activity and what I must prepare are
- After trying it, I noticed; next time I will adjust