設立雄心勃勃的目標來提升自己，但最終卻因為種種現實阻礙而沒能完成計劃的感覺很糟糕。不過比起苛責自己，何不嘗試為自己建立一套系統化的方法來維持好習慣呢？本文淺談長期堅持好習慣的方法。
詞匯：habits 習慣
1 It’s day one of a healthier, smarter, better you. You’re full of zest and good intentions. You woke up at 5am to run before work, you read a book in your lunchbreak, and you listened to an English podcast on your commute. Now, fast forward three months. Life is getting in the way, and you’ve slipped into old habits… snoozing your alarm and eating chocolate for breakfast. Sound familiar?
2 Don’t be hard on yourself. It’s unrealistic to rely on willpower alone. As James Clear, author of the bestselling book ‘Atomic Habits’, writes, “The problem isn’t you. The problem is your system.” Our habits come from goals, so start by getting really clear. Goals, according to George T Doran, should be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. It’s not enough to say, “I’ll exercise more” – that’s too vague! A SMART goal would be “I’m going to walk for 20 minutes in the evenings on weekdays.” Now you have a clear action that you can stick to.
3 Once you’re clear on your goals, you need to make the associated habits as automatic as possible. Try ‘habit stacking’, a technique popularised in the book ‘Atomic Habits’, which involves attaching a new habit onto something you already do regularly. For example, if you already make coffee every morning, use that moment to read your book for 20 minutes. That way, your new reading habit is now intertwined with something you’re going to do anyway. Another key strategy is to reward yourself, to transform the habit from a chore into something pleasurable. If it’s hard to get yourself to the gym, promise yourself that after each visit, you’ll allow yourself a treat – a takeaway meal or an episode of your favourite TV show.
4 Even with our best intentions and a great system, stress and interruptions to your routine like social events can still make keeping habits feel like an uphill battle. If or when you have setbacks, accept it as part of the process. Life is full of spontaneity and uncertainty – one could argue that’s what keeps it interesting! Use setbacks as a pause for reflection and review. What about your system is working? What’s no longer serving you? Then, get back on track.
測驗與練習
一、將標題和段落配對。
Paragraph 1 ________
Paragraph 2 ________
Paragraph 3 ________
Paragraph 4 ________
a. Making habits easy
b. Hypothetical scenario
c. Giving up on your habits
d. When things go wrong
e. Sharing goals with friends
f. Goal setting
二、根據文章內容選出正確的選項。
1. Which habit does the writer imply is negative?
a. waking up at 5am
b. making coffee every morning
c. snoozing your alarm
2. “I’ll exercise more” is a SMART goal.
a. True
b. False
c. Not given
3. Which word in paragraph 2 is the opposite of ‘specific’?
a. unrealistic
b. vague
c. clear
4. Which statement best describes ‘habit stacking’?
a. Linking a new habit to an existing habit to make it easier to remember.
b. Creating habits based on specific goals.
c. Replacing a bad habit with a good habit to break unhealthy routines.
5. Social events can interrupt our habit routines.
a. True
b. False
c. Not given
三、用下列單詞完成對本文的總結。
Maintaining good habits can sometimes feel like 1) _______. It can be hard to 2) _______ a good routine. But when life sends you 3) _______, it’s important not to be too 4) _______. Instead, search for the willpower to get 5) _______.
an uphill battle
setbacks
back on track
vague
stick to
pleasurable
hard on yourself
（答案見詞匯表後）
詞匯表
zest 熱忱，強烈的興趣
commute 上下班往返，通勤
fast forward 快進
slip into 陷入，逐漸養成（壞習慣）
snooze 讓鬧鐘推遲響起
hard on oneself 對自己過於嚴苛
willpower 意志力，毅力
time-bound 有時間要求的，受時間限制的
vague 不明確的，模糊的
stick to 堅持，遵守（習慣，規則等）
habit stacking 習慣疊加，讓不同習慣互相促進
intertwine 互相纏繞，交織
reward oneself 獎勵自己
chore 煩人的事，雜事
pleasurable 令人愉悅的
an uphill battle 一場艱苦的戰鬥
setback 挫折，阻隘
spontaneity 自發性
back on track 回到正軌
答案
一、將標題和段落配對。
Paragraph 1 b) Hypothetical scenario
Paragraph 2 f) Goal setting
Paragraph 3 a) Making habits easy
Paragraph 4 d) When things go wrong
二、根據文章內容選出正確的選項。
1. a. snoozing your alarm. Life is getting in the way, and you’ve slipped into old habits… snoozing your alarm and eating chocolate for breakfast.
2. b. False. It’s not enough to say, “I’ll exercise more” – that’s too vague! If a goal is vague, it’s not specific, which is a requirement of SMART goals.
3. c. vague.
4. a. Linking a new habit to an existing habit to make it easier to remember. ‘habit stacking’ involves attaching a new habit onto something you already do regularly.
5. a. True. Stress and interruptions to your routine like social events can still make keeping habits feel like an uphill battle.
三、用下列單詞完成對本文的總結。
Maintaining good habits can sometimes feel like an uphill battle. It can be hard to stick to a good routine. But when life sends you setbacks, it’s important not to be too hard on yourself. Instead, search for the willpower to get back on track.
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