Rooting out bad habits

those quitting monkeys will never know what hit me

Routines and Habits

Each and everyone of us formed routines as early as we are just babies. We cried for everything when we were babies, and that is the very first routine we had formed. So after we add years of growing up, studying, learning new stuff, meeting new people, all the laughter, the tears, and everything else, we got ourselves stuck in a specific set of routines that comprised of good and bad habits and behaviors.

How do you actually rewrites yourself? I mean, by the age of 25+, most people would already have formed multitudes of habits and routines that they simply cannot let go, even though they knew some of those habits might led to something worse. Trying to change creates its own challenge at this point of life. We’re practically surrounded by problems and obligations towards ourselves and other people. Changing might cost us some of those hard-earned privileges with the people we know.

The most common habits that people want to change are the removal of hazardous habits such as: smoking, alcohol consumption, unhealthy diet, procrastinating, staying late at night, and gossiping. Being in Indonesia, a country filled with mangrove forests all around its corners, smoking is like a culture that formed through vast industry and poor education and social services & facilities. The most obvious irony is that although the regular employee earn ~$1.100 monthly, they still care to afford their smoking habit, effectively cutting that paycheck by ~$400.

Quitting Smoking

I am writing this piece to push myself to quit smoking. I have been smoking for about 9 years now. The average Indonesian smokers who burn a pack a day spent ~$5.500 a year for cigars (mind you, we are one of the biggest exporters of cigarettes), so that means I can estimate about ~$49.500 wasted already. It really hurts to look back like this, I know I could’ve spend those money better.

The entire men in my family smoked, I practically grew up with secondhand smoke around the house. I started smoking when I started to earn my own paycheck, cause spending other people’s (read: parents) money for smoking is like burning their money.

I normally spend around 5 minutes to finish a smoke. So in 9 years, I have wasted ~6 months smoking. Plus, the expected decrease in my life span might accumulates up to a whole year. So in total, I have discarded 18 months of my life up until today… Times so much better spent with the people that I care about.

Other than time and money, the obvious hazard is on my own family. Their health are also affected by this habit. Secondhand smoke are more hazardous to the other people rather than the smoker, because at least we have a filter.

The Effort

Now, I have start to cut these down. I don’t buy them anymore, although I ask for them occasionally from a friend when we hang out (and yes, I’m fine with spending their money :p because I spent mine on them as well before), or when I’m working. I don’t carry lighter around as well, so that I am not tempted to find something to burn (lol). I’m planning to carry a handbook everywhere to write instead when I crave for a smoke. And I will use the better time to produce something more valuable to me and my family.

During this process, I also would like to add a positive routine that I have failed so many times to incorporate in my daily activities which is working out. I have a big round belly :p and it’s not that I don’t like it, I just feel out of work lately and my body started to experience strange problems overtime.

I’m really looking forward how this new setup routine going to affect me emotionally, I’ve read about nicotine drawbacks as well and will try to explain them to the people around me. I believe routines would be exciting for people who are willing to get better.