Content

• Steps

Impulsiveness / impulsiveness can cause a lot of problems. Rushing at the grocery store can lead to too much money, or buying junk food and pastries while you're planning to buy healthy foods. You can spend a day shopping instead of studying, or playing video games when you intend to go to the gym. You may become less impulsive if you know how to use effective control. Focus your attention through specific interventions, and develop daily routines to improve your ability to pay attention.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Organized Living

1. 

   Write down your goals. The first step in managing your impulses is to determine how much you want to prioritize your time. Then, before acting on impulse, check to make sure that your behavior reflects the values ​​/ goals you write down for yourself.
   • This means you can write down overall job listings, or create a business plan. If you are a student, you can make a study plan. It is important to record current goals to compare them with your impulsiveness.
   • You can view notes as a store of values, intentions, commitments, personal best practices, and tasks that can support these goals.
   • You can use notebooks, spreadsheets, or other method that works for you. It is important that they are easy to use and useful.

2. 

   
   
   Take time to regularly review and plan. To get the most out of your management system, you must try to re-test how well your system is working in life, and to plan for any necessary changes.
   • You may find yourself needing to sit down once a week to consider your actions the previous week. Have you followed the priorities on the list? Take note of what is good, what makes you feel challenging, and what you can do better.
   • You may find yourself needing to do this check more often until you find a system that works for you. A brief review should be written every day; you can also create a more extensive monthly review.

3. 

   
   
   Adhere to the daily schedule. If the time of day is not properly planned, you often fill it with impulsive actions. Try writing down a daily schedule for yourself, by setting aside 30 minutes. It is normal to spend more than 30 minutes on one task, but not to have extra free and free time.
   • If you don't know how to plan your specific activities in advance, write down a series of options for yourself. For example, if you're not sure if a friend will come, write: “She or ______”.
   • Your daily schedule should also include social and free time. A timetable without rest will eventually fail.

4. 

   
   
   Write a list for yourself. If you are the type of person who is often in a hurry to change direction in the middle of a job, using checklists can help you stay focused. The checklist will minimize your chances of acting impulsively by making sure you don't forget anything and don't add any unnecessary steps at work.
   • Listings are proven to increase attention on work, even for medical professionals. Many surgeons are required to follow a checklist when performing surgery to help them focus.
   • A checklist of items for checking markup can be applied in many situations. Using travel lists helps you to organize more efficiently; shopping lists help you buy only the intended items; academic checklists help ensure you will participate in each part of the assigned assignment.
   • Making a cross in your list can give you motivation to complete a task.

5. 

   Create color codes on the calendar set. Keeping your calendar by your side is essential for anyone struggling with impulsiveness. You will have to use your daily, weekly, and monthly calendar to figure out which to prioritize. Using different colors for different activity categories helps to aid in effective use of your calendar.
   • For example, students might use red ink for an upcoming test, blue ink for a long-term project, black ink for daily assignments, and green ink for fun or activity. social action.
   • A mobile calendar, like an app on a phone, helps you access your calendar through settings.
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Part 2 of 3: Take steps to prevent impulsive action

1. 

   See pictures of nature. Many studies show that people who enjoy images of the natural world often make less hasty decisions afterwards. That image should include mountains, forests, beaches, etc.
   • If you're trying to curb your impulsiveness, put a postcard or photo of your favorite natural environment near your desk or in your notebook.
   • Before making a decision, stop and reflect by looking at the picture of the natural world. Your decision will be less hasty.

2. 

   Sleep / nap. According to a study by the University of Michigan, napping helps reduce impulsivity in adults. According to the same study, the short nap time is about 60 minutes, but you don't have to get 60 minutes of sleep to benefit from this method.
   • Napping also helps people to be calmer and less discouraged when trying to complete tasks. People who have a habit of napping often focus on the activity until it is completed.
   • People who don't get 7-9 hours of sleep a night still benefit from naps. All research topics have shown benefits from short naps.

3. 

   
   
   Limit impulsive action. Setting boundaries for yourself will help protect you from decisions and act hasty. For example, if you have a problem stopping yourself from saying everything you think directly, consider writing down all the comments and questions before saying them. By taking the time to write things down, you can avoid inappropriate hasty comments.
   • If you have trouble spending too much, keep your credit card at home every time you shop and pay with cash.
   • Delaying buying certain items for 24 hours will help prevent hasty shopping, and give you the opportunity to decide if you really need to buy them.

4. 

   
   
   Practice breathing exercises. A study by the University of California in Los Angeles demonstrated a yoga-based breathing exercise called Sudarshan Kriya, which helps reduce impulsive behavior in teenagers. Breathing exercises cover 4 basic forms of breathing:
   • Ujjayi, or "Victorious Breath," is a form of slow and deliberate breathing when you focus on the breath.
   • Bhastrika, or “Bellows Breath,” is when you exhale forcefully through your nose, then inhale quickly, at about 30 breaths per minute.
   • Chant "Om" three times in a row, then you need to exhale for extended and controlled breath.
   • Breathe in rhythm, whether you breathe slowly, moderately, or quickly.
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Part 3 of 3: Develop healthy daily habits

1. 

   
   
   Start practicing yoga. Regular practice of basic yoga has been shown to improve attention and reduce impulsivity.The kids at school are taught daily "hello sun" (morning exercise) exercises and balanced breathing effectively prolongs the ability to pay attention better.
   • This benefit increases when the yoga exercise is practiced in different contexts. For example, if you're going to shop, take a few minutes of yoga breathing exercises before entering the store. At home, practice the "hello to the sun" exercise before eating junk food.

2. 

   Develop a daily exercise routine. Exercise, especially aerobic exercise, can help ease your impulses in many ways. Exercise also boosts your mood and reduces feelings of stress and anxiety.
   • Plus, exercise helps a person actively control their attention. If you often act impulsively due to depression or frustration, you need to use your energy more efficiently through exercise.
   • Research shows that 40 minutes a day of aerobic exercise improves executive function in overweight children.
   • Intensive exercise benefits all ages.

3. 

   Learn more about practicing mindfulness. Being aware of your feelings and learning to connect your impulsiveness to your thoughts, feelings, and motivations will help you gain more control over your actions. Mindfulness gives you the space to see your impulses, giving you the opportunity to choose whether to act hastily or not.
   • When you notice the impulse, let yourself think about it carefully before you act. For example, "I get angry when my lover says that, and I want to criticize her." Then create a more positive response: "I will try to stay calm."
   • Mindfulness means focusing on what's happening inside of you, and it will take time to notice what's going on in your body before you act in a hurry, rather than later.

4. 

   Chat with trusted people. When anxiety is the cause of your impulse, you can help yourself by spending time with people you trust. Make sure there are people in your life with whom you can share issues that bother you. This can help ease anxiety and reduce impulsivity.
   • You might consider talking to a professional, such as a consultant, a life counselor, or a professional organization, about how difficult it is to control impulses.
   • Just spending time talking to a trusted friend can help you deal with anxiety, even if you don't have a serious conversation.

5. 

   Ask your friends to remind you to live responsibly. Friends can help hold you accountable for the goals you set for yourself. Find someone you can trust, who don't like to judge, and share your goals with them. You can decide how you want to be responsible for your goals.
   • For example, would you like your friends to call you to check on your progress? Or do you want to schedule regular meetings so that they can test your commitment to a goal?
   • You also need to plan what your friend can do to support you if you don't focus on your goals and act hastily.
   • You can offer to help your friend take responsibility for something they are struggling with. In this way, the two of you will be responsible teammates.

6. 

   Understand how impulsiveness affects life. Sometimes, being hasty can have both positive and negative effects. For example, if you are going through a hard time making a decision, you may find yourself deciding at the last minute. It is a way to avoid feeling nervous when trying to make a conservative decision.
   • If you are experiencing the benefits of impulsive action, try to find more effective ways to get the benefits.
   • Remember that you can still act spontaneously, even if you control your impatience. Less impulsive does not mean life becomes dull and stereotyped. It just means that you will have more control when choosing how to spend your money, spend your time, and pay attention to something.

7. 

   Participate in activities that help you stay calm. Each person will have different calming activities, but activities can include listening to guided meditation, soft music, or practicing deep breathing exercises. More relaxation can help you avoid acting hastily.
   • Do a body scan to find any areas of stress, then actively focus on relaxing those places.
   • Set the clock for 5 minutes, and focus on your breath during this limited time. Taking a short break will relax you, and prevent any hasty reactions.

8. 

   Consider cognitive behavioral therapy. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, or cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), helps an individual focus on connecting thoughts and feelings with their behavior. CBT is a common treatment for anxiety and impulsive disorders. The goal of this approach is to recognize thoughts that often lead to impulsive action.
   • Hasty behavior is often the result of automatic thought, which comes to mind as an immediate response to certain circumstances. These thoughts can be negative and cause you to make bad decisions. CBT helps you recognize these types of automatic thinking and re-adjust them in new directions.
   • A specialist or consultant can help you discover the many ways CBT can help your life.
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