Jan. 5 is my quit date

So I decided to quit biting my nails (yes, again). I have done it before, but I have never been able to maintain it for a very long period of time. However, I plan to fix that starting today. This is not a New Year's resolution, just a goal that I plan to accomplish.

Before attempting to quit, I decided to do some research on breaking bad habits in preparation. One thing I found is that it is important to set a quit date. This was really emphasized for smoking, which luckily I don't have a problem with, but studies show that people who set a quit date and publicize it are more likely to be successful.

What else makes a person more likely to be successful? The more attempts they have had. This seems a little strange to me. If they failed once why would they not fail again? Apparently people learn a little something from every failure, so the more attempts that have been made the more likely a person will be to succeed. I have that working for me too as I have attempted a number of times.

I also learned that a person should identify her triggers. Mine tend to be when my hands are free and I am doing something fairly mindless. This means reading, watching television and browsing the internet. Another problem area, however, is school work, such as while I am reading for classes. Now that I know my triggers, I am supposed to plan accordingly.

For me, I decided this means putting the gross tasting stuff on in the morning before I get on the computer and again in the afternoon when I start to watch television. Additionally, I am going to make my hands busy. I plan to start to crochet again when I watch television because it keeps the hands busy and I usually end up with some pretty nice scarves.

What do I get for accomplishing the goal of quitting? Aside from hands that aren't an embarrassment in public, better health and the feeling of pride that comes from accomplishing a goal, I get a spa day. The spa day includes a mani-pedi, and I certainly don't want to waste that by having no nails.

I will show you  my progress a bit along the way to help keep me accountable. Here is a picture of my starting point. You can see why I need to quit. It's disgusting!