Bad Habits People Are Trying to Break in 2026: The Year of Doing Less (and Living More)

As the calendar flipped to 2026, millions of people made a collective decision: this is the year of doing less. Not less living, less achieving, or less joy—but less of the habits that drain energy, steal focus, and quietly sabotage well-being.[cnbc]​

After years of hustle culture, pandemic stress, and digital overwhelm, people are rejecting the "do more, be more" mentality and instead asking: "What can I subtract from my life to make it better?".yourstory+1

From endless scrolling to people-pleasing to sugar addiction, here are the bad habits people are most determined to break in 2026—and expert-backed strategies to actually succeed.

The Top Bad Habits People Are Breaking in 2026

1. Phone Addiction: Breaking the Morning Scroll

The Habit:
Reaching for your phone immediately upon waking and checking messages or scrolling through social media before even getting out of bed.[cnbc]​

Why It's Harmful:
This sets a reactive tone for your entire day, floods your brain with information before you're mentally prepared, and hijacks your morning with other people's priorities.1mg+1

Expert Insight:
Scrolling is being called "the new form of self-sabotage". It numbs your mind, kills focus, and destroys your ability to stay present.yourstory+1

How to Break It:

• Leave your phone in another room overnight[cnbc]​

• Use a traditional alarm clock instead of your phone

• Replace morning scrolling with a healthier ritual (stretching, journaling, coffee without screens)

• Set a "no phone before 8am" rule

• Delete addictive apps and only check them on a computer[1mg]​

2. Excessive Screen Time: The Digital Detox

The Habit:
Spending hours daily on phones, laptops, or televisions, often mindlessly consuming content.thechefjoe+1

Why It's Harmful:
Excessive screen time harms eyes, disrupts sleep rhythms, shortens attention spans, and contributes to anxiety and depression.[1mg]​

The Reality Check:
If you tracked every minute spent on social media in 2025, you'd be shocked by how much time this habit consumed while hurting your health.[1mg]​

How to Break It:

• Monitor your average daily screen time for one week

• Set app time limits on your phone

• Schedule two "detox days" per week[1mg]​

• Replace scrolling with productive activities: reading, cooking, walking, hobbies

• Remove notifications for non-essential apps

• Reduce screen time before bed to improve sleep quality[shutterfly]​

3. Over-Consumption of Sugar and Sugary Drinks

The Habit:
Regular consumption of sodas, energy drinks, sweetened coffee beverages, and constant snacking on sugary foods.shutterfly+2

Why It's Harmful:
Excess sugar leads to energy crashes, weight gain, inflammation, increased diabetes risk, and dental problems.[1mg]​

How to Break It:

• Start by reducing sugar intake gradually rather than quitting cold turkey

• Swap sugary drinks for water, herbal tea, or sparkling water with lemon

• Choose whole fruits instead of fruit juices

• Read labels and become aware of hidden sugars

• Reduce late-night snacking one night per week, then build from there[blog.mylifenote]​

4. Sedentary Lifestyle: Breaking the Sitting Epidemic

The Habit:
Spending most of the day sitting—at desks, in cars, on couches—with minimal physical movement.plumhealthyfine+1

Why It's Harmful:
Prolonged sitting increases risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, back pain, poor posture, and mental health issues.[thechefjoe]​

How to Break It:[plumhealthyfine]​

• Stretch for a few minutes after waking up

• Go for a walk, even if it's short

• Aim for at least 5,000 steps daily (work up to 10,000)[shutterfly]​

• Take a 10-20 minute walk after meals[youtube]​

• Pick up more household chores

• Exercise 4-5 times per week

• Avoid your bed unless unwinding or sleeping

• Take breaks during desk work to stretch and walk around

• Try a new fitness class or sport[shutterfly]​

5. People-Pleasing: The Habit of Saying Yes When You Mean No

The Habit:
Agreeing to commitments, favors, and demands that drain your time and energy because you fear disappointing others.[yourstory]​

Why It's Harmful:
People-pleasing pulls you in every direction except your own. Every unnecessary "yes" steals time, focus, and emotional energy that could be invested in your goals.[yourstory]​

Expert Insight:
"2026 will demand stronger boundaries. Not everything and everyone deserves your energy".[yourstory]​

How to Break It:

• Practice saying "Let me check my schedule and get back to you" instead of automatic yes

• Say yes to what builds you; say no to what drains you[yourstory]​

• Learn healthy boundaries and practice using them[shutterfly]​

• Say no to one unnecessary commitment per month[blog.mylifenote]​

• Remember: the world adjusts when you set boundaries[yourstory]​

6. Overthinking Instead of Taking Action

The Habit:
Analyzing every decision from every angle, getting paralyzed by possibilities, and never actually moving forward.[yourstory]​

Why It's Harmful:
Overthinking is called "the biggest dream-killer". It convinces you that every risk is fatal and every decision dangerous. But clarity doesn't come from thinking—it comes from doing.[yourstory]​

How to Break It:

• Replace overthinking with quick decision-making and consistent action[yourstory]​

• Set a 5-minute decision timer for non-critical choices

• Use the "good enough" standard instead of perfectionism

• Take imperfect action rather than perfect inaction

• Remember: mistakes are data, not disasters

7. Procrastination: The Productivity Killer

The Habit:
Putting off important tasks until the last minute, constantly delaying action on goals.[1mg]​

Why It's Harmful:
Procrastination creates stress, anxiety, rushed work, missed opportunities, and a cycle of guilt and shame.[1mg]​

How to Break It:

• Break large tasks into tiny, manageable steps

• Use the "2-minute rule": if it takes less than 2 minutes, do it now

• Schedule specific times to work on important tasks

• Remove distractions before starting work

• Plan tomorrow's top task today[blog.mylifenote]​

• Do one 15-minute life admin block weekly[blog.mylifenote]​

8. Sacrificing Sleep

The Habit:
Consistently staying up too late, hitting snooze repeatedly, and not maintaining a regular sleep schedule.cnbc+1

Why It's Harmful:
Poor sleep affects every aspect of health: immune function, mental clarity, mood regulation, weight management, and disease risk.[1mg]​

How to Break It:

• Set a consistent bedtime and wake time (even weekends)[youtube]​[shutterfly]​

• Go to bed 15 minutes earlier on weekdays[blog.mylifenote]​

• Create a relaxing pre-sleep routine

• Reduce screen time before bed[shutterfly]​

• Get up as soon as your alarm goes off (no snooze)[cnbc]​

• Make sleep quality a non-negotiable priority[yourstory]​

9. Excessive Alcohol Consumption

The Habit:
Regular drinking at home, using alcohol to unwind, or consuming more than recommended limits.[youtube]​[cnbc]​

Why It's Harmful:
Alcohol disrupts sleep quality, affects mental health, contributes to weight gain, and increases long-term health risks.[youtube]​

How to Break It:

• Track your drinking patterns for one week

• Set specific "no alcohol" days each week

• Replace evening drinks with other relaxation rituals

• Consider eliminating alcohol entirely (Habit #4 recommended by cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Jeremy London)[youtube]​

• Find alternative ways to manage stress

10. Excessive Caffeine Dependence

The Habit:
Running on caffeine 24/7, drinking multiple cups of coffee throughout the day.[plumhealthyfine]​

Why It's Harmful:
While coffee has benefits, excessive caffeine causes jitters, disrupts sleep, creates dependency, and can increase anxiety.[plumhealthyfine]​

How to Break It:

• Limit caffeine to one cup per day[shutterfly]​

• Avoid caffeine after 2pm to protect sleep

• Gradually reduce intake rather than quitting cold turkey

• Replace afternoon coffee with water, herbal tea, or a short walk

• Find other ways to boost energy: movement, hydration, better sleep

11. Neglecting Physical and Mental Health

The Habit:
Skipping doctor appointments, ignoring stress signals, overworking without boundaries, and treating health as optional.[yourstory]​

Why It's Harmful:
Your goals mean nothing if your body or mind can't support them. Burnout begins silently with poor sleep, skipped meals, ignored stress, and overworking.[yourstory]​

How to Break It:

• Schedule regular doctor checkups[shutterfly]​

• Keep a weekly mental health check-in journal[shutterfly]​

• Prioritize sleep, hydration, movement, and mental rest as non-negotiables[yourstory]​

• Practice mindfulness or meditation[shutterfly]​

• Set healthy work boundaries

• Schedule a weekly rest or reset ritual[blog.mylifenote]​

12. Living in Clutter and Disorganization

The Habit:
Accumulating physical and digital clutter, keeping items you never use, maintaining disorganized spaces.[plumhealthyfine]​

Why It's Harmful:
A cluttered environment contributes to stress, anxiety, and unproductivity.[plumhealthyfine]​

How to Break It:

• Start small: declutter one drawer or shelf

• Donate usable items to charity

• Don't store anything you won't use next year

• Organize your shelves, wardrobe, refrigerator, folders, and paperwork

• Spend one hour managing digital devices

• Declutter one small space per month[blog.mylifenote]​

Expert Strategies for Actually Breaking Bad Habits

The "Tiny Experiments" Approach

Neuroscientist Dr. Anne-Laure Le Cunff advises adopting "tiny experiments" rather than massive, unattainable goals.[cnbc]​

How it works:

• Choose one small habit change to test for 2-4 weeks

• Withhold judgment until your experiment is complete[cnbc]​

• Evaluate what worked and what didn't

• Adjust and try again

Example: Instead of "exercise every day," try "take a 10-minute walk most days".[blog.mylifenote]​

Focus on Subtraction, Not Addition

The 2026 mindset is about doing less.[cnbc]​

Ask yourself:

• What can I remove from my life to make space for what matters?

• What am I doing that actively drains my energy?

• What commitments can I say no to?

Choose Your Battle

Don't try to break every bad habit at once. Focus on 1-3 habits maximum.thechefjoe+1

Recommended approach:

• Choose 1 health habit

• Choose 1 mental health habit

• Choose 1 boundary or simplification habit[blog.mylifenote]​

Start Impossibly Small

Make your initial changes so small they feel almost ridiculous:[blog.mylifenote]​

• "Reduce doomscrolling by 10 minutes/day"

• "Delay late-night snacking by 10 minutes"

• "Do 5 minutes of stretching 3x/week"

• "Tidy one surface for 5 minutes daily"

Why it works: Small wins build momentum and confidence without overwhelming you.

Replace, Don't Just Remove

Instead of simply stopping a bad habit, replace it with a better one:

• Scrolling → Reading or walking

• Sugary drinks → Flavored water or herbal tea

• Snooze button → Immediate morning stretch

• Evening wine → Relaxing tea ritual

Track Without Judgment

Monitor your habits without self-criticism:

• Track your energy daily with a 1-10 score[blog.mylifenote]​

• Notice patterns without narrating your failures

• Use data to understand triggers and vulnerabilities

2026 represents a fundamental shift in how people approach self-improvement: less hustle, more healing. Less addition, more subtraction. Less perfection, more consistency.cnbc+2

The most common bad habits people are breaking this year all share one theme: they're energy vampires—behaviors that drain vitality, focus, and joy without providing meaningful returns.

Remember:

• You don't need to fix everything at once

• Small, consistent changes beat dramatic overhauls

• Progress matters more than perfection

• Your energy is your most valuable resource—guard it carefully[yourstory]​

As one expert put it: "I'm rebuilding capacity, not proving toughness".[blog.mylifenote]​

That's the spirit of 2026: gentler with yourself, firmer with boundaries, and focused on what truly matters.