Bad Habits Detox For Personal Growth In 2025

Written by Michelle Ong | January 11, 2025 | Growth, Productivity, Wellness, Habits

Habits shape who we are, both good and bad. Becoming the best version of ourselves is a lifelong journey, involving shedding bad habits and creating new, better ones. The start of a new year is the perfect time to reflect on the past and set goals for the future.

I have been through many cycles of New Year’s resolutions—some successful, others not so much. This year, I have made a list of bad habits I have struggled with for years, and I’m determined to tackle them head-on this year. Let’s go through my list, ranked from 10 to 1, and hopefully, it’ll inspire you to create your own “habit detox” list for 2025.

#10. Comfort Zone

Hands up if you struggle with stepping out of your comfort zone too! Sticking to what’s familiar feels safer, especially for those of us who tend to play it safe and resist change.

I get that growth happens outside of our comfort zones, but accepting that truth and applying it to my life is a whole different challenge. It takes self-work and a mental shift to realize that growth is uncomfortable but necessary.

If you are happy with where you are and don’t mind staying in your comfort zone, that’s perfectly fine. For me, while uncertainty can hold me back, I crave progress. I feel stuck and bored when there’s no meaningful challenge. While discomfort isn’t fun, I choose it over stagnation.

“If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.” – Thomas Jefferson

To prove that I walk the talk, I made the tough decision to change jobs this year—leaving behind a role I excel at for the opportunity to learn and grow. Wish me luck!

#9. More

Chasing after “more” often leads to clutter—physical, mental, or digital—and I’m no exception.

Take my wardrobe, for example. I use less than half of what’s in there, yet still think, “I have nothing to wear,” sticking to the same few outfits. This has led to buying more clothes I rarely wear, just in case.

“Happiness is not having what you want. It is wanting what you have.” – Rabbi Hyman Schachtel

Inspired by Rabbi Schachte’s quote, I’m working on stopping myself from buying unnecessary things. I also tend to hoard stuff, even if it’s no longer useful, creating clutter.

Though I’m organized, it’s hard to keep up when I have more things than space. That’s why I have started to declutter—discarding broken items with sentimental value and donating things I no longer use. I have been practicing this since late 2024 and will continue this in the new year.

I have acknowledged this issue, not just with physical clutter, but in other areas too. Reducing mental clutter like overthinking and stress, as well as digital clutter, especially photos and screenshots, is also a goal for me this year.

💡If you are dealing with similar issues, check out this post where I dive into why we always want more.

#8. Self-Doubt

“Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” — Suzy Kassem

For a long time, I struggled with a lack of confidence, especially when speaking in front of large groups. I’d stutter, forget what to say, sweat, and turn red—super embarrassing. But with meditation and yoga, I became more self-aware and understood that my self-criticism came from fear, high expectations and caring too much about others’ opinions.

To overcome this, I needed a mindset shift, learning to accept myself, flaws and all. As the saying goes, “It’s not what you are that holds you back, but who you think you are not.” To become my best self, I had to free myself from fear and self-doubt. I’m still working on this and plan to keep improving this year.

💡Check out these posts to explore positive mindsets to embrace and negative ones to let go of.

#7. Poor Posture

Is your workspace setup supporting both long work hours and your long-term health? For me, poor posture from being deskbound led to neck strain and a stiff back.

During the pandemic, I worked from home without a proper monitor, keyboard, or laptop stand, just using my laptop for hours. This caused posture issues, frequent brain fog, and, when combined with stress, made things worse. Lying in bed was painful, affecting my sleep and energy levels.

But after making extensive changes to my routine, workspace and bed, the problem improved, and thankfully, my sleep has gotten much better.

#6. Resentment

“Let go of resentment, for it only chains you to the past and prevents you from soaring into the future.”

Whether it’s directed at people who have what you want but can’t have or who have hurt you or done you wrong, such feelings can stir up envy and strong resentment. I have been aware of this issue for a while and have made progress in managing it, though it still resurfaces at times.

Holding on to such feelings is self-sabotage. You cannot attract what you envy.

It’s far more productive and empowering to focus on myself. And think positively: “If they can do it, so can I.”

I have found that meditation and journaling are incredibly helpful for processing these thoughts, letting go, and finding inner peace.

“If you can’t do anything about it then let it go.”

Make better use of your time. Life is too short to dwell on negativity.

#5. Procrastination

“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” — Charles Dickens

I love ticking off tasks, but that doesn’t mean I’m immune to procrastination.

I tend to delay working on long-term personal projects, like my blog. While I’m comfortable writing blog posts, I resist creating sellable products or venturing into video creation—something I have been planning to do for over a year but haven’t yet started.

I came across a quote that really hit home: “Ask yourself if what you are doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow.” It reminded me to stop putting things off and focus on what really matters. Here’s to overcoming procrastination and creating more valuable content for you!

💡If procrastination is a challenge for you, check out this post for some helpful tips.

#4. Stress

I’m a driven person with a constant urge to maximize productivity, but this can harm my health. When stressed, I get stomach cramps, trouble breathing, and experience issues like insomnia, low energy, and difficulty focusing—everything that hurts my productivity.

As a night owl, I feel most productive in the late morning and at night, but I have a day job with a rigid 8:30 AM to 6 PM schedule, which is tough for someone like me. I often work past 1 AM, which disrupts my sleep and drains my energy the next day.

Breaking this cycle has been especially tough. Stress still finds its way back during busy periods. Just two weeks into 2025, I already had a relapse—work stress hit hard, bringing cramps, rapid breathing, and sleepless nights.

“Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is rest.”

But I’m learning to be patient and embrace the mindset that rushing isn’t the long-term solution. And I have made progress—fewer stress episodes—with lifestyle changes.

Working hard is important, but working smart and taking breaks is what sustains success. I have started using timer apps to remind myself to take breaks and avoid overworking. This journey continues, and I’m focused on reducing unnecessary fatigue.

💡Check out these posts for ways to relieve stress and atypical ways to unwind.

#3. Snoozing

Do you have the habit of hitting snooze and procrastinating getting out of bed? I have long struggled with sleep, often feeling like I never get enough rest.

Research shows that sunlight is key for resetting your circadian rhythm, the sleep-wake cycle. I have noticed that I struggle less with snoozing when the sun is strong, especially on sunny days. Interestingly, I tend to snooze more on cooler, rainy days. Living near the equator means long sunlight hours, but my acute sensitivity to the intensity of light affects my snoozing habits.

Since I work a day job, I need to get up early to get to the office. To overcome my natural tendency to snooze, I’m working on improving my sleep schedule and planning enjoyable activities to look forward to each morning.

#2. Eye Strain

I have severe myopia, thanks to a mix of genetics and bad screen habits from long hours on my laptop for work and blogging. Add in my tendency to work nonstop until a task is finished, and eye strain is inevitable.

To combat this, I have added breaks to my calendar, set timers to remind me to take them, use a blue light filter on my phone, and wear blue light glasses. I also do eye exercises at night. But there are times when I get so caught up in my work that I ignore these reminders.

This year, I’m challenging myself to stick to my eye care routine and stay disciplined about protecting my vision.

#1. Late Nights

I’m a night owl and often find myself in a productive flow late into the night, working past 1 AM. This disrupts my sleep and leaves me drained the next day.

My sleep routine is inconsistent, sometimes I manage to go to bed early, but other times I stay up late, especially when I get caught up in blogging. Excessive tea intake, especially later in the day, doesn’t help either, causing insomnia and hyperactivity.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, sleep is crucial for organ detox, with the golden sleep period from 9 PM to 5 AM. If I stay up late, my body can’t fully recharge. I feel it too—if I don’t sleep by 1 AM, I’m lethargic the next day.

This year, I have set a goal to start my bedtime routine by midnight and aim to be asleep by 1 AM to support better health and energy.

Final Thoughts

Have you made your own list of things to let go of? If not, I hope mine can inspire you to create yours and kickstart your goal-setting for the year.

💡If you are looking for tips on setting goals, check out my posts on goal-setting principles, methods, and how to set personal goals.

I hope you found this article helpful! Pin and share it with your family and friends so they can benefit from it too.