It's the little habits that often get us down. Like the way we react to other people when they push our buttons. We feel and display irritation over things that don't really matter. We lose our tempers when our spouse forgets to put the cap back on the toothpaste, shout at our children when they leave a lunchbox at a friend's house, or stress out over a favorite team's loss. These little habits of impatient reactions take a toll on our life and busy our inner minds with too much noise and small talk. There's a bigger toll: They lay the ground for more of this behavior in the future. Every action becomes a seed that will sprout....
Give yourself a special time during each day that you devote to being more aware of your habitual reactions. Begin to notice what the cues or signals are that trigger them to take place. Purchase a pocket-size clicker toy so that as you become aware of the external signals that start to trigger an automatic reaction, you can reach for your clicker and make three clicks. As you hear this sound, regard it as a wake-up call to be more present and less reactive to the moment.
Inserting a sound, a saying, tying your shoes, fixing your eyes on an object, moving your little finger into your habitual responses wake you up from the trance of reactive behavior and free you to be more alive in the present. When you do so, you will feel better without the residues of frustration, irritability, and anger that typically accompany reactionary habits.
— Bradford Keeney in Everyday Soul