When I wanted to curb my habit of interrupting my husband, I turned to an old rubber band trick for practicing the replacement behavior (wait until he finishes his sentence, count to two, then speak) enough to make it stick. Here are the simple instructions and some uses.

Show notes

David Stiernholm's use of paper clips instead of rubber bands

Examples of behaviors you can practice with this method

Practicing the 90-second relationship rule when you walk through the door after work each day

Biting your tongue instead of verbalizing criticism automatically

Practicing a silent pause for 10 seconds instead of responding when you've been sucked into bickering

Playing the "as if" game with yourself when you need to change your mood

Resisting the temptation to take constant notes if you're a mediator