freestyle breathing: where to "look"

I have been told that I have a tendancy to look backward rather than to the side when breathing (on both sides) and that this extra movement of the head and neck creates drag, fishtailing, and can produce neck tension/cramps, etc. I think I definitely get too good a look at my recovering arm and do sometimes get a neck cramp while swimming. My question is: what is the best way to break this habit? Should I focus on looking directly at the side of the pool? Should the eyes look slightly forward? It seems like where the eyes go, the head follows. Thanks for any advice or suggestions.