Are Your Habits Setting You Up For Success?

Habits: Creating the Systems We Need to Achieve Our Goals

We all have habits. Some are helpful, others less so. But one thing is clear - our habits shape the course of our days and our lives. Becoming aware of our habitual patterns and optimizing them is an extremely effective way to boost productivity, happiness, and reach our goals.

Habits emerge because the brain is constantly looking to save effort. It wants to automatize behaviors so it doesn't have to consciously think through every single action. The brain converts steps we repeat into automatic routines. This can be helpful when the habit aligns with our intentions. Other times, we get stuck repeating patterns that no longer serve us.

Habits: The Key to Changing Your Life

Habits are powerful. They can control our behavior, our thoughts, and even our emotions. They have the power to make us happier, more productive, and healthier, or they can create creature comforts that keep us from achieving what we want to achieve. By understanding how habits work, we can harness their power to improve our lives.

What is a habit?

A habit is a behavior that we do automatically. It is a pattern of behavior that is repeated over and over again. Habits can be good or bad. Good habits can help us to be productive and successful. Bad habits can hold us back and prevent us from achieving our goals.

How do habits work?

Habits work through a process called the habit loop. The good news is that habits are malleable - with a bit of work, we can form better ones. Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit, notes that habits have three components: the cue, the routine, and the reward. The cue triggers the habit, the routine is the behavior, and the reward is the benefit we get. The habit loop has three parts:

1. Cue: The cue is the trigger that tells our brain to start the habit. It can be anything, from a time of day to a certain location to a feeling or emotion.
2. Routine: The routine is the behavior itself. It is the thing that we do automatically.
3. Reward: The reward is the feeling that we get from doing the habit. It is what reinforces the habit and makes us want to do it again.

Cultivating Positive Habits

To change a habit, we need to break the habit loop. We can do this by changing one of the three parts of the loop.

• Change the cue: We can change the cue by finding a new trigger for the habit. For example, if we want to break the habit of eating unhealthy snacks at night, we can change the cue by eating dinner earlier in the evening.
• Change the routine: We can change the routine by replacing the old behavior with a new one. For example, if we want to break the habit of smoking, we can replace smoking with taking a walk or chewing gum.
• Change the reward: We can change the reward by finding a new way to get the same feeling that we get from the old habit. For example, if we want to break the habit of procrastinating, we can reward ourselves for completing tasks on time.

For example, if your nightly habit is to destress from work by binge-watching shows for hours, the cue might be feeling drained after work, while the reward is distraction and relaxation. By substituting in a new routine like going to the gym after work for endorphins or listening to a podcast during your commute for distraction, you can get the same rewards without the negative effects of bingeing.

Changing a habit takes time and effort, but it is possible. By understanding how habits work, we can harness their power to improve our lives. Some tips:

• Be patient: Changing a habit takes time and effort. Don't get discouraged if you don't see results immediately.
• Be consistent: The more consistent you are with changing your habit, the more likely you are to succeed.
• Make it easy: Make it as easy as possible to change your habit. For example, if you want to break the habit of eating unhealthy snacks, keep healthy snacks on hand and put unhealthy snacks out of sight.
• Find a support system: Find people who can support you in changing your habit. This could be friends, family, or a therapist.
• Don't give up: If you slip up, don't give up. Just pick yourself up and start again.

If you want to change a habit, don't try to eliminate it outright. Instead, experiment with keeping the cue and reward while substituting a more positive routine. For example, if you want to replace mindless snacking in front of the TV with a better alternative, you could keep the cue (sitting down in the living room after dinner) and the reward (a feeling of relaxation) but swap out the routine. Rather than grabbing chips, go for a short walk or read a chapter in an engaging novel.

Habit change takes persistence - studies show it takes an average of 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic. But the payoff is enormous. Even one positive habit, done consistently over time, can significantly impact your productivity, your skills, your health and your overall well-being. Harness the power of habit and make incremental changes day by day to build the life you want.

Takeaways:

1. Habits shape our days and lives, so becoming aware of our habits allows us to optimize them.
2. We can change habits by keeping the cue and reward, but substituting a more positive routine.
3. Starting small and minimizing friction helps build long-lasting positive habits.

Reflection Questions:

1. What daily habits am I aware of that I'd like to change? What new routine could I substitute?
2. What tiny new habit could I start today to build towards a larger goal? How can I remove friction to stick with it?
3. What daily habit have I successfully built that has improved my life? What steps did I take to make it stick?

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