We all have habits. Those things we do without fail. Some of our habits are healthy, like brushing
your teeth or bathing regularly. Other
habits, such as smoking, are not. We
each have numerous habits we engage in whether we recognize the mechanics of
the performance of the action or not. As
a result, our habits essentially define the person we are.
There are countless
books and articles released for reading and study every year articulating this
topic. We all know that bad habits are
‘bad’ for us and that good habits are ‘good’ for us. If this is true that we know this, the
question begs: why so many publications on the subject?
The truth, while from a
biological and neurological perspective may be more difficult to attend to
here, is that we make conscious choices to hold on to habits that are
comfortable to us and provide a predetermined reward that we seek.
Take for instance,
driving your car. Beginning with
locating your keys and walking to your car (there may be minor alterations that we
may make from day to day) but this holds all the same. We arrive at the car, unlocking it, opening
the door, placing our bag in the seat, arranging our coffee cup, and adjusting
ourselves into the seat. At this point
we will start the car and possibly move through some mechanical items such as
adjusting the temperature and radio.
Putting the car in drive, or reverse, occurs in roughly the same pattern
every time we drive our cars. Admittedly
there are dozens of more small ‘things’ we may or may not do when getting into
our cars, but the point here is that we all have a routine for starting our
cars. This routine is mechanical and
occurs on subconscious level. This
routine was built out of habit.
This is basic example to
be sure, but is one that most of us can relate to performing on a regular basis. Look back at your day and see what habits you
have formed that you execute on every day.
While there is no particular pattern for quickly changing a habit, a
good place to start is to understand how habits work. Referring to Charles
Duhigg’s How Habits Work, The Power of
Habit, we’ll look at Mr. Duhigg’s habit framework model.
Identify The Routine
Experiment With Rewards
Isolate The Cue
Have A Plan
Identify the Routine
At the core of every habit there is a loop that consists of
three parts: a cue, a routine, and a reward.
When looking at changing our behavioral patterns we have to first
determine and define this habit loop. The
cue is this part of the action that precipitates our desire/need for the habit.
The routine is that action we take that
engages the habit from beginning to end. The reward is the emotional/psychological
satisfaction we derive from the completion of this habit.
Identifying the cue is a little tricky, but nonetheless
important when working towards changing a habit. The routine is the easy part to identify as
this is generally defined as the habit itself.
Finally, the reward needs to be isolated in order to understand why we
are engaging in the habit.
When looking at the routine, it may be useful to take notes
on various observations such as time of day, mood, etc. These notes may be of use when attempting to
define the rewards.
Experiment With Rewards
Rewards are the results of our behaviors and understanding
what the reward is to a specific habit will help us in determining a plan for
changing the habit. In this phase, when
you have a habit you are looking to change Duhigg suggests experimenting with
various rewards in order to determine what result
is driving the routine.
Since the result is the
part of the habit we are looking to amend, pay attention to the various drivers
and experimental results. When we are
redefining habits we must understand the basis behind the actions that lead to
the reward. Often, we find that habits
are seeking to isolate desired results. When we understand what we are seeking, redefining the habit becomes much clearer.
Isolate the Cue
We have a variety of stimuli that
affect our habits. In getting to the cue
of a specific habit we are looking to redefine we must isolate as nearly as
possible the pattern of behaviors that lead up to the routine.
Studies have shown that habitual cues fit into one of the
following five categories: location, time, emotional state, other people, and
immediately preceding the action.
Location is a clear cue as we are more likely, for example, to engage in
similar morning routines from the comfort of our homes, but that this same
routine with same or similar inputs is disrupted when you are engaging in a
morning routine from a different location such as a hotel room. Timing is important as this tells us when,
during the day, we are likely to execute the habit. While emotional state is a complicated fact
set, attempt to note what your general mood is around the time of the
habit. Other people have a significant
impact on our habits. In the above
example, if you and your significant other awake in the morning and execute a
series of steps that define a morning routine or habit, when one or both of you
is in a different location, the habit may be disrupted in its form, but still
occurs (you did get dressed this morning regardless of your location). Finally, the events immediately preceding the
action are qualified examples of how our minds process order. If, for example, you leave work every day and
meet friends for a drink at a regular establishment, the event that immediately
precedes this habit is the ending of the workday.
In reading Duhigg, he reminds us to make good notations on
the above in order to isolate the cues that precipitate the habit. Give it a shot. List the five cues above and write them down
every day for a few days before the habit is executed, the results will
probably surprise you!
Have a Plan
Once the habit loop is determined and you’ve identified the
reward driving the behavior, the cue triggering it, and the routine itself, you
can begin the process of altering the habit as you desire. Remember, habits are often ingrained and are
occurring on a subconscious level. Our
minds recognize the cue and initiate the routine in order to receive the
reward!
Once you recognize the cues for the routine start changing
the reward patterns. Instead of grabbing
the junk food during the lull of the afternoon, have some healthy alternative
foods within reach. When the cue for
boredom and snacking initiate, you will have an option. If this doesn’t work, rewire the reward again. Keep working at it until you determine the
right reward for the habit you are changing.
If you are looking to change your behaviors completely, the
above remains the same. In the above
example, you were looking to break the habit of meeting for drink after
work. A healthy alternative might be to
go to the gym immediately after work. While
this is an option, it is certainly not the only one. Only you can develop the plan for yourself.
Follow-up Action Item
Isolate your cues and routines. Then look at the rewards you are
seeking. Changing a habit is not
difficult, but can be complicated if we don’t make the material changes needed
in order to redefine the behavior. Also,
and while this is not an endorsement, read Charles
Duhigg’s How Habits Work, The Power of
Habit. You can also probably
find an audio version. In fact, when
changing a behavior spend that time reading this book (or one similar)!
Takeaway
Habits are not superficial;
rather, they are behavior constructs that can
be changed with different behavioral inputs.
If you want to change something, you can do it.
Delivering Your Best
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