How to Make and Break Habits

First you build your habits, and then your habits build you

- John Dryden

WHAT IS A HABIT?

Habits are behaviours that we have repeated often enough that our brain begins to automate them. Approximately 40% of our daily behaviours are habitual!

Habits are our brain's way of automating behaviours that we repeat regularly, often without conscious thought. It takes less energy to perform a behaviour that is a habit.

Habits are powerful because they can shape our actions, thoughts, and emotions over time, our actions become who we are!

The habits that are in your life are a tell tale sign of whether you are charging you towards your goals, or you tend to downward spiral to self sabotage.

The difference is your daily choices:

Do you put effort into consciously forming the habits in your life?

Or are you on autopilot, letting your brain form habits due to convenience?

Without conscious effort or direction, our brain is going to form habits that move it towards pleasure and away from discomfort based on the environment around it. Even if this isn’t what is actually best for us, our health or our future!

This is why it is important to put effort into building helpful habits that build you up (generally short term challenge, with long term reward), and break down or swap harmful habits that have been spiralling you down (generally short term gratification, long term detriment).

UNDERSTANDING A HABIT

I highly reccomend James Clear’s book Atomic Habits for understanding habits deeply, he does a great simple job on explaining habits. Here are some key takeaways from his book.

Habits are built on a 4-step loop: Cue, craving, response, and reward. To change a habit, we need to identify the cue that triggers it, the craving that drives it, the response that follows it, and the reward that reinforces it.

Habits are easier to change when we make them obvious, attractive, easy, and rewarding. Clear calls this the "Four Laws of Behavior Change." By making our habits visible, appealing, effortless, and satisfying, we can create positive feedback loops that reinforce our desired behavior.

Habits are shaped by our environment. To create a new habit, we need to design our environment to make it easier and more attractive. To break a habit, we need to remove or reduce the cues that trigger it.

Habits are best formed through consistent practice. Clear advocates for the power of small but consistent changes, or what he calls "the power of one percent." By focusing on improving our habits by just one percent each day, we can make significant changes over time.

Habits are interconnected and shape our identity. Our habits don't just reflect who we are, they also create who we become. By focusing on the small atomic units that build our habits, we can shape our identity and become the person we want to be.

James Clear’s Habit Loop

HOW TO MAKE A HELPFUL HABIT

1. Start small: Make your habit easy and attainable by starting with a small action that you can do consistently is easy to do and requires little time or effort. For example, if you want to start exercising, begin with a 5-minute workout each day and gradually increase the duration. If you are unsure of whether the action is easy enough, rate it out of 10 of how likely you are to be able to do it. If it’s less than a 10, make it simpler.

2. Make it obvious: Create a clear and visible cue that reminds you to do your habit. For example, if you want to read more, leave a book on your nightstand or set a reminder on your phone. A cue can be a time, a reminder, a visual aid.

3. Make it attractive: Find ways to make your habit enjoyable and rewarding. For example, if you want to drink more water, infuse it with fruits or drink it from a beautiful glass.

4. Make it easy: Reduce the friction and obstacles that might prevent you from doing your habit. For example, if you want to meditate, create a comfortable and quiet space where you can easily sit and focus.

5. Make it satisfying: Reward yourself for doing your habit to reinforce the behavior. For example, if you want to write every day, treat yourself to a favorite snack or activity after each writing session.

6. Be consistent: Try to do your new habit at the same time and place every day. This can help your brain associate the habit with a specific cue or context, making it easier to remember and repeat.

7. Track your progress: Use a habit tracker or a journal to record your daily progress and celebrate your successes. Making sure you have data will help you see if you are actually being consistent. Seeing how far you've come can be motivating and rewarding.

8. Find accountability: Share your goal with a friend, family member, or a coach who can hold you accountable and offer support and encouragement. Joining a group or community that shares your interest can also be helpful.

9. Focus on the benefits: Remember why you wanted to develop this habit in the first place. Whether it's for your health, happiness, or personal growth, focus on the positive outcomes that your habit can bring and visualize yourself achieving them.

HOW TO BREAK A HARMFUL HABIT

Some habits are not helping you move towards your goals, and you would rather not have them! Here’s how you can work towards breaking a harmful habit.

1. Identify your triggers: What situations, emotions, or people make you more likely to engage in the harmful habit? Once you know your triggers, you can plan ahead and avoid them, or come up with alternative coping strategies.

2. Start small: Trying to change everything at once can be overwhelming and discouraging. Instead, focus on one small step at a time.

3. Find a support system: Breaking a habit can be hard on your own. Reach out to friends, family, or a therapist who can provide encouragement, accountability, and guidance.

4. Replace the habit with a healthier alternative: It's easier to quit a habit if you have something else to fill the void. For example, if you're trying to eat healthier, find a new favorite healthy snack or activity.

5. Celebrate your progress: Breaking a habit takes time and effort, but every small step counts. Celebrate your successes, no matter how small, and don't beat yourself up for slip-ups.

Focus on only 1-2 habits at a time in an area of your life. It can be very hard and overwhelming to try and do all of them at once!

SETTING YOUR MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR YOUR HABITS

Creating minimum standards for your habits and life can help you establish a baseline for what is acceptable and expected of yourself. Here are some tips for creating minimum standards:

1. Identify your priorities: Determine what is most important to you in life, and create minimum standards that align with those priorities.

2. Set achievable goals: Create specific, measurable goals that reflect your minimum standards. For example, if your priority is fitness, your minimum standard could be to exercise for 30 minutes every day.

3. Create a routine: Establish a routine that reinforces your minimum standards. For example, if your minimum standard is to read for 30 minutes every day, make it a habit to read before bed each night.

4. Eliminate distractions: Identify any distractions that prevent you from meeting your minimum standards, and find ways to eliminate or reduce them.

5. Establish accountability: Share your minimum standards with someone you trust and ask them to hold you accountable for meeting them.

6. Celebrate progress: Celebrate each small win as you work towards meeting your minimum standards. This can help you stay motivated and build momentum.

7. Reevaluate regularly: Reevaluate your minimum standards regularly to ensure they are still aligned with your priorities and goals.

Remember that creating minimum standards is a personal process and will look different for everyone. Be flexible and adjust as needed to ensure your minimum standards support your overall wellbeing and happiness.

Understanding habits on a deeper level will help you become aware of the habits in your own life. if you are empowered to understand what habits you have, how to make helpful habits, break harmful ones and set yourself minimum standards, you can change your entire identity!