Creating Good Habits #1
In The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg articulates how habits form, both good and bad.
First, you have a craving or a cue. Then, you follow a routine or a response to this. Why? Your routine yields a reward.
Example: You hit the mid-afternoon and feel an energy slump. So, you look for something to eat and go to your stash of candy bars. You devour the candy bar, enjoying it right up until you’re done. The cue or craving is the mid-afternoon slump, followed by the routine of eating a candy bar. The reward is the sensation of eating the candy bar followed by a nice rush of sugar and the taste of chocolate. Unfortunately, this reward also comes with a side of guilt and worsened health.
As this habit persists, you decide that if you’re going to be more healthy, you must stop eating so many candy bars. With practice, you install a healthier routine that leads to a better reward. It looks like this:
Cue/Craving: You hit the mid-afternoon slump and need something to eat.
Routine: You go to your new stock of fruit, granola, yogurt, nuts, seeds, etc. and make a healthy selection.
Reward: Your hunger is satiated and energy renewed. This healthy habit comes with better sides. You are proud of yourself for doing the right thing, the calories are actually more filling and you are contributing to a healthy cycle of caring for your body.
If you identify any sort of bad habit, analyze it through this matrix and begin establishing better routines and rewards in response to your cues and cravings. You can create good habits!
Worth Repeating
There’s nothing you can’t do if you get the habits right.
-Charles Duhigg
The Power of Habit
You can click here to grab your own copy of The Power of Habit on Amazon.
