Tricks and tips for developing good habits- A guide on how to form new Habit /Habit loop

Tricks and tips for developing good habits- A guide on how to form new Habit /Habit loop

 

Habit The dictionary definition of habit is something that you do often and regularly, sometimes without knowing that you are doing it.

The synonym of habit are practice, custom, pattern, routine, style, convention, policy, way, manner and tradition.

The foundation of extraordinary habits and their outcome is the aggregation of minacule and small daily routines done over a period. Frequent repetition automates behaviors and turn them into habits. The sense of reward and incentive such as enjoyment, builds the behavioral pattern that can be either good or bad. The habitual mind controls about 95% of human behavior. People do the same things daily 45% of the time, often while thinking of something else. The habitual mind learns through repetition and reward, and works automatically.

 

How to develop good habits in 4 simple steps?

 

Habits follow a four-step process: “Trigger, Action, Reward and Repetition.” Trigger are the stimulators to take action; Reward are the motivators to repeat again.

Figure represents Habit loop or habit formation model

Step 1- Trigger or Cue in forming habits

 

The human brain is a three-pound mass of about 100 million neurons, “each making an average 10,000 connections with other neurons.” This makes the brain one of the most complex creations in the universe.

Pavlov developed an experiment to study the digestive processes of dog. He surgically redirected the animal's digestive fluids outside the body and measured. Pavlov noticed that dogs began to salivate in the presence of the technician who normally fed them, rather than simply salivating in the presence of food. Pavlov called the dogs' anticipatory salivation was termed as "psychic secretion". According to these observations, Pavlov conducted another experiment with a stimulus (e.g. the sound of a metronome) and then gave the dog food. After a few repetitions, the dogs started to salivate in response to the stimulus. Pavlov concluded that if a particular stimulus in the dog's surroundings was present at the time when the dog was given food then, that stimulus could become associated with food and cause salivation on its own.

Your environment provides a vital role in shaping your habits. Each of your habit is triggered by a condition acting as stimulus like in dog’s experiment. To eliminate a bad habit, remove the cues that trigger it. Include the positive habit-forming cues in your environment to influence your patterns.

Here, the cue could be as simple as seeing the sports shoe reminding you of hitting the gym associating the cue with the desire action.

 

 

Step 2 – Respond to the trigger by taking action - Start with small and make the activity attractive

 

The trigger or cue initiates the compulsion or craving. This craving or stimulus is a response by the brain to the cue to perform the action. Like in the dog’s experiment, the ringing of bell causes the saliva to produce in anticipation of food. Take advantage of this programme in the brain to form good habit and forget bad habit by eliminating the cue.

By taking action on what we intent the habit only after it is established. To establish a new habit, start small by engaging in the relevant activity. It is important at least to show up. This “showing up” helps to “ritualize the beginning of a process.” Once started it is easier to focus and perform a routine. To break a bad habit, make it more difficult to perform; increase the difficulty to carrying it out. E.g., paying and enrolling for Toastmasters in advance means making a commitment to attend it.

Keep the intended habit simple and easy to perform. The minor changes in behavior with a continuous practice over a time will become massive habits. Boredom is a risky pitfall in the process of forming good habit and therefore we should try to make the activities interesting or delightful to perform. Once the trigger or cue is obvious take the action immediately and do not delay. Count 5 to 1 second backward and within that get up to take action.

Step 3 – Reward your activity

 

Bad habits will not form if they turn out to be unsatisfying or painful. Rewards and incentives play a very important role in forming habits. Activities, which are enjoyable and rewarded are likely to be forming as a habit if repeated. We must nurture the effort of instilling good habits. Your individual identity aligns with your habitual behavior.

When we experience pleasure, the brain’s reward system releases dopamine and we are likely to repeat a rewarding experience. Like in the dog’s experiment when we simply plan to repeat a specific behavior that gives pleasure, the release of dopamine occurs. It happens when we merely expect the reward. Thus, the expectation becomes rewarding in itself. That is why it is easier to form a habit if an opportunity is attractive. Then, “habits turn into a dopamine-driven feedback loop.” To increase the attractiveness of a habit, coupled with an activity “you want to do” with an activity “you need to do” – this is called “temptation bundling.”

Reward yourself for doing the planned activity with something desirable to you. I like to reward myself with my favorite chicken Shwarma or any useful electronic device. My wife bet for Rs 500 as a reward for finish reading one book. Find what works for you.

 

 

 

Step 4 – Repeat the many small activities into bigger routines. Drops makes the ocean

 

The many small routines accumulates to represent an individual’s identity. The routines becomes habits precisely because the person repeats them. The decision by the person to enact the same behavior repeatedly, the behavior over a time becomes a habit. The time taken to form habit varies from person to person and the motivation behind it. Habits decreases the level of stress and “cognitive load” because their automated performance derives from memories of your reactions to past situations. Good habits saves energy as much as possible and enhances the quality of life with a bigger and healthier reward.

The key here is to trigger the activity by a cue, respond to the cue by taking action, be rewarded for taking action and then repeat the activity, get the reward and then repeat the activity again. Once you have repeated the same activity sufficiently it becomes habit and a routine.