Introduction

43 percent of what you do every day is not a choice. It is a habit.This fact comes from a study done at Duke University. The study looked at how people behave every day. Brushing your teeth checking your phone when it buzzes, taking the route to work. Your brain does this to save energy. Habits are like a shortcut for your brain.Understanding how habits work can help you change your life. Here is how it works.

What a Habit Is

A habit is something you do often that your brain stops thinking about it. Scientists can see this happen in brain scans. When you first learn something your brain works hard. After you do it times your brain gets lazy and lets you do it automatically. The good thing about habits is that they save energy. Your brain uses a lot of energy. Habits help your brain use energy. The bad thing is that your brain does  not judge if a habit is good or bad.

The Habit Loop

A time ago researchers at MIT studied rats running through mazes. They found out that every habit has three parts:

1. Cue: This is what tells your brain to do the habit. It can be a time, a place, a feeling, a person or something you do. For example you might feel tired at 3 pm. You might walk past a bakery.

2. Routine: This is the habit itself. It can be something you do with your body, your mind or your feelings. For example you might grab a snack scroll through your phone or worry about something.

3. Reward: This is what you get from doing the habit. It teaches your brain that the habit is worth doing. Sometimes the reward is not obvious. For example smoking might give you a break from work. Help you relax.

If you do the habit loop times your brain connects the cue and the reward. Then when you see the cue you will want to do the habit.

Why Habits Form

Dopamine is a chemical in your brain that helps you learn and remember. It is not a “pleasure chemical.” When you form a habit dopamine helps you want to do the habit.

BJ Fogg, a researcher at Stanford says that habits happen when three things come together: motivation, ability and a prompt. Habits work because the prompt is always there you are good at it because you do it often and dopamine motivates you.

Researchers at University College London found that it takes 66 days for a habit to become automatic. It can take longer or shorter depending on the habit. If you miss a day it is not a deal.. If you miss two days it can be harder to get back on track.

The Power of Context and Environment

Habits are connected to where you’re what you do. A study found that when students moved to an university their habits changed. This is why “willpower” does not always work. You need to change your environment to change your habits.

Here are some ways to change your environment:

– Friction: Make bad habits harder to do. For example put your phone in another room. Hide snacks.

– Visibility: Make good habits easy to see. For example put a water bottle on your desk or a book on your pillow.

– Default options: Make good habits easy to do. For example lay out your gym clothes or auto-transfer money to savings.

How to Break a Bad Habit

You cannot really erase a habit.. You can change it. Here are some ways to break a habit:

1. Make the cue invisible: If you do not see the cue you cannot do the habit. For example do not buy cookies. Unfollow people who make you feel bad.

2. Make the routine difficult: Add steps, between the cue and the habit. For example leave your credit card at home. Use a website blocker.

3. Make the reward unsatisfying: Track your habits and think about the consequences. For example tell a friend you will pay them if you do the habit.

4. Substitution: Keep the cue and reward. Change the habit. For example do 10 squats of smoking.

How to Build a Good Habit

Here are some ways to build a habit:

1. Make the cue obvious: Plan when and where you will do the habit. For example “I will meditate for 1 minute after I drink coffee.”

2. Make the easy: Make the habit small and easy to do. For example read one page. Do one pushup.

3. Make the reward immediate: Get a reward away. For example listen to your podcast while you exercise.

4. Identity shift: Think of yourself as the kind of person who does the habit. For example “I am a runner.”

When Autopilot Goes Wrong

The same thing that makes habits can make bad habits. Addiction, compulsion and anxiety disorders can hijack the habit loop.

Mindfulness can help. It can help you see the cue and the habit. Then you can choose what to do.

Practical Protocol to Start Today

Pick one habit. Do not try to change everything at once. Follow these steps:

– Cue: What triggers the habit?

– Routine: What do you do exactly?

– Reward: What do you get from the habit?

Then change the habit:

– If breaking: Remove the cue. Make the habit harder.

– If building: Stack the habit onto something you already do or make it easy.

Conclusion

Habits are your brains way of saving energy. They can be good or bad.. You can change them. You can change your life by changing your habits. It takes time and effort. It is possible.