What’s holding you back from living the life you want? It could be your habits.
habit
noun
Something that you do often and regularly, sometimes without knowing that you are doing it
Habits shape our lives in ways we often don’t realise. They’re the behind-the-scenes drivers of our behaviour, quietly directing us towards success or leading us completely off track. By cultivating the right habits, we free ourselves from endless decision-making and allow our minds to focus on what truly matters allowing us to create a life that is fulfilling, productive, and aligned with our goals.
But habits don’t just happen overnight. With consistency and intention, they become second nature, guiding us toward the life we truly want.
The Science of Habits
To understand how habits work, it's helpful to dive a little into the science behind them. Habits are formed through a process known as the habit loop, which consists of three key components:
Cue: This is the trigger that signals the start of a habit. It can be a specific time, place, or emotion. Eg waking up in the morning, your office desk, feeling sad, Friday evenings.
Routine: This is the action or behaviour that follows the cue. Eg brushing your teeth, checking your emails, ordering pizza, drinking.
Reward: This is the positive outcome or satisfaction that reinforces the action, causing your brain to remember the loop for future use. Eg Feeling clean and refreshed, feeling a sense of accomplishment, feeling satisfied, fun.
This loop is where dopamine comes into play. Every time you repeat a habit and then experience a reward, dopamine strengthens the neural pathways associated with that action. Over time, your brain becomes wired to crave the reward, making the habit automatic. This means that the habit can be performed without conscious thought, freeing up mental energy for other tasks.
Your brain loves efficiency so the more we repeat a behaviour, the stronger these neural pathways become, and eventually, the habit becomes part of our subconscious, your brain learns to automate the process and it takes less energy than having to do it conciously. This is why certain habits, whether good or bad, feel so natural - they've become ingrained in our brain’s circuitry.
Habits take an average of 66 days to form – Research by Phillippa Lally at University College London suggests that it takes, on average, just over two months (66 days) to form a new habit, though this can vary based on the individual and the complexity of the habit.
So why are habits so powerful?
Habits allow us to run on autopilot for certain tasks, conserving mental energy for more important decisions. Think about brushing your teeth in the morning. You don’t need to think about each step—you just do it. This automatic behaviour frees up brainpower for other, more complex tasks.
Habits are good for several reasons:
Automation: By automating routine tasks, we can conserve mental energy and focus on more complex or creative endeavours.
Consistency: Habits provide structure and consistency, making it easier to stay on track and achieve our goals.
Productivity: Positive habits can boost our productivity, helping us to accomplish more in less time.
Well-being: Habits can have a significant impact on our overall well-being, including our physical and mental health.
Confidence: When we consistently follow through with our habits, we build self-confidence and a sense of accomplishment. Each small success reinforces our belief in our abilities, enhances self-esteem and promotes a positive self-perception.
Incorporating habits into our daily lives can improve our health, productivity, and overall well-being. Healthy habits, like exercising, eating well, or taking time to journal, create a ripple effect, positively influencing other areas of our lives. And because they happen automatically, they reduce the cognitive load on our brains, allowing us to focus on bigger goals.
40% of our daily actions are habits – A study found that nearly half of our daily activities are habitual, meaning we perform them with little conscious thought, which is why habits are so powerful in shaping our lives
Building Lasting Habits
Creating new habits requires a deliberate and systematic approach.
Firstly, you can use the habit loop to develop new habits by leveraging its three components.
Here’s how that works:
Cue: This could be something like a time of day, an emotion, or an event. For example, seeing your gym bag by the door might be a cue to go exercise or having your journal by your bed might prompt you to write when you wake up or before going to bed.
Routine: This is the habit you're trying to form, get specific about it and make it clear… set a time limit, a number of pages, lines, reps or whatever works for the habit. Eg Going for a 1 km run or journalling 1 page or meditating for 15 minutes. It should be clear so that you can distinguish whether you’ve either done it or you haven’t. This makes the third part easier.
Reward: The positive outcome that reinforces the behaviour, making you want to repeat it. This could be the satisfaction of crossing something off your list and a sense of accomplishment, congratulating yourself for nailing life or even something small like a treat. Just be mindful with the treats that it doesn’t counteract the positive habit you’re trying to introduce.
Here are some other tips:
Start small: Begin with tiny, achievable steps to make the habit feel less overwhelming. To make habits stick, start small. Instead of committing to an hour-long workout each day, try a 10-minute walk. Make it as easy as possible for yourself to succeed.
Make it easy: Get your workout clothes out the night before, put the habit in your calendar so your time is blocked out from distractions and remove any obstacles that might prevent you from sticking to the habit.
Track progress: Keep a record of your progress to stay motivated and accountable. Once you start ticking the days off it can be motivation to keep going.
Find a support system: Surround yourself with people who encourage and support your habit-building efforts.
Be consistent: Repetition is key. Consistency leads to automation. Building new habits takes time, so don't get discouraged if it feels like it's taking a while. Slow and steady wins the race.
Stack: One of the most effective strategies for building new habits is called habit stacking. This technique involves attaching a new habit to an existing one, making it easier to remember and implement. For example, if you already have a morning coffee, you can "stack" a new habit like journaling right after it.
Examples of habit stacking:
- After brushing your teeth, do five minutes of stretching.
- Before sitting down for dinner, take a moment to express gratitude.
- After your evening shower, review your day and set your intention for tomorrow.
The beauty of habit stacking is that it builds momentum, allowing you to incorporate multiple positive habits into your routine seamlessly
Fun Fact: Habits can be contagious. We often adopt the habits of those around us and they can be influenced by our environment..Our surroundings can trigger habits, both positive and negative.
When faced with challenges like lack of motivation or procrastination, remember that it’s okay to start again. The important thing is to keep going, even when it feels tough. And as I've said a bazillion times... consistency is key and some is infinitely better than none!
Creating Consistency and Progress:
Consistency really is key to achieving any goal and habits provide the necessary structure and routine to maintain progress over the long term. By breaking down larger goals into smaller, manageable tasks, we can make consistent progress and build momentum. Research conducted at the University College London found that individuals who focused on incremental progress and small habit changes were more likely to achieve long-term success.
Building good habits is a powerful strategy for personal and professional growth. They allow us to automate positive behaviours, free up mental energy, and create consistency in our lives. By cultivating positive habits, we can create a more fulfilling, productive, and meaningful life.
Remember, it’s the little actions we take daily that lead to big results over time. So, don’t wait for motivation… just start with one tiny habit.
What habit are you going to start today? Share in the comments and let’s support each other on this journey.
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