Why This Was Created:

Our brain creates habits so that we don’t have to consciously process what to do all the time. For example, brushing your teeth is a pretty automatic habit that you don’t have to waste too much energy thinking about. When the automated habits we have developed are positive, they can have a big impact on our lives. However, if they are negative, they may be having a bigger impact on you then you realise, as your day to day actions all add up to form your character and the person you are.

How It Works:

To change a bad habit, or develop a new positive habit, it can be useful to understand the trigger, response and reward cycle. You can replace a bad habit by keeping the same trigger for that habit, but changing your automatic response to it over to something more beneficial to you that still gives you an equivalent reward. For example, if you want to change your habit of having a coffee every morning, the trigger of waking up could be given a new response, such as going for a walk outdoors. This would still give you the same reward of feeling more energetic afterwards, and replacing a habit instead of just stopping it altogether can make it a lot easier for it to become a permanent fixture.

How I Use This:

One of my bad habits was that I liked to eat sugary foods when I was working late or studying. I always found this an easy way to knuckle down and focus on the task at hand, but it had the side effect of causing me to gain weight. I looked at my trigger, response and reward and decided to change this cycle. My trigger was losing focus on my task at hand, and my response going to look for something sugary. My reward was the focus I would feel again on my task. To replace this, I found a more positive task that would still give me the same reward. Instead of having sugar, I would go on a short walk around the block, and it would leave me with the same effect of feeling focused again.

Quotes:

“Not being able to govern events, I govern myself.” - Michel de Montaigne

“Discipline comes through self-control. This means that you must control all negative qualities. Before you can control conditions, you must first control yourself. Self-mastery is the hardest job you will ever tackle. If you do not conquer self, you will be conquered by self.” - Napoleon Hill