3 Simple Steps To Create Good Sustainable Habits

Each and every one of us has habits. These are things that we do on a regular basis that have become a part of who we are. Sometimes, these habits are great and bring us good results. However, sometimes these habits are what hold us back from being our best selves and living a fulfilled life.

Our habits are as a result of decisions we may have made over time. Some of these decisions may have rewarded us while some may have cost us. Aristotle was right when he observed that “we are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit”.  To a large extent, our habits can dictate which person we eventually become. Like Aristotle tells us, in order to be people of excellence,  we must create habits and routines that put us on that path.

According to Charles Duhigg’s book The Power Of Habit, no matter how strong a habit we have the power to change that habit if we want to.  The work, however, is ours to do. According to Charles, our habits are formed in what he calls a 3 step habit loop. First there is a Cue (other people call it a reminder or a trigger) then a Routine and finally a Reward. 

Let us look at how we can use these three simple steps to create good sustainable habits.

The Three Step Loop

The Cue or reminder/trigger is the thing that happens and alerts your brain to go into automatic mode. It also alerts your brain on what particular routine to use.

The Routine is the physical or mental or emotional behavior that you do as a result of getting the alert from the cue/reminder.

The reward is the positive stimulus which alerts your brain that the routine is working well and should be remembered in future.

This is the simplest example I can think of. Let\’s say you have a particular ringtone on your phone for your spouse. Every time your phone rings and it is this ringtone (the cue/reminder), you react by getting excited or smiling (routine). Picking up the phone to speak to your spouse is the reward.

How To Create New Habits

A habit is only formed when the brain begins to anticipate and crave the reward the moment the cue/reminder is introduced. This can even be before the routine is completed. In our example above, if each time the phone rings you have a pleasant conversation with your spouse. You will find that it becomes a habit to smile as you take their call each time the phone rings.

In order to create new habits and stick to them, it has been shown that the best way is to sandwich new habits between already existing routines. Again using our example say you want to deepen your relationship with your spouse and purpose to speak a positive word into their life every day. You can use the cue/reminder to do this. Every time you hear that ringtone, you prepare the positive word to say to them.

Another way to start a new habit is to set up a new system with a cue/reminder that makes it easy for you to start. For example, if you want to begin having breakfast every morning. You can start by ensuring that you set the table the night before. You can also determine your routine by having a set menu for each day of the week. Lastly, think of your reward which could be how you will feel throughout the day more energetic and productive. In addition, you can give yourself a pat on the back for making time to nourish your family every morning.

Finally,

As you begin to put these three simple steps in practice to create good sustainable habits, remember that change that lasts comes from small actions that are continuous. In other words, be in it for the long haul. Remember also to reward yourself each time you stick to your new habit. In my case, I am working towards a goal of losing 8 kgs of weight. Every time I stick to my habit of being active 3 – 4 times a week I share the results with my accountability group.  The applause I get from them keeps me motivated to keep going.

Note: Over the next four weeks, I will be doing a review of the 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. It is my wish that you will use some of the information in this post to master and incorporate the 7 habits into your life so that you can become effective at what you do. Look out for Part 1 of the series next week.