As I mentioned in a previous post, I don’t like to read. Instead, I peruse the article or book, and look for one point that jumps off the page. Then:
I quickly put one idea into action.
I recently read “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg. I’m curious about habits and why people do the things they do. I was really interested in discovering ways to break my old habits and create new ones.
The -one thing- that stood out for me while reading the book was how to change a habit. Or what Duhigg calls, The Golden Rule of Habit Change.
A habits has three components: the cue, routine, and reward.
The starting point for habit is a trigger or cue that your brain can easily remember. Following the cue is the routine. This can be physical, mental or emotional. The routine is followed by a reward which reminds the brain that this was well worth doing. The brain likes hitting the Staples Easy Button. That was easy!
Over the last year, I’ve had a recurring habit of craving sweets. This is the cue. Sometimes it’s a Chocolate Devotion at Cold Stone Creamery. On occasion, I’ll go to Wegman’s grocery store and pick up a few handfuls of dark chocolate covered almonds. If I don’t want to drive too far, I’ll head to the corner drug store and pick up a Snickers bar. These are all routines. The reward is the utter joy of devouring chocolate.
Duhigg says habits can’t be broken. They can, however, be changed. He says the cue and reward remains the same.
The key to changing the habit is change the routine.
So, I started making an energy drink (recipe compliments of fellow coach Gisele) first thing in the morning and keeping it in the fridge. It has all sorts of delicious nutritious ingredients including kiwi, banana, flaxseed, blueberries, strawberry whey protein powder, yogurt, and OJ.
The delicious fruit is satisfying my sweet tooth cue. I changed the routine in two ways; having a healthy drink that was already made. My reward was kicked up a notch knowing I’m putting something into my body that’s feeding me energy. This change also helps my clients because I’m a better coach.
When’s the last time you modified a habit for sustainable change?
Steve,
I really like how you have transformed this situation. Very nice!
One of the best habits I have developed is drinking water most of the time. Around 5 years ago, I started doing this. For the first few weeks, I didn’t really enjoy it. But I soon got used to it and then have loved how good drinking the water makes me feel.
A client in New Mexico tells me aqua is the new oil. He says the southwest has a shortage of water and they need to do something about it, stat.
Drinking plenty of water is a wonderful habit. Congrats!
I go in spurts when it comes to drinking enough H2O. Like you, I feel better when I drink at least 120 ounces. I guess I’ll have to change my routine. 🙂
Well, you know I made some changes in my diet, but the reward wasn’t anything tasting as good, it was losing weight and feeling at least a little bit better. That’s actually not accurate either; I stopped feeling bad, which is a much different thing. Of course, worrying about sustainability is always a worry, but one can hope that if one falls off the wagon, if you will, one will remember how to get back to that place and what the benefits were at the time as well.
Mitch I give you kudos for trying different ways to accomplish your goal. You’re always tweaking it. Pretty soon, you’ll have the right diet and lifestyle combo.
What can you do to change your routine?
Well, I thought about overloading on carbs and going into a coma for the weekend; that would drop a few pounds anyway.
I do agree that finding healthier replacement habits can really work. For me, exercise makes a good substitute for less productive habits to reduce stress.
Hi Karin. Thanks for stopping by!
I agree. I made a drastic change in my life about 20 plus years ago. Enjoy! https://endgamebusiness.com/blog/expect-the-unexpected-in-2012/
Nothing like a great work out and endorphin rush.
The process of building a habit can be divided into four simple steps: cue, craving, response, and reward. Your simple steps of cue, routine, reward is simplistic…
Breaking it down into these fundamental parts can help us understand what a habit is, how it works, and how to improve it.
Thank you Rajendra for your comment.
I summarized the author’s theory from his book.
I think you, he, and I are on the same page.