2. Understanding & Managing Habits
All habits are premised on them delivering a
reward that you actually enjoy.
A habit has 3 distinct components namely
the cue or the trigger, the behavior, and the
outcome which is the reward.
There’s no hard or fast rule about how long
it takes to form a habit, something like
chocolate addiction can happen in minutes.
Positive reinforcement works much better
than negative reinforcement while getting
somebody to change an undesirable habit
3. Understanding & Managing Habits
The golden rule to habit change is to
keep the cue and reward the same
but change the behavior
Compulsive or addictive habits that
involve dependence on a chemical
substance (nicotine, alcohol) however
does not follow the previous norm
An effective way of changing a
widespread habit is to change the
normative behavior that govern the
habit (Smoking being fashionable to
becoming unfashionable)
4. Understanding & Managing Habits
Habits can break down in moments of intense
stress.
Habits tend to become flexible and more prone
to being changed during major changes in one’s
life (entering the workforce, getting married)
However the desire to change comes down as
people get older
We all have certain keystone habits which have
the ability to influence other habits. Identifying
keystone habits (morning jog, avoiding Salty
snack intake, making checklists of things to do
at the start of a day) is the key to experiencing
enhanced all round well being.
