Organize Like A Pro: Habits - Part 1
TL/DR: Once you understand the habit loop pieces and understand your own habits, you’re able to build new ones and break down unhelpful ones. By running mini-experiments on yourself, you can uncover your motivations and change unhelpful patterns. Habits are your brain trying to be more efficient, so why not learn to harness that efficiency to suit your best interests?
P.S. if you’re on my email list, you’ve already read a version of this, so congrats! A+.
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Habits are an integral part of the human experience, and once you know the elements of a habit, you’re unstoppable. As Charles Duhigg said, “And once you understand that habits can change, you have the freedom and the responsibility to remake them.”
So what are you even looking at? A cue (trigger) causes an automatic action (routine -- different from your schedule routine), followed by a reward (dopamine hit). Once you experience the cue, routine, reward loop several times, a craving is formed. The craving for the reward gives you nearly the same dopamine hit as the actual reward, further reinforcing the strength of the habit.
Dopamine is very powerful, so understanding how your brain works is critical to build helpful habits and break unhelpful ones.
The doodle above shows the habit loop we are all familiar with. Between the little red app badges and the Inbox(1)’s in our world, we’re constantly being pulled through this loop of notification > check the app > get the information (and dopamine hit). That has been so strongly reinforced that most people get excited simply by the notification itself. Anticipatory dopamine, even when it’s a depressing news headline. When your phone lights up, don’t you feel a little flutter of excitement?
One way to get out of this loop is to turn off your notifications, or at least have just the minimal amount on. In my past blog post about screen time, this was my main takeaway: keep only text notifications on the lock screen, and if you must, emails. For app badges, likewise only texts and emails. I mean it! The only exception is if you’re using a Habit tracking app like “Done” in which you rely on those notifications to remind you to follow through. Everything else should be blank, quiet, silent, badge free. If you haven’t done it yet, pick up your phone and do it now.
In this scenario, we have control over whether the trigger exists, so when we turn off even some of those triggers, we’re helping ourselves. We’re keeping our attention focused on only the basics, giving us more headspace for things that actually matter to us. I don’t think there’s a realistic way to live in the modern world without notifications, unless you’re willing to my a profound shift in your tech usage. So until you’re willing to turn off every single notification of every kind, simply weed out the extras and limit yourself to only essential notifications.
And why is this so important? And why do our brains look for habits anyway? Humans are beings of energy. Over the course of the day, our energy, and therefore willpower, decreases with every action and conscious decision we make. To conserve energy, we habituate. Autopilot doesn't deplete your energy and willpower reserves. This allows us to deal with unexpected issues that inevitably arise. In short, the more you are on autopilot, the more mental space and energy you have for things you really enjoy. So let's leverage this automation to serve our best selves.
So how to we start to harness the power of habits?
You may have seen this coming, but it all starts with awareness. As Charles Duhigg explains in his book, "The Power of Habit," there are several things to look for (which I list below). You end up running mini-experiments to figure out your own cues and triggers.
Questions to ask yourself:
Where are you? (cue: location)
What time is it? (cue: time)
What's your emotional state? (cue: emotional state)
Who else is around? (cue: other people)
What action preceded the urge? (cue: an another action)
So the next time you start craving sweet potato chips right after a perfectly filling lunch, ask yourself if maybe you're just tired and need a nap or a walk? Or did you just read a stressful article/email/social post and now your over-eater tendencies are trying to help you manage your stress? Ahem, looking at you Terra Chip case of 12 in my pantry.
Once you identify your trigger, you can make the conscious decision not to follow the expected routine. You can even create a new routine attached to that cue, which is a great way to avoid slipping back into old habits. It's easy for your brain to take the old route once a cue is experienced, because that neural pathway is deep and comfortable. But each time you do the new routine after the cue, that new pathway gets stronger and deeper and easier for your brain to use. Over time, your brain will see that as the path of least resistance, and voila, your habit is transformed!
So start with your mini-experiments. Ask yourself all of the questions. Ask yourself why you are doing each thing you are doing. Start with awareness.