Day 23: Habit-Forming

                I am a very habitual person, to the point that it can drive those around me crazy. For better or for worse, I am a person that tends to run on momentum in all aspects of my life. This can be extremely beneficial when I’m in a positive routine like the one I’ve been following the past few weeks, or it can be extremely damaging when I get into a negative head space & develop negative habits.

                In conducting research for this post, I found that I am not alone in allowing momentum to dictate my daily decisions. According to Science Daily, 40% of our daily activities are performed each day in almost the exact same situation – that’s a lot of habits

                Today I am going to discuss habits; I’m going to look at some of the latest research into habit forming, & then discuss some of the methods I use to try to adopt new, positive habits, & stick to them.

What is a habit?

                 First, let’s define exactly what a habit is. In the field of psychology, habits can be defined as ‘actions that are triggered automatically in response to contextual cues that have been associated with that cue.’

                To deconstruct this a little bit, it’ important to understand that habits are automatically triggered, so for something to become a habit, it must be so ingrained into you that you do it without thought. The key to being able to develop automatic habits lies in the contextual cue. The contextual cue is an activity that you must perform daily such as driving or using the restroom. The key is to tie your habits to these contextual cues. Thus, in these two examples, you likely put on your seatbelt each time you drive, & you likely (hopefully!) wash your hands each time you use the restroom. The seatbelt & washing your hands are the habits tied to the contextual cues of driving & using the restroom  

                One of the primary reasons that our minds like to form habits is because they are cognitively efficient, meaning that automating commonly performed actions frees up valuable mental resources for less repetitive & more mentally stimulating tasks. Therefore, our brains have a natural tendency to form habits, & this tendency can either work for, or against us, depending on what habits we choose to adopt.

How to form a habit

                To give yourself the best chance of successfully adopting a new habit, it is imperative that you tie your new habit to a contextual cue, similarly to how you wash your hands each time you use the restroom. To maximize the efficiency of the cue-response relationship, your cue should come before your response. In fact, the seatbelt example above would be more accurately stated that you put on your seatbelt after you get into your car, as opposed to before you begin driving. This small subtlety can make a huge difference, as you want to take advantage of your brains response mechanism.  

                Additionally, making your habit routine is very important. Although variation may help you from staying bored, to truly internalize a habit & make it automatic, you should avoid variation wherever possible. Again this goes back to picking a cue that you must perform each day. An example could be to take the stairs when you first arrive at the office as opposed to once a day. Although the difference is subtle, it will accommodate automaticity & allow your new behaviour to become a habit more quickly.

                Perhaps the best time to adopt a new habit is after moving to a new city, starting a new job, or following some other transitional event. In these situations, your contextual cues are disrupted, & thus you have a window of opportunity to create new responses to each of the new cues before your old behaviours adjust. If you don’t foresee any transitional events in your near future, even a small shake up such as taking lunch an hour earlier or changing your working hours can create a disruption in your contextual cues that can make forming a new habit easier.

How long does it take to form a habit?

                Conventional wisdom says that a habit takes 21 days to form, however recent research suggests that automaticity tends to kick in around 66 days after the first daily performance of a new habit. Other data has shown t can take anywhere from 15 to 254 days to form a new habit. A major factor in the amount of time that it takes to adopt a new habit is the complexity of the new behaviour as well as how far outside of your current behaviour the new habit lies. The smaller the habit, the more quickly you are likely to make the habit automatic, & the higher your likelihood for success. Thus, it is best to start small & build your way up.

                Although this increased timeline beyond the simple 21 days can seem disheartening, the good news is that recent studies have shown that habits tend to have a ‘snowballeffect,’ meaning that behaviour change achievements can increase self-efficacy, which can stimulate pursuit of further changes & increase your self-confidence & likelihood of developing new, positive habits. This effect is even stronger when the new habits are linked to a common purpose (ie. Begin working out, followed by eating healthier).

                For a person like myself that operates almost strictly on routine, my habits are critically important to my success in all aspects of my life from work, to personal relationships, to fitness. By focusing on cultivating positive habits, I can vastly improve the enjoyment & satisfaction that I get out of life. As I continue on this journey, I will look to add new habits that will help me achieve my personal goals, while trying to eliminate those holding me back.