James Clear, author of Atomic habits describes 4 steps that form every habit:
- Cue
- Craving
- Response
- Reward
Cue is anything that triggers an urge for your habit. The cue tells the brain to go into automatic processing mode, and it takes effort to resist the cue. If you don’t expose yourself to a cue, you don’t do a habit. Cues fall into one of 5 different categories: a location, a time of day, other people, an emotional state, or an immediately preceding action.
Craving is the motivational force behind every habit. Without some level of motivation or desire, without craving a change we have no reason to act. What you crave is not the habit itself but the change in state it delivers.
Response is the actual habit you perform. It is the activity you wish to change or reinforce.
Reward is the end goal of every habit. It satisfies your craving. The reward reinforces the desired behavior, making it more likely that you will produce that behavior again in the future.
A habit I started is to Meditate 10 minutes every day. Studies have shown time and time again the benefits of meditation. By training my mind to focus and re-direct my thoughts, I increase my attention, clarity and reduce stress.
Let’s break down the habit:
- The cue: doing it first thing in the morning
- The craving: the state of mindfulness
- The response: meditate
- The reward: add honey to my tea after every session of meditation
In the first few days of starting a habit, it may help to start small. I meditated for 5 minutes and progressively increased to 10 minutes. There are many barriers to meditation and being consistent is crucial. I used honey in the first few weeks as an incentive to consistently meditate. Over time, the act of meditation became a reward in itself. Adopting a daily mindfulness practice has been extremely beneficial in every aspect of my life.
To ensure consistency when building a new habit, consider tracking the habit. Measure your progress for the next 21 days. Some studies suggest 30 days or even longer. By doing so, you see your progress and it makes the habit more satisfying to keep going. You increase the odd of following through. Can you think of good habit that will improve your life?
