Consider the following scenario: Janet is likely to finish an assigned paper before the deadline arrives. Does Janet fail to build this habit to completion due to a lack of motivation? Most likely, the answer is no. They fail to build this habit because of a lack of understanding of how habits, in this case, the completion of a paper to a deadline, are supposed to work.
It is a common misunderstanding that long-term change initially requires supreme willpower, a high level of motivation, intense discipline, or inspiration. It turns out that a behavior change is best achieved through the combination of minimal rewards, cues, and routines that slowly build an automated response within the brain.
How Habits Form in the Brain
Multiple facets of the brain engage when a person decides to form a habit. However, the automation of a behavior is not governed by the same neural circuits that are activated when one is making a conscious decision. In order to establish automation of routines, the brain is forced to work within a defined context, and then, over repeated behavior, a context will form. The basal ganglia will oversee the micro-functioning for the automation. This structure will develop a framework of controls for the behavior and build a stable response from the behavior data provided over a defined context.
For each habit, each microfunction will respond to attentional focus on each step of a behavior. This is the step that requires the most effort. The automation occurs over time as the brain identifies the patterns on which the behavior is repeated and begins to save the data by forming a neural shortcut to facilitate movement for the behavior. This is why a stable response will be observed as habits become automated functioning over time.
The mind is constantly seeking ways to minimize effort; one such way is through habits. This is one of the things the mind likes to do. Once a habit is established, the mind tends to stick with it, even if it is not particularly useful.
The Habit Loop That Drives Behavior
Every habit falls within a circular loop with three components: a cue, a routine, and a reward. A cue is a signal that instructs the mind to turn on automatic mode. The routine is the action that is performed. The reward is the benefit derived by one’s mind.
Take, for instance, a cue of feeling bored. The routine is the action of mindless scrolling on the smartphone. The reward is some alleviation of distraction. Over a period of time, the mind associates all three of these events together.
Awareness of the existence of such a loop tends to affect the way one perceives habits. They are not just manifestations of behavior for the sake of doing nothing. The goal is not to try to completely discontinue the habit. In a lot of cases, it involves the elimination of the routine, leaving the cue and the reward.
Why Willpower Alone Is Not Enough
When it comes to quitting bad habits, willpower is usually seen as a default; however, it is not the most dependable solution. Willpower is impacted by one’s sleep, stress, hunger, and mood, and it is not the most dependable solution. Quite simply, it is a recipe for disappointment.
Research backs up the fact that the most consistent and disciplined habitualizers do not display uniform characteristics of willpower. Rather, they have the unique ability to design their environment effectively to habitize their desired behaviors by removing or adding friction appropriately.
It is more effective to not have junk food to resist than to simply plan to resist it. Similarly, it is more effective to have a book on a nightstand than to plan to read daily.
The Power of Small Changes Over Time
One of the most consistent findings is that small changes over time are more impactful than drastic changes all at once. When changes are small, they feel almost too easy. The reality is that too easy is exactly why it is effective.
Resistance bias is the phenomenon that protects the mind from incredibly large or daunting tasks. Starting small keeps tasks feasible and unthreatening. Who is biased from doing more than one pushup or writing more than a single sentence? Starting a small habit feels safe.
Small habits have the potential to alleviate the fear of failure. It is much easier to return the next day rather than quit altogether when you do not feel catastrophic for missing a day of a small habit.
These small actions accrue over a long period of time. After sustaining a high rate of activity over weeks and months, outcomes that initially seemed insignificant all of a sudden have much importance.
How Identity Shapes Lasting Habits
The habits that tend to endure over time are the ones that become associated with the person’s identity. Rather than processing goals in terms of outcomes you are trying to achieve, it is much more beneficial to process goals in terms of identity and the kind of person you want to become.
For instance, rather than saying “I am trying to exercise,” someone could be thinking about outcomes, but rather than saying “I am a person who takes care of their body,” that person is thinking about identity. The second mindset is more likely to result in natural and self-reinforcing habits.
The more you do a habit, the more you are voting for the person you believe you are. That identity you are voting for is likely to become stronger the more habits you do, and this makes it easier to form more habits in the future aligned with that identity.
Using Rewards the Right Way
Incentives are often necessary, but their utilization is mostly incorrect. The rewards that are the most effective are the ones that are immediate and are not pushed into the future. The immediate action that occurs after an event is what the brain is most likely to respond to.
Habits are more difficult to form when their benefits are far into the future, like in the case of better health years down the line. Immediate satisfaction helps close the gap.
This does not mean wantonly giving yourself rewards. Sometimes, checking off a list, feeling a sense of achievement, or simply enjoying the task can all act as rewards. In time, the task can even become intrinsically self-rewarding.
Designing a System Instead of Chasing Motivation
There will always be ebbs and flows of motivation, but systems will always exist. A system is a collection of routines and structures that make following a particular habit easy and automatic.
For example, deciding in advance the time and place one intends to perform a habit helps alleviate some unnecessary decision-making. You can also use a preexisting habit as a cue for the new one, like stretching after you have brushed your teeth.
You want to make adopting the new habit as easy as possible. When the easiest option is to perform the behavior you want, you will be more consistent.
There is less sabotaging of your own success and more understanding of how to work with the system of your own brain. When you work with your biology instead of against it, change stops feeling like a battle and instead comes effortlessly.
