True confessions… I love coffee! I like the smell of coffee, the taste of coffee and yes, I like the caffeine lift I get from coffee. I am especially thankful for coffee on a cold and drizzly morning when it’s hard for me to want to get out of bed! Coffee is definitely part of my morning routine, you might even call it a habit.
HABIT: A settled tendency or usual manner of behavior.
Take a moment and think about your morning routine. What habits do you have? Most likely your morning habits serve you well to prep you for your day. Or, maybe by taking a moment to think about your morning routine, you have discovered a habit or two that you would like to change.
Routines/Habits comprise about 40% of our waking hours- 2006 Duke University researchers
Your Brain Needs Habits
Your brain needs freed up space to think and process new input and habits do exactly that. The less your brain has to consciously think of how to solve something, the less energy it will expend. In fact, the purpose of habits is to solve the problems of life with as little energy and effort possible!
Changing Habits
Habits are a necessary and important part of our lives, but what if we want to create a new habit or get rid of one we no longer want? There is a lot of research on this and here are two suggestions to get you started toward change.
Habit Stacking
Habit stacking refers to the concept of taking an existing habit and “stacking” on top of it a new habit that you would like to develop. (The Habit Stacking method was created by BJ Fogg as part of his Tiny Habits program.) Fogg's formula: “After [CURRENT HABIT}, I will [NEW HABIT].”
Here are a few examples of the formula in action:
Exercise: After I take off my work shoes, I will immediately change into my workout clothes.
Nutrition: After I drink my first cup of coffee, I will drink a glass of water.
Social: When I walk into a social gathering, I will immediately introduce myself to someone I don’t know.
KEY TAKEAWAY: Since your brain is already efficiently using your existing habit, stack on the new one and it will be easier to develop the action into an automatic habit.
Habit Deletion
Are you wanting to delete a habit from your daily routine? Since habits make our lives easier, do the opposite by creating an environment in which it is harder for the habit to exist.
Here's an example from my own morning routine: I want to stop checking my email on my phone first thing in the morning.
Logically, I know that for 99% of the time, I do not need to check my phone email during the first hour or so I wake up. In fact, most of what comes to my phone while I’m sleeping is marketing that I end up deleting anyway! I tried by willpower to not check my phone, but the dopamine kick I got from opening my Inbox won out after just a few days. I had to figure out a way to make it harder for me to check my phone in the morning. The first thing I did was plug my phone into a different outlet in the house, one that was out of eyesight when I got my cup of coffee. But that still wasn’t enough, because once I had my coffee, I was cued to get my phone and check email. So instead, of standing in the kitchen with my coffee, I retreated to a different part of the house to have some quiet reading time, which I find much more enjoyable than email checking anyway!
KEY TAKEAWAY: Create friction and distance between you and the habit you no longer want and in time a new and better habit will be formed.
If you are ready to take some action on revitalizing your habits, here are some questions to get you started:
Creating New Habits -What habits do I currently have that contribute to my success? -Are there new habits I would like to create to help me reach my goals? -How can I use "Habit Stacking" to create the new habits I want?
Getting Rid of Unwanted Habits
-What habits do I have that I no longer want to do?
-If I get rid of those unwanted habits, how will that contribute to my success? -How can I use "friction" and "distance" to get rid of my unwanted habits?
Interested in coaching that will help you lead, achieve, and inspire? Contact Carol now for a complimentary 20-minute session.
Comments