Changing habits has become an important issue for many people. I personally find it a fascinating subject. In addition, in recent years great books on habits have appeared that have made the subject trendier than ever (at the end of the post I recommend the books on habits that I liked the most).
Possibly the author who best explains how to change habits is James Clear, author of the great book Atomic habits. Clear presents what he calls “The 4 Laws of Behavior Change.” That is, THE 4 KEYS YOU MUST FOLLOW IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE A HABIT EASILY AND SUSTAINABLY OVER TIME.
- MAKE IT VISIBLE. That is, you must have the cue well present. Design your environment so that you can frequently see the clue that may initiate the new behavior. For example, if you want to eat more fruit, place it more visibly, if you want to go to the gym more, place the sports bag in a much more present place. As Clear says, “To develop good habits you have to put a few steps between you and good behaviors and many steps between you and bad behaviors.” Designing an environment that reminds you of the habit, makes new habits easy for you, and makes bad habits more difficult, can be very important to achieve the change in habits that you want.
- MAKE IT ATTRACTIVE. You must make the habit attractive. Think about how you can make the new habit more motivating. For example, if you have a hard time going to the gym, think about listening to music or watching your favorite series while you exercise. Identify what elements you can add to your new habit to make you more motivated to do it.
- MAKE IT EASY. The main objective at this point is to reduce friction and facilitate our environment and our lives to make a new habit. They say that “friction is one of the most powerful forces in the universe.” So, think about how you can make the new habit you want to incorporate into your life easier. Reduce friction and eliminate brakes and inconveniences. The easier it is for you, the better chance you have that this new habit will “catch” you.
- MAKE IT IMMEDIATELY SATISFYING. One of the main difficulties in implementing good new habits is that the rewards are received in the long term. For example, going to the gym this week is not going to change your health, just like reading a book this week is not going to change your life. Good habits tend to “pay dividends” in the very long term. But people tend to prioritize immediate rewards. As James Clear says, “what is immediately rewarded is repeated, what is immediately punished is avoided.” Think about how you can add some immediate gratification to the new habit you want to acquire. For example, if you have a hard time going to the gym, get in the habit of having a beer right when you leave the gym. Add something that immediately gratifies you. You will multiply the probability that this new habit will be consolidated in your life.
So, you already know. If you want to introduce a new behavior into your life, a new habit, make it visible, attractive, easy, and with immediate gratification. I finish with a quote from James Clear: “the most practical way to change who you are is to change what you do”.
Recommended books:
The 7 habits of highly effective people. Stephen R Covey
Good habits, bad habits. Wendy Wood
The power of habit. Charles Duhigg
Tiny habits. BJ Fogg
Atomic habits. James Clear
