An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

One proven method for building good habits and breaking bad ones is to use the "habit loop," a three-step process identified by psychologist and bestselling author Charles Duhigg. The habit loop consists of the following steps:

• The cue: This is the trigger that tells your brain to start a certain behavior. It can be a specific time of day, a certain location, a particular emotion, or anything else that consistently precedes the behavior.

• The routine: This is the behavior itself. It can be a physical action, a mental activity, or an emotional response.

• The reward: This is the payoff for engaging in the behavior. It can be a tangible object, a sense of accomplishment, or a feeling of satisfaction.

• To build a good habit, you need to identify the cue and the reward, and then create a routine that delivers the reward. For example, if you want to develop a habit of exercising regularly, the cue might be the time of day (e.g. 6:00 PM) and the reward might be the feeling of accomplishment and the release of endorphins. To make the habit stick, you need to consistently engage in the routine (e.g. going for a run) at the designated time and reward yourself with the feeling of accomplishment and endorphin release.

• To break a bad habit, you need to identify the cue and the reward, and then find a way to change the routine so that it no longer delivers the reward. For example, if you want to stop procrastinating on your work, the cue might be the urge to check social media and the reward might be the feeling of distraction and temporary relief from boredom. To break the habit, you need to find a different routine that still delivers the reward (e.g. taking a short break to do a quick meditation or stretching exercise) without engaging in the bad behavior (e.g. checking social media).

Overall, the key to building good habits and breaking bad ones is to understand the underlying mechanisms of the habit loop and to use that knowledge to create positive changes in your behavior.