The Science of Habits: How to Cultivate Success-Supporting Behaviors

Do you have any habits that you want to change or develop? Do you wonder how habits work and how they affect your goal achievement? Do you want to learn some techniques for cultivating positive behaviors that align with your vision and values?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this blog post is for you. In this blog post, we will dive into the psychology of habits and their profound impact on goal achievement. We will discuss the habit loop, habit stacking, and techniques for cultivating positive behaviors that align with your vision and values.

What are habits and why are they important?

The brain consumes about 20 per cent of the body’s energy for an average adult at rest. A lot of this energy goes into undertaking new behaviours. The brain is always looking for ways to save energy. A very efficient brain doesn’t require as big of a skull, making childbirth easier and hence reducing birth mortality rates. It also means that the brain can divert energy from mundane activities like walking, driving, choosing what to eat, and preparing your coffee to more important activities like inventing electricity, developing spaceship engines, and curing cancer.

Habits are important because they shape our actions, thoughts, feelings, and outcomes. Habits can help us save time and energy, reduce stress and uncertainty, and achieve our goals more efficiently and effectively. Habits can also hinder us from reaching our full potential, harm our health and well-being, and prevent us from changing or adapting to new situations.

Habits can be totally unconscious or a burning behavior to undertake an action.

According to a study by Duke University, habits account for about 40% of our behaviors on any given day. Therefore, understanding how habits work and how to change or develop them is crucial for personal and professional success.

How do you adopt a goal supporting habit?

Success-supporting behaviors are habits that align with our vision and values, and help us achieve our goals. To cultivate success-supporting behaviors, we need to:

• Define our vision and values: What do we want to achieve in life? What do we stand for? What do we care about?
• Set SSMT goals: What are the specific, stretched, measurable, and time-bound objectives that will help us realize our vision and values?
• Identify the routine. Write down your routine.

• Skills or motivation. Identify whether you lack the skills for the behaviour and fill the skills gap. Note that you will need to develop knowledge about the behaviour and then gain the skill required. Adopt the identity of the behaviour to increase motivation.
• Choose the cue. Where you will perform the behavior and the cues for starting it are important considerations. Think in terms of; location, time, emotional state, preceding action and people around you.
• Experiment with reward. Your emotional mind seeks rewards to stay motivated and repeat behaviors. When you expect a reward, your brain releases dopamine, which sustains the behavior. For instance, I often plan a satisfying meal as a treat for my workout efforts. I reserve larger meals for weekends, earned through consistent exercise during the week. Rewards can be instant or delayed, but it’s important to create ongoing rewards for an exciting goal journey. Experiment with rewards to find what works best for each habit. During tough exercises, like rowing, I might feel discouraged midway. In these moments, I remind myself of my “why” and focus on the reward awaiting me afterward. This helps me push through the challenging parts. Sometimes, I listen to a book or watch a UFC fight while rowing to make the process more enjoyable.
• Develop a plan (repeat). Habits form after continuous repetition. You need to write your plan down, make it visible, and follow it. For example, every day when I get to the office at 8 a.m., I write down my objectives before I read my email or have my morning coffee.

        – Cue: In the Office at 8 a.m.

        – Routine: develop my day’s objectives in line with my goals.

        – Reward: have my morning coffee or read my emails. There will be days when you get to the office late or are   pulled into an emergency meeting. However, if you keep repeating, it will become a habit. This works for me and keeps me focused on what is important. I get to see how effective I was during the day. I reflect on what and why I did well or didn’t do well that day and plan on how to improve.

• Make it easy. Start small. Undertaking a ten-minute workout daily as a start is more appealing than a two-hour workout. Preparing healthy meals at home before you are hungry will ensure you eat better. Setting a direct debit for a small percent- age of your salary to be paid immediately into an investment or additional mortgage payment may be a bit easier. Having a few pieces of gym equipment at home is easier than going to the gym. Choose a time and location that works for you. My exercising habit gets really difficult during winter. Everything surrounding the habit should be made as easy as possible, which will make it more likely to start and continue it.
• Join a community: Humans flourish in a community and prefer not to let the group down. We engage in activities even without knowing the group’s purpose. Creating or joining a group can aid in sustaining the behavior.
• Be Accountable: Get someone to whom you will be accountable.

Conclusion

Habits are powerful forces that shape our lives. By understanding the psychology of habits and applying some proven techniques, we can cultivate success-supporting behaviors that will help us achieve our goals.

Thank you for reading this blog post. I hope you found it useful and informative. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to share them