Imagine a plane preparing to take off from Los Angeles, bound for New York City. The pilot enters all the correct information into the plane's computer, and the plane takes off heading in the right direction. But then, the pilot accidentally changes the flight path slightly, by just 3.5 degrees. This small adjustment is nearly nothing, just a few feet. No one notices anything.
However, over the journey across the United States, this slight change would have a significant impact. Instead of landing in New York City, the confused passengers would find themselves in Washington DC.
So, why am I telling you this? It's because, just like the pilot, we often don't notice tiny changes in our lives. Small changes have a negligible immediate impact. If you're out of shape today and go for a 20-minute jog, you'll still be out of shape tomorrow. If you eat a family-size pizza for dinner, it won't make you overweight overnight.
But if we repeat these small behaviors daily, our choices compound into major results. Eat pizza every day, and you will likely have gained considerable weight after a year. Go jogging for 20 minutes every day, and you'll eventually be leaner and fitter, even though you won't notice the change happening.
The main insight here is that small habits can have a surprisingly powerful impact on your life, but you won't necessarily see this impact in real-time. You'll only see the results after a while.
The Trajectory Over Results
Not seeing the immediate impact of your efforts can be discouraging. If this happens to you, try to focus on your current trajectory rather than your current results. Let's say you have little money in the bank, but you save a small amount each month. Your current results might not be impressive, but your trajectory is right. Keep saving, and in a few months or years, you will notice a major improvement.
When the lack of perceived progress gets you down, remember that you're doing the right things and moving in the right direction.
How Habits are Formed
Habits are automated behaviors that we’ve learned from experience. When you walk into a dark room, you instinctively reach for a light switch. Reaching for a light switch is a habit – a behavior repeated so many times that it now happens automatically.
In the nineteenth century, psychologist Edward Thorndike explored this concept with an experiment involving cats. He placed cats inside a box and timed how long it took them to escape. Initially, the cats desperately looked for a way out. Eventually, each cat would find a lever that opened a door, allowing it to escape. After being put in the box a few times, the cats learned the trick and went straight for the lever, escaping in just six seconds.
Thorndike discovered that behaviors with satisfying consequences, like gaining freedom, tend to be repeated until they become automatic.
The Four Elements of Habits
Habits consist of four elements: cue, craving, response, and reward. The cue triggers the habit. For example, walking into a dark room cues you to perform an action that will allow you to see. The craving is the desire for a change in state, from darkness to light. The response is flicking the light switch. The reward is the feeling of comfort from being able to see your surroundings.
Developing Good Habits
To develop good habits, make the cues hard to miss and have a clear plan of action. For instance, if you want to learn the guitar but struggle to practice, leave your guitar in the middle of your living room instead of in a cupboard. This visible cue will remind you to practice.
Implementation intentions can also help. Instead of vaguely stating, "I'm going to learn guitar," create a specific plan: "On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, when the alarm goes off, I'll pick up my guitar and practice for one hour."
Environment and Habit Formation
Doctor Anne Thorndike's experiment in a hospital cafeteria showed that altering your environment can help adopt better habits. She replaced soda with bottled water near the cash registers and placed water baskets around the cafeteria. Over three months, soda sales fell by 11%, and water sales increased by over 25%. By creating more cues for drinking water, people made healthier choices.
The Role of Rewards
Making habits attractive helps you stick to them. Neuroscientists James Olds and Peter Milner found that blocking dopamine release in rats led to a loss of desire to eat, drink, or reproduce, resulting in their death. Dopamine, released when we do something beneficial for our survival, motivates us to repeat the action.
Temptation bundling links an important but unappealing behavior with a behavior you enjoy. For example, Ronan Byrne, an engineering student, only allowed Netflix to run while cycling at a certain speed. This made exercise enjoyable and helped him stick to his workout routine.
Making Habits Easy
To make a habit stick, make it easy. Reduce friction by preparing in advance. James Clear's wife, for example, keeps a box of greeting cards at home, making it easy to send one for any occasion.
The two-minute rule is another effective strategy. Break down a new activity into a habit that takes just two minutes. If you want to read more, commit to reading two pages per night. If you want to run a marathon, start by putting on your running gear every day.
Immediate Gratification
Humans are motivated by immediate rewards. Stephen Luby, a public-health researcher, reduced diarrhea among children in Karachi by 52% by introducing nice-smelling, easily lathered soap. This made handwashing a satisfying experience, turning it into a habit.
To build new habits, try to attach immediate gratification to them. For example, a couple opened a "Trip to Europe" savings account and transferred $50 every time they avoided eating out. The immediate reward of seeing their savings grow helped them stick to their goal.
Comments
Post a Comment