Use habits to be 37x better in a year (Part 3)
The lessons and practices I learned from the book Atomic Habits by James Clear
In the second part, we discussed how the first law of behavior change “make it obvious” helps you being more aware of you’re habits and how you can shape your environment to make good habits visible and bad habits invisible. So far, we know that we have to make the cue for habit as obvious as possible but if you see the cue and don’t feel the urge to do anything about it, then you have to make the habit more attractive.
If you did not read the first and second article go to my substack website. There, you will find all my published articles.
In the book “Atomic Habits” by James clear establishes four law’s of behavior change.
make it obvious
make it attractive
make it easy
make it satisfying
In this article we’re going to discuss the second “make it attractive”.
When we expect to be rewarded, we take action. The more rewarding an action is, the more likely we are to repeat it until it becomes a habit. Hence, the first step to forming good habits is to make them more attractive. Understanding how dopamine affects your body will help you.
Our motivation levels are affected by dopamine a hormone and neurotransmitter. We are more motivated to act when dopamine levels rise. By measuring dopamine, scientist can pinpoint the exact moment at which a craving occurs.
It was once assumed that dopamine was just about pleasure, but now we know it’s vital to many neurological functions, including motivation, memory, learning, punishment as well as voluntary movement. The hormone dopamine is released not only when we experience pleasure but also when we anticipate it.
“Gambling addicts have a dopamine spike right before they place a bet, not after they win”
Using social media, eating junk food, and taking drugs are all associated with high levels of dopamine and are highly habit forming.
Think about before going on a vacation. Sometimes the thinking and anticipation of the vacation is better than the actual vacation. Seeing the junk food you desire surges dopamine, not after eating it. Drug addicts increase dopamine when they see the drugs, not after taking them. The craving is what causes us to take action.
Making our habits attractive is vital because it is the expectation of rewarding experience that drives us to act. Here you can use a strategy known as “temptation bundling”.
The temptation bundling process makes a habit more attractive by combining an action we need to do with an action we want to do.
For example:
You can bundle watching Netflix (something you want to do) with working out (something you need to do).
Temptation bundling applies a psychology principle known as “Premack’s Principle”:
“More probable behaviors will reinforce less probable behaviors”
In other words, even if you’re not looking forward to doing some exercise, you’ll become conditioned to do it because you get to do something else you really enjoy.
We are continually wondering “what will others think of me?” and altering out our behavior based on the answer. We are influenced by the people closest to us, and the groups we belong to. If you’re trying to build an new habit, one of the best ways to reinforce the habit is to find and become part of a culture where the habit is the norm.
If you want to get into better shape, surround yourself with fit people.
If you want to read more, join a book club.
If you want to start your own business, get to know business owners.
So what are you gonna do now?
In your normal everyday life you wouldn’t say something to yourself like:
“I want to eat pizza because I need to consume this food to survive”.
Surface level cravings are merely manifestations of our deeper underlying motives. These underlying motives guide our behavior. For example: Conserving energy, Obtaining food and water, finding love and reproducing, connecting and bonding with others, winning social acceptance and approval, reducing uncertainty, and achieving status and prestige.
Your brain did not evolve with the desire to smoke cigarettes, check Instagram for 5 min or to play video games. Online platforms and products do not invent new motivations but rather appeal to the underlying motives of human nature that we already have to gain our attention.
“Your habits are modern day solutions to ancient desires. New versions of old vices. The underlying motives behind human behavior remain the same.”
People who have the underlying motive of connecting with others may jump on Facebook, others seeking the underlying motive of finding love and reproducing may sign up for Tinder. If you want to reduce uncertainty, there’s Google. Seeking social acceptance, there’s Instagram.
How you can make hard habits more attractive:
“You can make hard habits more attractive if you can learn to associate them with a positive experience.”
By highlighting the benefits of a habit rather than its downsides, you can quickly reprogram your mind and make it seem more appealing. For example:
Fitness = health and wellbeing not fatigue
Cleaning the house = an environment conductive to peace of mind and not wasted time
Investing money = future financial freedom not sacrifice
To break a bad habit, do the same but highlight benefits of not doing that habit to make it as unattractive to keep doing as possible. For example:
Watching 1-2 episode on Netflix = waste of time, could built an online business and make money with that time.
If you want to get the book click here → Atomic Habits
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