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Have a read, great book on the topic: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Habit-What-Life-Business/dp/081298160X https://www.amazon.com/Power-Habit-What-Life-Business/

Have a read, great book on the topic: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Habit-What-Life-Business/dp/081298160X https://www.amazon.com/Power-Habit-What-Life-Business/dp/081... Systematic, definitely. Scientific? Not really sure, but I find it extremely effective. If I could boil it down to "what works" for me, it'd be: - Pick a task or thing that you want to accomplish. Let's say running (mine is running/lifting). - Pick a "cue," or something that signals when you perform said task. The more apparent the cue the better. Mine is waking up. Working out is the first thing I do. - Follow this routine religiously for about 21 days. That's the magic number according to people who are into this kind of thing, and I agree. At this point you kind of forget what your old habit was when you woke up, and you naturally go to perform your new task. And lastly, there will be some days when you don't want to perform the task. Do it anyway. A streak of not performing that task is really just the (re)formation of a bad habit.

katzgrau 10y ago
I should note that the book goes much deeper, offering insight into how habit-forming is used by marketers, how it impacts addiction, personal success, etc.
katpas 10y ago
I'd also recommend reading the power of habit (I posted my own comment but then deleted when I saw this). It talks through studies where people have broken bad habits through creating new ones.
codethief 10y ago
I second the recommendation for "The Power of Habit". I read it years ago and it has completely changed the way I think about human behavior and interpret the actions of the people in my life. Among the self-help books I've read it's probably the one book that has had the greatest impact on my life.
prostoalex 10y ago
I second "The Power of Habit", Duhigg is the kind of writer you're looking for - aggregating scientific sources and multiple studies, but presenting them in very easy-to-consume popular-science format. Worth noting that the 21 day recommendation is "average", the actual "stick time" has a huge variation between a few days spent on "brush my teeth as soon as I wake up" habit to (likely) months that it would take to pick up the "run 5 miles before breakfast" habit.
- cortesoft 10y ago
  Running five miles before breakfast is more than just a habit; it is also a skill. Many people simply can't run 5 miles right now, they need to first train up to acquire the ability to do it.
  - jabv 10y ago
    I agree with you, but I think the parent was saying that even controlling for one's ability to successfully do a thing, some things (i.e. those that are more strenuous or otherwise require more commitment) take longer to solidify as habits, which makes sense if we think of habit-forming as environmental adaptation. One doesn't adapt to massive environmental changes after just a couple of weeks.
  - at612 10y ago
    Ironically, long distance running (10+ miles) is easier to do before breakfast, as an empty stomach is useful--digestion stops anyway as soon as your body is in need of some extra red cells to carry more oxygen. A trained person has enough ATP reserves for about 90 minutes at threshold intensity, and anyway the whole process of ingesting, digesting, and metabolising a regular meal takes many hours (around twelve in my case), so having breakfast before a run is purely a psychological boost--bar quickly metabolising food, such as banana or sport gels, which you do ingest during the run anyway. All this of course depends on the individual's physiology and psychology. For me, I tend to run either before breakfast or in the wee hours of the morning (one/two o'clock) before going to bed. Mind, I'm an ultra runner, where being hungry and sleep deprived for days is the name of the game, so I've overcome that particular psychological barrier.
- cortesoft 10y ago
  Running five miles before breakfast is more than just a habit; it is also a skill. Many people simply can't run 5 miles right now, they need to first train up to acquire the ability to do it.
rodneyfool 10y ago
Adding another recommendation for this book. I'm about 200 pages in, and it's a great read. Great to apply to both personal and work life.
mindfulgeek 10y ago
+1 to reading The Power of Habit Meditate. There are many different ways. Find one that works for you. It is the best way to become more conscious of your habits and less reactive.
danpelota 10y ago
In addition, I haven't seen the third step in the "Cue -> Habit -> Reward" cycle mentioned yet. While the Reward may be the lingering endorphin rush from a hard workout or the feeling of accomplishment after finishing a chore, the author also suggests a simple, pleasurable behavior after the task that you're trying to make a habit of (like a small piece of chocolate immediately after a run or allowing yourself a few shameless minutes of cat videos after a focused study session). The idea is to allow your mind to associate the pleasure response with the habit each time it encounters the cue.
- at612 10y ago
  > I haven't seen the third step in the "Cue -> Habit -> Reward" cycle mentioned yet. Good point! I allow myself an Irn-Bru only on run days (and less than 10 miles doesn't count). I don't live in Scotland and Irn-Bru is particularly hard to find, which is part of the incentive. Gives me a sense of accomplishment anyway!
- bobosha 10y ago
  The author talks of a variable reward. The variability is importance because of monotony associated with a repeated reward.

katzgrau 10y ago

I should note that the book goes much deeper, offering insight into how habit-forming is used by marketers, how it impacts addiction, personal success, etc.

katpas 10y ago

I'd also recommend reading the power of habit (I posted my own comment but then deleted when I saw this). It talks through studies where people have broken bad habits through creating new ones.

codethief 10y ago

I second the recommendation for "The Power of Habit". I read it years ago and it has completely changed the way I think about human behavior and interpret the actions of the people in my life. Among the self-help books I've read it's probably the one book that has had the greatest impact on my life.

prostoalex 10y ago

I second "The Power of Habit", Duhigg is the kind of writer you're looking for - aggregating scientific sources and multiple studies, but presenting them in very easy-to-consume popular-science format. Worth noting that the 21 day recommendation is "average", the actual "stick time" has a huge variation between a few days spent on "brush my teeth as soon as I wake up" habit to (likely) months that it would take to pick up the "run 5 miles before breakfast" habit.

cortesoft 10y ago
Running five miles before breakfast is more than just a habit; it is also a skill. Many people simply can't run 5 miles right now, they need to first train up to acquire the ability to do it.
- jabv 10y ago
  I agree with you, but I think the parent was saying that even controlling for one's ability to successfully do a thing, some things (i.e. those that are more strenuous or otherwise require more commitment) take longer to solidify as habits, which makes sense if we think of habit-forming as environmental adaptation. One doesn't adapt to massive environmental changes after just a couple of weeks.
- at612 10y ago
  Ironically, long distance running (10+ miles) is easier to do before breakfast, as an empty stomach is useful--digestion stops anyway as soon as your body is in need of some extra red cells to carry more oxygen. A trained person has enough ATP reserves for about 90 minutes at threshold intensity, and anyway the whole process of ingesting, digesting, and metabolising a regular meal takes many hours (around twelve in my case), so having breakfast before a run is purely a psychological boost--bar quickly metabolising food, such as banana or sport gels, which you do ingest during the run anyway. All this of course depends on the individual's physiology and psychology. For me, I tend to run either before breakfast or in the wee hours of the morning (one/two o'clock) before going to bed. Mind, I'm an ultra runner, where being hungry and sleep deprived for days is the name of the game, so I've overcome that particular psychological barrier.
cortesoft 10y ago
Running five miles before breakfast is more than just a habit; it is also a skill. Many people simply can't run 5 miles right now, they need to first train up to acquire the ability to do it.

rodneyfool 10y ago

Adding another recommendation for this book. I'm about 200 pages in, and it's a great read. Great to apply to both personal and work life.

mindfulgeek 10y ago

+1 to reading The Power of Habit Meditate. There are many different ways. Find one that works for you. It is the best way to become more conscious of your habits and less reactive.

danpelota 10y ago

In addition, I haven't seen the third step in the "Cue -> Habit -> Reward" cycle mentioned yet. While the Reward may be the lingering endorphin rush from a hard workout or the feeling of accomplishment after finishing a chore, the author also suggests a simple, pleasurable behavior after the task that you're trying to make a habit of (like a small piece of chocolate immediately after a run or allowing yourself a few shameless minutes of cat videos after a focused study session). The idea is to allow your mind to associate the pleasure response with the habit each time it encounters the cue.

at612 10y ago
> I haven't seen the third step in the "Cue -> Habit -> Reward" cycle mentioned yet. Good point! I allow myself an Irn-Bru only on run days (and less than 10 miles doesn't count). I don't live in Scotland and Irn-Bru is particularly hard to find, which is part of the incentive. Gives me a sense of accomplishment anyway!
bobosha 10y ago
The author talks of a variable reward. The variability is importance because of monotony associated with a repeated reward.