Human behaviors are often tied to one another.
Consider the case of a woman named Jennifer Lee Dukes.
This post originally appeared onJamesClear.com.
She later explained, My act of bed-making had set off a chain of small household tasks…
I felt like a woman who had miraculously pulled herself up from the energy-sucking Bermuda Triangle of Household Chaos.
Jennifer Lee Dukes was experiencing the Domino Effect.
One habit led to another, one domino knocked down the next.
You may notice similar patterns in your own life.
The Domino Effect holds for negative habits as well.
In the words of Stanford professorBJ Fogg, you’re able to never change just one behavior.
Our behaviors are interconnected, so when you change one behavior, other behaviors also shift.
Inside the Domino Effect
As best I can tell, the Domino Effect occurs for two reasons.
First, many of the habits and routines that make up our daily lives are related to one another.
There is an astounding interconnectedness between the systems of life and human behavior is no exception.
Second, the Domino Effect capitalizes on one of the core principles of human behavior: commitment and consistency.
This phenomenon is explained in the classic book on human behavior,Influence by Robert Cialdini.
After a few days, she began to commit to this new self-image in other areas of her home.
This is an interesting byproduct of the Domino Effect.
It not only creates a cascade of new behaviors, but often a shift in personal beliefs as well.
As each tiny domino falls, you start believing new things about yourself and buildingidentity-based habits.
There are three keys to making this work in real life.
Start with a small behavior and do it consistently.
It does not matter which domino falls first, as long as one falls.
Maintain momentum and immediately move to the next task you are motivated to finish.
Let the momentum of finishing one task carry you directly into the next behavior.
With each repetition, you will become more committed to your new self-image.
When in doubt, break things down into smaller chunks.
As you try new habits, focus on keeping them small and manageable.
The Domino Effect is about progress, not results.
Simply maintain the momentum.
Let the process repeat as one domino automatically knocks down the next.
There are many different paths to getting dominoes to fall.
Focus on the behavior you are excited about and let it cascade throughout your life.
Top image byCosma(Shutterstock).
