I do a lot of things on a regular basis that people might classify as good habits.
I go for a walk every morning.
I hit the gym nearly every day.
Iprep my mealson the weekends so I always have something healthy to eat for lunch.
But I didnt arrive at these behaviors solely throughhabit stackingor some other clever hack.
Most habits arent that simple
Psychologists define habits as things we do automatically in a specific situation.
But when we talk aboutbuildinga habit, we usually mean something that we do on a regular basis.
Maybe it happens automaticallythat may be the goalbut it isnt a reflexive reaction to our environment.
A few are relatively simpleyou could probably use classic habit hacks like stacking to ensure you flossafter you brush.
But most habits take a lot more work to develop.
Contemplation:Youre thinking about starting to do the thing on a regular basis.
You might have started reading articles aboutwhat it would be like to visit a gym for the first time.
Preparation:Youre taking steps toward doing the thing.
This is where you visit your neighborhood gym for a tour, orbuy a pair of running shoes.
Maybe you try a workout or two, but youre not committed yet.
Action:Youre doing the thing.
Note that this is not the first stage, nor the last.
It takes work, time, and mindset changes to move from each stage to the next.
Every habit has its own learning process
A lot goes into even the behaviors that seem straightforward.
For example, if you want to eat more fruit, you could set out a fruit bowl.
But thats not the beginning or the end of it.
you should probably know what fruits you like.
you should probably buy them regularly.
Here’s what I mean.
ItsThe Non-Runners Marathon Trainer, which at first sounds like it will offer a training program.
The rest of the book is what teaches you to be a runner.
You have to learn them.
You have to practice them.
And Imstilllearning things about how to be a better runner.
Its okay to enjoy things!
Even, and especially, things that are good for us.
When we love a thing, we stick with it.
When we feel something is drudgery, we look for excuses to get out of it.
Each of them can backfire if and when they fail, so think that through.
Little hacks cant power big changes.
But habit hacksdowork well for simple, low-stakes items, or for smaller pieces of a larger goal.
It can be helpful to think of them as reminders rather than motivation.
When youre building your habits, you have to think big before you think small.
