I would like to be less “automatic” but the truth is we all have habits that are good, bad, and always automatic.
“We have lost confidence in reason because we have learned that man is chiefly a creature of habit and emotion.”
John Dewey
What makes a habit?
This would lead us down the path of understanding habits would mean that we can have more control over what we do. In the simplest form, habits are broken down into 4 steps.
- A Trigger
- A Craving
- A Response
- A Reward
Once we find that the reward is worth the response and craving then we respond again and again to the trigger.
So, let’s take an innocent example:
- Trigger: We see chocolate (for most of us)
- Craving: We crave chocolate
- Response: We have to please the craving (or we’ll be grumpy)
- Reward: We eat the chocolate and are satisfied.
The morning example might be better:
- Trigger: we wake up
- Craving: we want to be alert
- Response: we drink coffee
- Reward: the fog lifts and we are alert.
You get the point, this is could also be bad (like with food / chocolate / doughnuts). Additionally, if we focus on the reward we can start to manipulate our responses and triggers.
Example of a bad habit:
- Trigger: Stress while doing work
- Craving: Relief from stress
- Response: Check our phones for social media updates and scroll feed.
- Reward: Avoiding the work that causes us stress; poor performance at work.
So is the reward worth it? Like chocolate example if you are trying to get into shape then is it worth it? Is poor performance at work worth scrolling on social media?
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