Great book, recommended by a lot of people – for me it’s one more from Sam Ovens.
Most important things learned:
1) Habits work in 3-step loops: cue, routine, reward.
Roughly 40% of everything you do happens on autopilot. This is the brain’s way of saving energy.
The cue is what triggers you to do the habit, for example sitting down for breakfast and drinking a cup of coffee.
The routine is the behavior you then automatically engage in, which, after drinking coffee, you go and light a cigarette automatically, without thinking about it.
Lastly, you’ll receive a reward for completing the routine, such as the relaxation from the cigarette.
In this process, the brain activity only sparks twice – at the beginning (to figure out what habit to start) and at the end, when the link between cue and routine is reinforced. This is how habits are build and the stronger this link gets, the harder habits are changed.
2) You can change your habits by substituting just one part of the loop, the routine.
The idea is to only change one part of the whole habit loop and “trick” the brain. For example, you would just replace your morning cigarette with a piece of gum or an apple or something like that. I’m not saying it’s easy but it’s certainly easier than just quitting the cigs altogether.
3) Willpower is the most important habit, and you can strengthen it over time with 3 things.
Here’s how to improve your willpower which is one of the most important habits:
a) Do something that requires a lot of discipline. For example, a tough wake-up regimen or strict diet will make you constantly practice delaying gratification and thus give you more willpower to exert throughout your day.
b) Plan ahead for worst-case scenarios. Even just thinking about your boss yelling at you before it ever happens will help you not lose your cool when it does. c) Preserve your autonomy. Yesterday I learned that autonomy was a major part of living a passionate life. Today I learned that if you take it away, your willpower also goes down the drain. When you’re assigned tasks by someone else, which you must do, your willpower muscle tires much quicker. Focus on improving these important, big aspects of your life over minor hacks, and you’ll develop great self-discipline in the long run!