In order to really become successful in Mastering Your Habits you need to be able to decode the habits, behaviors, and actions that are keeping you from your particular goals. That means that you have to decode how the habits are actually formed. For example every habit has it's own Habit Loop.

Habit Loops are comprised of 3 parts. The cue, the routine, and the reward. Let's look at these parts as they are essential to understanding and ultimately dismantling bad habits and replacing them with good habits.

The cue is the thing that triggers you to activate your particular habit routine. Cues can be anything. A place, a time, a person, a feeling, a thought, or any combination of these. For example if you think about brushing your teeth then your cue might be a combination of a time (waking up), a place (walking into the bathroom), a feeling (nasty feeling/taste in your mouth). The cues aren't always easy to uncover but once you start to look for them it will become easier and easier.

The second part is the routine. Quit simply this is the series of actions that you take while doing the habit. So if we stick with brushing your teeth it might be grabbing your toothbrush and toothpaste, opening toothpaste, applying toothpaste, turning on water, wetting brush, brushing teeth, rinsing, putting toothbrush and toothpaste away. Pretty simple.

The third and final part is the reward. Just like with the cue this can be difficult depending on the type of habit that you are partaking in. And just like the cue it can be a combination of things including engaging in a different habit as a reward. For brushing your teeth it most likely will be a combination of feeling good about your health and feeling good about your smile.

So when you start to decode your habits you will want to break down the particular habit loops that make up the habit you are trying to change, replace, or introduce.

Decoding Your Habits

David Hanover

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