How we can structure our lives around constructive actions
Introduction
I welcome you back, and I hope your first week of the new school term went by well. Diving straight in, I believe good habits are something every student should cultivate, since it ensures slow but steady progress. A small action every day accumulates into a big profit return before you know it. I will explain the process behind HOW we form repetitive actions in daily lives, and techniques we can use to leverage our psychology. I credit much of this information to James Clear, author of Atomic Habits. I have tried to distill the information such that students can relate to it more and carry out concrete steps to achieve their habits.
Why character matters more than you think
Here's some philosophy: Actions are influenced by our identity, and those actions form a feedback loop that REINFORCE our current identity. Our actions are evidences that our subconscious mind uses to give ourselves an identity. For example, the class topper has given himself the identity of being smart, because he has trumped all his classmates in past tests, and thus has been glorified for it. It was his actions (studying) that fed back to his character. So what's the point?
If you want to form lasting habits, start by changing your mindset and beliefs, your identity, NOT just your actions. When habits embody your identity, they are much more likely to stick around, since your actions and values are aligned. There is no internal conflict or dissatisfaction of "forcing yourself" to do habit that you do not like, just because everyone else does it.
How can you change your character?
Networking. Expose yourself to sources of information that align with the character you are aiming to develop. Many of our decisions are impacted by external circumstances, so surrounding yourself with what you prize most is a sure way to make you start acting similarly as well. We often imitate what happens around us, giving us a feeling of security. So be mindful who you surround yourself with. Your friends, parents, social media influences like You-Tube and Instagram play a big part.
What triggers repetitive actions?
I present to you an excellent idea from Atomic Habits, the idea of Cue, Craving, Response and Reward. I like to call it 2C2R. I will be using gaming as an example.
Cue- You see your laptop and gaming mouse on the table
Craving- You need to pass that level and get the XD needed to progress
Response- You sit down and start gaming
Reward- The rush of dopamine from the visual novelty you get from gaming
It is ALWAYS the reward that ensures an action is repeated. More pleasant actions are repeated, which is why people with addictions do not even realize it at their early stages. We can leverage this to ensure our habits are repeated consistently.
To build good habits, make the cue obvious, the craving attractive, the response easy, and the reward satisfying to experience. To break bad habits, make the cues invisible, the craving unattractive, the response hard, and the reward unsatisfying.
Why should you start a habit
Ensuring that habits are repeated consistently, again and again and again, despite how lazy or unmotivated you feel, is the key to prevent it from dying out. MANY of us fail to follow up on habits because we wait for the right circumstances (e.g., I have a lot of time, I feel good, I feel motivated). There's an ancient proverb," The man who waits for the waves to subside will never swim,". The message here is to just get started despite your circumstances, and to work hard to ensure you follow-up consistently. You do not wait for motivation to guide your actions, instead it is quite the opposite. Starting a new habit and seeing how it benefits you is what nurtures motivation and confidence. So get started.
Outro
So what do you need to build your habits? A good belief system, and that is what I have given you. Before we implement anything, it is important to understand the process, and how we are affected by it. By explaining the psychology behind how we form habits, I hope I have changed your perspective on how we should build them.
In the next article, I will offer actionable techniques on sustaining new habits. I will also share a few habits that I follow personally. The aim of my next article is to get you to start taking concrete actions to build your habits. Please leave any opinions you have about this article below, or any improvements you would like to see on Student's Spot. Help a buddy out by subscribing, and sharing this to those who need this, if you think this is helpful.
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