Since we perform habits automatically, it may take time to pinpoint the trigger. The first step in any habit change is to become aware of the behavior and, importantly, the trigger. There are many opinions on how to break a bad habit, but I’ll stick to the seven-step process I know works (and that is backed by science).

Successfully Breaking Habits = Disrupting the Loop So, what can we do? We need to reprogram our brains to break the habit loop. We may know on a conscious level that a habit is no longer serving us but releasing its grip can feel tough. We’re trying to undo weeks, months, or years of a behavior that’s embedded as an automatic program. However, it also explains the difficulty many of us feel when trying to break a bad habit. This is great news for the good habits because it means with practice, repetition, and time, we’ll no longer need to think about doing them. And, the longer the habit is repeated, the more deeply it’s embedded. Once we’re in this loop, we’ll continue to repeat the process until that habit becomes ingrained. In each case, there’s a trigger that prompts us to perform the behavior, and there’s some kind of payoff at the end. The reward is a little hit of dopamine (a feel-good brain chemical) that’s released as my email pings and social media notifications light up.Īll habits have this same structure, whether they’re typically helpful habits (like drinking water, meditating before bed, or going to the gym) or less helpful habits (like buying chocolate at the supermarket check-out, watching television until midnight, or eating dinner while scrolling through social media).

The behavior is checking my smartphone.

As a practical example from above, let’s say I’m in the habit of checking my smartphone immediately after waking in the morning: All habits - good and bad - are stored deep in the brain as embedded programs, ready to execute on cue.Įach of those programs has three components - a trigger, a behavior, and a reward. But the brain doesn’t differentiate between good and bad habits. Now, this is all well and good for the helpful habits. Instead, habits are created and executed like a background “program” in our brains, so we can conserve energy for other, more challenging tasks. Our days would feel onerous if we had to consciously think about each action we performed. You just do them.įor the most part, these automatic habits are helpful. By repeating them daily over an extended period of time, they’ve become ingrained to the point where you don’t need to think about them. In those few hours, it’s likely you performed dozens of activities with little conscious thought or effort. Perhaps you woke and turned off the alarm, checked your smartphone, made your bed, drank a glass of water, brushed your teeth, got dressed, tied your shoelaces, went for a run, had a shower, put on work clothes, made your lunch, grabbed your keys, drove to work, bought a coffee, greeted your coworkers, sat at your desk, and turned on your computer. The Neuroscience of Habits (and Breaking Habits) Let’s start by exploring habits a little further. We now have greater insight into how our brains work - and how to use that data to overcome unhelpful habits. The good news is, the science of habit formation and behavioral change has come a long way in recent years.

So, if we can’t simply quit our bad habits, how do we change them? Unfortunately, “just stopping” is rarely a successful strategy for behavioral change, particularly when it comes to bad habits. If only we could “just stop” our bad habits, our lives would be much easier, right? But regardless of the specific habit, I’m often asked the same, frustrated question: And, like me, you’ve probably tried breaking those bad habits only to realize how tough the process can be.Īs a coach I’ve helped hundreds of people change their habits - covering everything from health, fitness, and eating habits to work, financial, and relationship habits. If you’re anything like me, you have a few bad habits you’d love to get rid of.

Positives of breaking habits