Atomic Habits: Why habits and how they work (3/4)

The way bad habits cling to you like burrs on the legs of your pants, you wonder why we even have habits. This might be news to some but habits are automated routines your subconscious mind runs, including what you do every morning after waking up.

As habit expert James Clear writes in his book, Atomic Habits, "A habit is a behavior that has been repeated enough times to become automatic." We've probably forgotten the first time we brushed our teeth, laced our shoes, or got on a bicycle, but as we practised more and more, these tasks became second nature and we don't have to think as hard to get them done.

Sometimes, we don't even think when we indulge in a habit or task, which is described as "going on autopilot" – a double-edged sword in many situations.

Your brain creates, files away, and runs these automatic routines to make your life simpler, so you can focus on newer and more pressing problems. The next time you lace your shoes, you know exactly where to insert the laces. And when lacing new shoes, that memory can serve as a reference to simplify that task. Thinking is hard work and the mind gravitates towards shortcuts.

"The ultimate purpose of habits is to solve the problems of life with as little energy and effort as possible," Clear states.

The habit loop

How a habit forms is divided into four stages, with one stage cycling into another in an endless feedback loop – or, rather, a habit loop.

1. Cue. Triggers your brain to initiate a behaviour. Holds the promise of a reward. Cues can take any form: the aroma of char koay teow, the ringing bell from an ice-cream vendor, or that McDonald's ad on Instagram.
2. Craving. The motivational force behind a habit, a desire. The stronger the desire, the greater your motivation to act. If you've recently had crispy fish skin with salted egg-yolk, or relaxed in a swimming pool, the urge to relive either experience would still be strong.
3. Response. The actual habit: a thought or action you do based on how strong your craving is and whether you can do it. Foodies have driven miles just for a taste of Malay kuih at a stall in Ampang, but if one is not up to it, substitutes from someplace nearby would be enough.
4. Reward. The end goal of a habit: to satisfy or obtain relief from a craving and teach which habits are worth repeating. If a new habit gives you pleasure or a big enough reward, the memory of it will form a new craving, which will be associated with a related cue. The next time this cue is encountered, the craving for that reward will be triggered, kicking off another habit-loop cycle.

The problem/solution phases

Clear then separates these four stages into two parts. The problem phase is when one wants something to change, and it includes the cue and the craving. The solution phase encompasses the response and reward, and it's when one acts to accomplish that change. One example he gives may sound familiar:

Problem Phase

1. Cue: You are frustrated by an obstacle at work.
2. Craving: You want to relieve that frustration.

Solution Phase

1. Response: You check social media on your phone.
2. Reward: You feel relieved and associate checking social media with feeling stalled at work.

The above example can be classified as a bad habit, for obvious reasons. We all have habits we want to break, and their existence may hint at underlying issues: anxiety, lack of direction, and unfulfilling aspects of our lives.

But let's learn how to nurture good habits first. We will have a look at Clear's framework for doing that in the next instalment.