In Duhigg's book, the "cue" is the signal that sets off a craving, leading in turn to the habitual behavior, which is closely followed by the "reward".
The cue can be the donut box in the teacher's lounge that sets me on a path to eating pure sugar and fat when, a moment before I walked in, I was not even hungry. It could be a rising stress level that sends someone chewing fingernails. Or a whiff of cigarette smoke that brings a craving for a cigarette break.
In this case, my cue for a new habit is the internal debate I have at the sight of some small chore: Do I take care of it now, or do it later? Perhaps my tendency to favor "later" has been a desire to be free of responsibilities, and the reward is a short-termed freedom from external demands.
It may sound weird, but avoiding a chore has a micro vacation vibe of sorts.
Duhigg says bad habits cannot really be broken; they need to be replaced. So now when that cue comes up and I hear the internal debate start, I choose a different path and think, "Why not do it now?" If I am not in a hurry (and I rarely am), I take care of the task immediately.
I am succeeding because even though the reward is different, it is actually a more powerful and attractive reward - instead of getting a micro vacation, I get to feel good about myself. I tell myself, "I am the kind of person who takes care of things in the present."
And it is working.
No comments:
Post a Comment