I learned how to hack the habit code by reading this book. I found this process in the appendix. The rest of book explains why this works. If you do not feel that you need the “why” in this equation, then you can just use the equation to change anything you want about your life.
If you want to change a bad habit into a good habit, you will first need to figure out how your existing habit works. You already know what your routine is. You go to the fridge multiple times after supper, or you spend too much time on the internet, or something else that is causing you to hate yourself. When this happens, write it down. Be as detailed as you can about every step you go through whenever you are starting that old routine.
While you are investigating the details of your bad habit, do not feel guilty. Allow yourself to indulge in the routine while you are actively trying to understand it. During this process, you are a scientist working in a laboratory with a controlled experiment. You are dissecting your routine to understand why it exists, and ultimately, how to defeat it, or rewrite it.
After you write down the details of your routine, break it into as many parts as you can. When your habit kicks in, are you going somewhere? Are you eating something in particular? Are you meeting someone? Are you doing something specific? After you have broken your routine into as many smaller parts as possible, you can begin to swap out each part with something different to see if it still satisfies your craving. Meet someone else. Go somewhere different. Eat something different. But keep everything else the same. Only change one thing at a time. Keep the rest of your routing intact.
After each experiment, write down the first 3 things that come to mind. They could be anything. They can be 3 words, or feelings, or ideas, or any combination of things. Just write down the first 3 things that come to mind after you execute your routine. The reason you are doing this is to create an awareness of your thoughts and feelings at the time your habit is running. This information will help you to understand your habit and why you keep doing it.
Then set your alarm for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, re-evaluate your craving. Is it still there? By isolating the different components of your routine, you will isolate the true source of the craving. If the craving is about hunger, eating anything, including healthy food, will satisfy the craving. If the craving is about a particular type of food, eating any food of that type will satisfy the craving. If the craving is about companionship, meeting anyone will work. If the craving is about boredom, doing anything to distract you will work.
Once you have identified the true source of your craving, you will be half way toward defeating your old routine.
Now you need to figure out what is triggering your habit. There is always something that is telling you, “Now is the time to execute your old routine.” Figure that out, and you will be able to figure out how to slay it.
Habit cues are located in 1 of 5 categories. Those categories are (1) location, (2) time, (3) emotional state, (4) other people, (5) or immediately preceding action. So, each time you suddenly get the craving to engage in your old habit, ask yourself these 5 questions and write down your answers.
- Where am I?
- What time is it?
- What am I feeling?
- Who is with me?
- What was I just doing?
Do this for at least 3 days. You can go longer if you need to, but by that time you will probably start seeing the forest for the trees. That thing that is the most likely suspect will begin to become obvious.
The answer that emerges will be your cue. That is the thing that is telling your lizard brain to run the routine. The first sign of your routine will be the craving. The craving is the fuel that runs your habit. Once you identify that cue, you will be able to create an action plan to deal with that habit BEFORE the craving strikes.
Write down your new routine. Plan out what you will do as an alternative to your normal routine when the craving hits you. Armed with your predefined alternate plan, you can begin to test out new routines that are designed to satisfy your craving in a controlled way. You are defining your habits, rather than allowing your habits to define you.
Keep this in mind while you are testing your new routine; Never tell yourself, “This will never work”, or “I will never beat this habit”. Habits are forged in belief. Even if you do not believe you are capable of changing or eliminating your old habit, never admit it. Do not admit it to yourself or to anyone else. Never allow the thought in your head or the words on your lips. Lie to yourself and lie to anyone who asks you. Tell yourself that the change is inevitable. Fake it ’til you make it.
Eventually, you will believe your own lie and you will destroy your old habit.
~Sisyphus