Habits

What Are Habits?

Habits are automatic, routine behaviors that we perform every day. Some of them are small decisions that we often make without conscious thought. Their main characteristic, however, is that they guide behaviors that get ingrained in our daily lives. Habits come from repetition and familiarity. Sometimes, they’re simple actions, like brushing your teeth before bed. Other times, habits are more complex patterns, such as having a daily workout routine.

Habits are relevant not just in our personal lives but in our professional lives as well. That’s why Steven Covey’s book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, remains a best seller all these years later. Habits can help you be productive in your day-to-day work, such as when you make a habit of writing down your “to do” list. They can also help you in your career, for example, when you establish a habit of regularly checking job boards for new career opportunities.

The main characteristics of habits include:

1. Repetition: We develop our habits by doing the same actions over and over until we don’t think too much about them. The more often we do them, the more likely it is to become a habit.
2. Automaticity: Once a habit is established, it becomes automatic. It requires little conscious effort or decision-making.
3. Cues and Triggers: Specific cues or situations tend to trigger our habits. For example, you might have a habit of snacking when you’re stressed. Stress is the trigger for that particular habit.
4. Rewards: Habits are often associated with some form of reward or positive outcome. This reinforcement makes it more likely that the habit will continue.

Thought Leaders

James Clear is one of the most prominent experts on habits. He is an author, speaker, and productivity expert known for his work on habit formation, decision-making, and persistent improvement. He gained widespread recognition after publishing his bestselling book, Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones, in 2018. In it, he explains how we develop habits, and he provides a framework that helps readers create new ones and change bad ones. The main idea, which he constantly emphasizes, is the importance of having small, incremental changes in behavior, “atomic” habits, to have significant personal growth over time. He notes the math of making a 1% daily improvement for a year, after which you would have improved by almost 3800%, i.e., you’d be 38 times better at the end of that year than you were at the beginning. Readers praise Clear’s book because of its practical insights and actionable advice.

Clear continually publishes articles on his website and maintains a popular newsletter, sharing advice, insights, and tips on habits and personal growth.

Other experts who have conducted extensive research and written books on the topic include:

1. Charles Duhigg, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and the author of The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business. This book explores the science of habit formation and how we can change habits.
2. Wendy Wood, a social psychologist and leading researcher in the field of habits. Her research focuses on how our minds form habits and how they influence behavior. She has also published a book titled Good Habits, Bad Habits: The Science of Making Positive Changes that Stick. 
3. BJ Fogg, a behavioral scientist and the founder of the Behavior Design Lab at Stanford University. He has developed the Fogg Behavior Model, which explores the factors that impact behavior, including habits. He also wrote Tiny Habits: The Small Changes that Change Everything. 
4. Gretchen Rubin, a bestselling author and happiness expert. Her book, Better Than Before: What I Learned About Making and Breaking Habits delves into the strategies and tactics for creating and changing habits.

Key Frameworks

These experts have developed several frameworks that explain the formation and maintenance of habits. They have also developed models that help people develop new good habits and change or eliminate bad ones.

1. The Habit Loop (Cue-Routine-Reward)

Charles Duhigg popularized this model in his book The Power of Habit. It suggests that habits depend on three main components:

1. a cue that triggers the behavior,
2. a routine, which can be a simple act or a series of actions, but it is ultimately the behavior itself,
3. a reward that keeps us doing it.

In other words, the cue prompts the habit, and the reward reinforces it. Duhigg suggests that manipulating these three elements can help us create and modify .

2. Keystone Habits

Duhigg also introduced the concept of keystone habits. These are habits that, when changed, have a domino effect on other habits and behaviors. For example, improving your fitness (a keystone habit) can lead to better eating habits and increased productivity.

3. The Fogg Behavior Model

Developed by behavioral scientist, BJ Fogg, this model posits that for a behavior (or habit) to occur, there must be a combination of motivation, ability, and a trigger (prompt). Experts often represent Fogg’s model as B = MAT. Manipulating these factors can help in forming or breaking habits.

4. TinyHabits:

Fogg also developed this model. The Tiny Habits method encourages starting with small, easy-to-do actions to build momentum and establish habits. The idea is that starting small makes it less intimidating for us to begin and, therefore, we are more likely to succeed. For example, you might commit to meditation by aiming to do so for just 5 minutes each day.

5. The Four Laws of Behavior Change 

In Atomic Habits, James Clear presents four laws that influence behavior change – Cue, Craving, Response, Reward. Say you want to read more often. In this case, the four steps might be accomplished as follows:

• Make it obvious (Cue): Place a book on your bedside table so it’s the first thing you see when you wake up or go to bed.
• Make it attractive (Craving): Create a cozy reading nook with comfy pillows and good lighting.
• Make it easy (Response): Start with a manageable goal, like reading for just 5 minutes a day, and then, gradually increase the time.
• Make it satisfying (Reward): Have a coffee once you’ve reached your reading goal.

To break bad habits, Clear suggests the inverse of these laws:

• Make it invisible: Turn off social media notifications to reduce the cues that trigger a distraction that keeps you from your responsibilities.
• Make it unattractive: Follow accounts that post content you find uninteresting to reduce the appeal.
• Make it difficult: Add friction to the habit. Sign out of social media accounts every time you use them, so you have to go through the login process each time.
• Make it unsatisfying: Visualize the negative consequences of excessive social media use, such as missed deadlines, poor performance, or increased stress. This mental association can make the habit less satisfying as you become more aware of its potential harm.

6. Habit Stacking:

Habit stacking, included in Clear’s book, involves adding a new habit onto an existing one. It leverages the natural flow of your routines to make the new habit more likely to stick. For example, if you always make coffee in the morning, you can stack a habit of drinking a glass of water immediately after.

7. The 21/90 Rule:

This rule suggests that it takes 21 days to form a new habit and 90 days to create a lifestyle change. While the exact time frame can vary for each individual and habit, this concept emphasizes the importance of consistency over time.

How Do Habits Relate to Career Management?

Habits can be both beneficial and detrimental, depending on the behavior in question. Positive habits, like regular exercise or healthy eating, can lead to personal growth and well-being. But sometimes, certain habits, such as excessive screen time, can have negative effects on our lives and careers.

Developing good practices, patterns, and routines can impact our professional success and satisfaction. For instance, good habits related to time management and productivity, such as setting daily goals, prioritizing tasks, and minimizing distractions, can enhance your efficiency and effectiveness at work. These habits help you accomplish more in less time, which can lead to career advancement and recognition with less risk of burnout.

Habits related to continuous learning and skill development are also crucial in our rapidly evolving job market. Developing a habit of regularly updating your skills, taking courses, reading industry literature, or attending workshops can help you stay competitive and adaptable in your career. Similarly, habits related to setting and reviewing career goals, creating action plans, and tracking progress are fundamental to career management.

Habits can also indirectly impact your career management.

• Building and maintaining professional relationships is essential for career growth. Habits like attending industry events, reaching out to colleagues, and nurturing your network on platforms like LinkedIn can open up opportunities, provide mentorship, and offer valuable insights into your field.
• Effective communication is a necessary skill in any career. Developing habits related to clear and concise communication, active listening, and empathetic interactions can help you build strong working relationships, resolve conflicts, and lead teams effectively.
• Personal well-being significantly impacts career performance. Healthy habits like exercise, nutrition, stress management, and work-life balance can boost your energy, resilience, and overall job satisfaction, ultimately contributing to long-term career success.
• If you aspire to management roles, habits related to leadership development, such as seeking opportunities, mentoring others, and consistently demonstrating leadership qualities, can pave the way for advancement.

Rather than building new habits, we often must break those that may hold us back. For example,

1. Procrastination: Putting off tasks and deadlines can lead to poor performance, missed opportunities, and increased stress in the workplace.
2. Lack of Time Management: Failing to prioritize tasks, manage time effectively, and meet deadlines can hinder productivity and job performance.
3. Negative Self-Talk: Continuously engaging in self-criticism or having a negative outlook can reduce self-confidence, erode workplace relationships, and limit career growth.
4. Overworking: Consistently working long hours without proper rest and work-life balance can lead to burnout, reduced creativity, and decreased job satisfaction.
5. Resistance to Change: Being inflexible and resistant to adapting to new technologies, processes, or work environments can limit career advancement in rapidly changing industries.
6. Neglecting Networking: Failing to build and maintain professional relationships, both within and outside your organization, can limit opportunities for career advancement.
7. Gossiping: Workplace gossip and spreading rumors can harm your professional reputation and damage your work relationships.
8. Perfectionism: Striving for unattainable perfection can lead to excessive stress, missed deadlines, team frustration, and difficulties in collaboration.
9. Punctuality Issues: Consistently arriving late for work or meetings can signal a lack of respect for others’ time and professionalism.
10. Ineffective Stress Management: Failing to manage stress through healthy coping mechanisms can negatively impact physical and mental health, affecting job performance.

In essence, habits are the building blocks of your personal and professional life. Positive habits can propel your career forward while breaking or modifying negative habits can help you overcome obstacles and achieve your career goals. Deliberately cultivating habits that align with your aspirations and values is essential for career management.

Tools & Exercises

1. Check out this article by James Clear to learn about the three things you can start doing now to build better habits.
2. Habit tracking can help you develop better routines. If you need some tools to help you begin tracking, click here to learn about apps recommended by Forbes.
3. Learn about strategies to help you keep yourself accountable as you develop new habits by accessing this site.

Want to learn more about habits? Check out these resources:

1. How to Build a New Habit: This is Your Strategy Guide
   https://jamesclear.com/habit-guide
2. Four Things I Learned From James Clear (Author of Atomic Habits)
   https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/four-things-i-learned-from-james-clear-author-atomic-habits-brouwer/
3. The Right Way to Form New Habits
   https://hbr.org/podcast/2019/12/the-right-way-to-form-new-habits
4. What Does It Really Take to Build a New Habit?
   https://hbr.org/2021/02/what-does-it-really-take-to-build-a-new-habit
5. 8 keystone habits that can transform your life
   https://www.businessinsider.com/keystone-habits-that-transform-your-life-2015-8
6. Forget big change, start with a tiny habit: BJ Fogg at TEDxFremont
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdKUJxjn-R8
7. Can’t help myself
   https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/11/books/review/the-power-of-habit-by-charles-duhigg.html