GET MORE DONE –

How to Kick Old Habits, Stick with New Ones,
and Supercharge Your Productivity

 

Growing up in New York in the late 70’s and early 80’s, David Goggins’ childhood was scarred by a violent, authoritarian father. At the age of six, David and his family would work until midnight at the family business, often eating and sleeping at the roller rink his father owned. But the loud music and crowds made sleep nearly impossible and the domestic abuse intensified. As a result, David was always exhausted, had difficulty focusing, and performed poorly in school.

His mother finally left, moving David and four of his siblings to a small town in Indiana where he faced poverty, racism, and social anxiety due to a stutter he developed. He continued struggling in school and was nearly illiterate. He had a dead-end job and was feeling unfulfilled in his life. He coped with his ‘toxic stress’ by turning to food, ballooning to almost 300 pounds.

One day, after seeing a documentary on the Navy Seals, he decided that was the life for him. He set out to become a Navy Seal. He didn’t let the mountain of obstacles he faced, including low self-esteem, a learning disorder, or his weight, stand in his way. Few people believed in him. But, in just three months, he’d lost over 100 pounds and in 2001 David Goggins was assigned to SEAL team 5.

After a 20-year military career he moved on to become an ultra-endurance athlete, an ultra-distance cyclist, triathlete, motivational speaker, and the New York Times best-selling author of Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds. Not bad for a person who once described himself as an all-around loser. How did Goggins manage to master his mind and turn his life around?

Certainly, it required him to be willing to leave his comfort zone, endure some pain and inconvenience, and to make radical changes, in order to have a better life. Once he stopped seeing himself as a victim, he then stopped setting limits for himself. He took risks. He faced challenges that scared him. But perhaps the most transformative choice he made was to master his habits and, make no mistake, David Goggins has some hardcore habits.

From his life in the military, he discovered the power (and reward) of discipline and commitment.  Today he starts his morning at 5 AM with a 2-hour, 12-mile run. Then it’s cycling for 10-20 miles. Then it’s off to the gym for an hour workout. Then his workday starts. Before bed he stretches and meditates for 2-3 hours and gets up the next morning to do it all over again, every day of the year.

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People with productive habits can appear to be super achievers. They rarely seem to struggle with the temptation to laze around, eat pizza, waste time online, or procrastinate. It’s not because they’re superhuman, or that they don’t have temptations. It’s because they’ve chosen habits that support their goals and when their autopilot of habits kicks in, it eliminates temptation from the menu.

But building productive habits can take a lot of effort and repetition before they take hold. All of us have started a new, healthy habit with enthusiasm only to fail and revert back to our old ways. And what about our existing bad habits, the ones we know are preventing us from being our best selves? If it were easy to stop them, we would’ve done it by now. But our bad habits keep us stuck. It can all be so discouraging.

With habits playing such a crucial part of our lives, you’d think we’d know more about mastering them. Sadly, most of us don’t. For instance, how do we convert a new, desirable behavior into a routine and make it stick? How do we break old, unproductive (or destructive) habits and never look back? Why is it so difficult to kick those bad habits, and form new ones? Why do so many of us repeat ineffective habits even when we don’t want to? So many questions!

Luckily, new discoveries about how the brain forms (and breaks) habits have emerged that make good habit formation attainable. With a few simple strategies, we may be able to control our habits and live a more disciplined and productive life. But first, we have to understand the nature of habits.

WHAT IS A HABIT?

What is a habit, really? Habits are the incremental, consistent behaviors and actions we take every day. They’re the automatic routines that our brain creates to make us more efficient and reduce stress.

When most of us think of habits, we tend to think of the kinds of actions that end up on our New Year’s resolutions list of things we’d like to change. Behaviors like eating poorly or too much, procrastinating, multitasking, smoking, not exercising, or wasting hours with ‘screen time’, for instance.

But our bad habits can reveal more than our personal quirks. They can expose the uglier side of our human nature with things like negativity, complaining, distracted driving, excessive substance use, staying in unhealthy relationships, blaming, gossiping, making insensitive remarks, prejudging people – the list goes on.

When we allow our bad habits to rule our day-to-day lives, we reduce the odds of living up to our full potential. It can leave us feeling as though we’re not living our true purpose. It can leave us feeling exhausted and miserable without really knowing why.

 

It can be confusing to set about making lasting change. By mastering our habits, we naturally become more productive in our personal and professional lives. We have the energy and resolve to overcome challenges like: 

▪        Procrastination

▪        Boredom

▪        Distractions

▪        Staying motivated

▪        Negative self-talk

 

Well chosen, supportive habits serve us. They make us more efficient. They help us improve our performance and achieve our dreams. Ultimately, they reward us with the experience of a happy life.

Most of us operate on the assumption that habits are just things we do, like a reflex. But, our habits are not like breathing or blinking our eyes – which are reflexive actions. Our habits are actually behaviors we’ve consciously or subconsciously learned. Our habits play a huge role in our successes and our failures. Much of what we do habitually makes up who we are. Studies have suggested that nearly 50% of our actions run on autopilot. Some habits are so well programmed we’re able to perform them while we think, problem solve, and carry on a conversation about other things.

Here’s the challenge. Once a behavior becomes a habit, it’s difficult to convince the brain to circle back and make a change. The brain set up the habit to be efficient, to protect us from pain, and help us find pleasure. Now we’re telling it to undo that ‘efficiency’, threaten our comfort, and override its survival instinct. The brain is like a dog with a bone – it doesn’t want to give up that habit without a fight. That’s why it’s easier for us to reach for that glass of wine at the end of the workday and settle in for another night of screen time, rather than change things up and go for a walk, paint a portrait, or learn to play the banjo. Once the habit is firmly imbedded and we toe the line by seeking comfort and consistency over discomfort and change, the brain rewards our routine behaviors with dopamine, the feel-good brain chemical.

Our mind can feel like our own worst adversary in the habit department. When we know that a habit is unproductive or even harmful to us, yet we continue to do it (thanks a lot, brain!) we end up beating ourselves up for being ‘weak’ or lacking motivation, self-discipline, or willpower.

 

THE HABIT LOOP

How do we get that stubborn noodle of ours to cooperate and help us change old habits that no longer serve us?   Research suggests that we can’t kick old habits and pick up new ones simply through discipline, willpower, or tough self-love alone. That leaves us with the question – how do we kick old habits and replace them with new ones if the brain is hardwired to keep old ones, even when they’re unproductive, or even destructive?  The answer: by understanding and using what’s been coined, the habit loop.

In 1999, psychologists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) made a groundbreaking discovery of habits – how they’re formed and maintained. They pioneered the idea of a cue-routine-reward feedback loop.

Expanding on their work, journalist and author Charles Duhigg introduced the concept of the habit loop in The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business. It’s a three-step process that explains why and how habits develop.

Here’s how it works:

Step one is the cue. The cue is the trigger that sets off the habitual action. Like seeing a jelly donut, for example. Cues can also be environmental (a kitchen, for example) or situational (like an office party).

Step two is the routine or action. This is the behavior that’s being repeated. You do it without thinking about it. Like when you’re bored and you reflexively open the fridge door, or you feel that afternoon slump and automatically reach for the pot of coffee.

Step three is the reward. Your payoff is both the anticipation of the reward and the reward itself. The expectation of the reward sends dopamine surging through the brain, plus, the body gets the reward of the action. Win-win! At least in the short term. The reward reinforces the behavior.

Rewards help our habits become entrenched. When the brain makes the connection between the behavior and the reward, your craving can take over automatically. Great if your habit is working out every day. Not so great if the habit is pounding back pastries.

Here’s an example:

Cue – You see a jelly donut in the kitchen at work.

Routine or action – You eat the jelly donut.

Reward – Your brain is showered with dopamine and your taste buds are rewarded. And, viola! The habit loop is formed. As soon as the behavior becomes automatic, our brain’s decision-making region takes a vacation on jelly donut decisions - it’s now automated!

 

But let’s say your conscious mind doesn’t want to eat jelly donuts anymore, what then? How do we override the brain to tell it to stop us from eating delicious jelly-filled fried dough?

The first hurdle is to accept the fact that we’re not in charge of our habitual behavior. Many of us operate on the assumption that our habits are decisions we’ve consciously made. But most of them are not. They’re subconsciously formed.

But that’s good news because, once we can accept the idea that much our behavior is subconscious, that means two significant things:

-        First, we’re not ‘doing it wrong’ we’re just being our human selves. No shame in that.

-        Second, we don’t need to rely on willpower or discipline alone to help us cross the finish line of habit change.

 

HOW TO CHANGE YOUR HABITS

The question then becomes, how can I kick my bad habits, replace them with productive ones, and make those new habits stick? Sounds like a tall order!  The most effective way to affect habit change is to disrupt the habit loop. How? By targeting the cues that support the bad habits we want to change. Like keeping fresh fruit on hand rather than donuts or by avoiding the open bar at the year-end office party, for example. By replacing, removing, or avoiding the cue, the fuel supply to the bad habit is cut off. It doesn’t happen overnight. It takes repetition and time - the experts say it takes anywhere between 18 and 250 days to permanently change a habit, depending on the person, but the payoffs can be immense.

Here are some other well documented strategies that you can build up to help get you from where you are to where you want to be using new habits:

-        Make the habit clear. What if your level of motivation isn’t the issue? What if you are not picking up a new, good habit because the habit is too vague? One day I will stop eating sugar. Not exactly inspiring. Try using James Clear’s formula: “I will [behavior] at [time] in [this location]”. For example, I will stop eating sugar at 7am tomorrow morning in the kitchen. Or I will do 30 minutes of cardio tomorrow after work at 5:30 at Frank’s Gym.

 

-        Set goals that reflect your personal values AND disrupt your bad habits. If your goal is to be an athlete and you want to run a marathon, and it’s doable, you’ll notice the siren call of that jelly donut. Once you realize it’s counterproductive to your new goal, you’ll be motivated to replace the donut eating habit with something more aligned with your values and goals, like eating fruit or drinking smoothies.

 

-        Create a cue that supports your desired habit. Do you want to start going to the gym regularly? Put your gear next to the door where you can see it. Even better, head straight to the gym from work. Or avoid looking at emails in the morning before you exercise.

 

-        Swap habits. Nature abhors a vacuum and so does the brain. When it comes to quitting an old habit, your success rate increases dramatically when you replace it with another, more desirable habit. Make it easier by using the same cue to get started. It can be as easy as filling the habitual red wine glass with sparkling water instead. Or, instead of mindlessly scrolling, use your device to learn how to grow figs, get inspired with a new recipe, or learn about a travel destination you’d love to visit.

 

-        Piggyback new habits onto your current ones. For instance, if you text every evening with friends, try throwing on some running shoes and walk around the block while you chat. Make it a game and set some distance goals to see how far you get before running out of things to talk about.

 

-        What’s your inner dialogue telling you? Negative self-talk can kill a new habit before it’s been ingrained. We can be so hard on ourselves. Phrases like, “I never”, “I always”, or “I suck!” shames us into giving up. Remember, you’re in charge of how you speak to yourself – be gentle.

 

-        Accept that good habits can be challenging to maintain and you’ll have successes and failures. If you go into a workout thinking that, unless you fill every minute of time pumping iron or stair climbing, your workout is a failure, it’s easy to get discouraged and slip out of the new habit. Getting to the gym is a success. Even if you only do one lousy push up. You’ll have bad days but, with your system in place – getting yourself there establishes the environment cue. Celebrate your victories no matter how small.

 

True habit change involves anticipating our triggers, or cues and learning ways to circumvent a bad habit cycle before it starts. It also helps to have a positive habit ready to take over for the old one. It will take time and effort to remove those cues and short circuit the loop, but it can be done, and you can do it!

THE IMPORTANCE OF LIFESTYLE HABITS

Changing our habits has a positive impact on our lives in many ways. By incorporating good habits, we increase the odds of achieving our goals with less effort and more joy along the way. Building good habits helps create momentum for establishing other, good habits. When you develop a positive habit, doesn’t it just feel good and inspire you to do more?

The types of habits we choose to add to our repertoire can help us supercharge our performance. These are often our daily lifestyle habits that we do without much thought such as brushing our teeth, making our bed, or having a tall glass of water first thing.

 

When it comes to deciding what habits to add, and which to leave in the rear-view mirror, we don’t need to reinvent the wheel. All we need to do is ask ourselves, what habit would a super achiever use in this situation? Highly productive people tend to be more in touch with their habits than the average bear. Tear a page out of their playbook and get started using the following habits as inspiration:

Practice self-care. You’ve heard this one before, but it is essential. You’re no good to others if you aren’t good to YOU, first. Throw guilt, shame, and judgement out the window and focus on what you could do to promote your own wellness. Are habits like eating better, staying hydrated, getting a regular massage or asking for help on your radar? It’s time to give yourself the care you deserve.

Keep your environments tidy and organized. At home or at the office, clutter is a creativity and productivity killer. Do you find yourself constantly misplacing or losing important materials or tools at work? Talk about a frustrating time-waster. An organized space makes it easy to find your stuff which helps reduce stress and improve concentration, efficiency and results.

Set small reasonable goals in the service of the larger goals. Setting big goals is fun, exciting, and inspiring. But big goals can also feel overwhelming, especially if you’re on step one of your thousand-mile journey. Breaking your big goals down into manageable pieces can make your goals feel more attainable.

Tackle the most difficult work at the start of the day. Since we’re generally more focused, energetic, and clear-minded at the beginning of the day, prioritizing the tough stuff first means it gets the best of your attention and focus. Plus, it can make the remaining tasks seem like a piece of cake by comparison.

Lazy is a four-letter word. But some companies hire ‘lazy’ employees on purpose. Why? Because they’re the ones most likely to find efficient ways to get things done. Whether it’s automating a procedure, eliminating an unnecessary process, or simply finding a shortcut, the lazy way can save time energy, without compromising results. Let your lazy flag fly high!

Reward your efforts. Create a larger ‘envelope’ around the habit so you’re not just rewarding the result but, the habit itself. Tie your self-worth to the effort, as well as the result.

Create an ‘already done list’. Have you ever lost the plot of reaching your goals because you’re drowning in what feels like endless tasks? Talk about exhausting! We’re all familiar with a ‘to do’ list. Why not include an ‘already done list’ – an inventory of things you’ve accomplished each day? You know there’s a reward headed your way once you accomplish your BIG goal. By tracking the things you’ve already done you see your efforts and progress and that can help keep up motivation.

Sleep on the job. Both Google and NASA realized years ago the benefits of napping to productivity in their workforce. So much so that they began offering spaces for their employees to do just that - sleep on the job. A mere 20-30 minutes of counting sheep can significantly improve focus, mood, alertness, decision-making and, as a result, improves productivity.

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Think of a goal, personal or professional, that you’re struggling to achieve. What habits are interfering with your progress? Which habits from the list above would serve you best

moving forward? Now that you know how to bypass the bad habit cues, isn’t it time to shed those old, unhelpful habits and replace them with some inspirational ones?

We’re all creatures of habit. When it comes to establishing and maintaining productive habits, finding the right balance is key. Some habits serve us well. They are the scaffold of routines that can help support and supercharge our productivity. Other habits cause us to become inefficient or to stagnate.

David Goggins is a great example of how our habits create who we are, and the life we live. His habits of poor nutrition, negative self-talk, and lack of physical activity created a life that he wanted to escape. By being clear about his goal and changing his habits, he turned his life into one of resolve, strength, and excellence.

“Victory often comes down to bringing your very best when you feel your worst.”

David Goggins.

 

The great news about habits is, it’s never too late to break an old, destructive habit and start fresh. Once we recognize and understand the process of habit formation, the pattern of cue, routine, and reward, and we’re armed with some strategies of habit building, along with some inspiring examples of productive habits, it becomes easier to swap out the old with the new and create dramatic changes in our lives.

You don’t have to wait for New Year’s Day to replace stale habits with new, inspiring ones. Whether you want to improve your physical fitness, your mental health, eat better, or spend less time on socials, anytime is the right time to switch out a bad habit for positive one. Hopefully this inspires you to challenge your old routines, set new goals, and see what you can accomplish when you master your mind and your habits.