Podcast Summary
Habits: Shaping Our Daily Lives: Be deliberate and consciously implement new actions to create better habits, it's not enough to just hope they'll stick, take intentional steps to make them automatic, experts share actionable guidance on the Young and Profiting Podcast.
Habits play a significant role in shaping our daily lives, with about 45% of our actions being predetermined by habits. To create better habits and become the best version of ourselves, we need to be deliberate and consciously implement new actions until they become automatic. According to expert Charles Duhigg, this process involves rewiring a part of the brain. It's not enough to just hope a new habit will catch on; we need to take intentional steps to make it stick. The Young and Profiting Podcast has featured numerous habit experts who have shared actionable guidance on how to replace bad habits with good ones and train our brains to crave the habits we're trying to create. So, if you're looking to make a change, take inspiration from these experts and start taking deliberate steps towards creating the habits you desire.
Understanding the Role of Basal Ganglia in Forming Habits: The basal ganglia, an ancient brain structure, automates behaviors through the cue-routine-reward process to free up mental capacity for higher thought. We can consciously form healthier habits by choosing which cues and rewards to let into our lives.
The basal ganglia, an ancient part of the brain, plays a crucial role in creating habits. Every species, including humans, has this structure, which helps automate behaviors to free up mental capacity for higher thought. Habits are formed through a three-step process: cue, routine, and reward. The cue acts as a trigger, the routine is the behavior itself, and the reward is the motivation that makes the behavior automatic. By understanding this process, we can consciously form healthier habits by deliberately choosing which cues and rewards to let into our lives.
Identifying cues and rewards for effective habit change: Understanding the triggers and motivators behind our habits can help us make informed decisions in managing investments and simplify the process of building a business.
Understanding the cues and rewards driving our habits is key to changing them. This applies to various aspects of life, including financial management and entrepreneurship. For instance, in managing investments, having a unified view of your wealth through platforms like Yahoo Finance can help you make informed decisions. In building a business, using tools like Shopify can simplify the process and increase conversions. By identifying and addressing the cues and rewards, we can effectively modify our behaviors and optimize our experiences. Whether it's investing or starting a business, making the most of available resources and understanding human behavior can lead to significant improvements.
Understanding the cue and reward system for forming new habits: It takes 66 days on average to form a new habit, focus on replacing bad habits with good ones, and be persistent to make it second nature
Forming new habits and getting rid of bad ones involves understanding the cue and reward system. Habits are formed through repetition, and it takes an average of 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic. Instead of trying to erase bad habits, focus on replacing them with new ones. The key is to be persistent and commit to the new behavior until it becomes second nature. For example, if you want to form a habit of responding to emails at specific times to avoid interrupting family time, set aside dedicated email checking times and stick to them. Remember, habits are neural pathways in your brain, and the more you repeat a behavior, the easier it becomes to do it again. So, whether you're trying to start a new business with Shopify or form a new habit, be patient, persistent, and focus on the cue and reward to increase your chances of success.
Replace bad habits with good ones: To break unhealthy patterns, build new habits that support goals and values, redirecting brain's existing associations and creating new routines.
It's not enough to just eliminate bad habits; we need to replace them with good ones. Justin learned this lesson when he realized that constantly checking his phone while spending time with his kids was causing distractions and harming their relationship. He tried silencing his phone, but found that he still needed to check it for important messages. Instead, he built a new habit of consulting his family before checking his phone, creating a more mindful and intentional approach to multitasking. This concept can be applied to other areas of life as well. We may think that adding good habits can cancel out bad ones, but bad habits can persist and even resurface if we don't address their root causes. To break an unhealthy pattern, we need to redirect our brain's existing associations and create new routines that replace the bad habits. For example, instead of reaching for junk food when we feel hungry, we can reach for healthier options instead. By focusing on building new habits that support our goals and values, we can create lasting positive change in our lives.
Focus on small successes and celebrate each completed task: Celebrate each completed task to build motivation for the next one, keep a short-term perspective, and focus on the process rather than the outcome. Having a clear 'why' behind your actions can help maintain motivation.
Forming new healthy habits requires effort and focusing on small successes. It's easy to get discouraged when starting something new, especially when the end goal seems daunting. But by focusing on the present and giving your best effort to each task, you can build on small successes and eventually make significant progress. As motivation expert Jeff Hayden mentioned, it's important to keep a short-term perspective and not get too fixated on the end goal. Instead, celebrate each completed task and use it as motivation to move on to the next one. Remember, the key is to focus on the process rather than the outcome. Additionally, having a clear "why" behind your actions can help keep you motivated and committed to your new habit.
Effort comes before motivation: Consistent effort builds motivation and success. Use a powerful hiring platform like Indeed to find the right candidates based on character, attitude, and reliability.
Motivation doesn't come before effort, but rather, effort comes first. According to the speaker, motivation is not something that strikes suddenly, but rather, it's a result of putting in consistent effort and seeing the progress and fulfillment that comes with it. He emphasizes that focusing on the end result alone can be demoralizing and defeating, and instead, one should focus on taking small steps and building a virtuous cycle of effort, achievement, fulfillment, happiness, and motivation. Additionally, the speaker shares his experience with hiring and recommends Indeed as a powerful hiring platform that can help businesses find the right candidates efficiently. He emphasizes the importance of looking beyond just core skills and focusing on character, attitude, and reliability. Overall, the key takeaway is that consistent effort is the foundation for motivation and success, whether it's in personal goals or in business. And when it comes to hiring, relying on a powerful platform like Indeed can save time and resources while ensuring a good match for the position.
Using commitment devices to stay accountable: Making a public commitment or using tools like alarm clocks can help keep you accountable and motivated to follow through on your goals.
Creating a feedback loop or motivation loop can help keep you going in your new routine, but if that's not enough, consider using commitment devices. Commitment devices are tools, physical or mental, that help you keep the promises you make to yourself. An alarm clock is a common example, but making a public announcement or filling out an application are also effective ways to commit to your goals. By making yourself accountable, you're more likely to follow through and make progress towards your dreams. Mark Batterson, a best-selling author, emphasizes the importance of commitment devices in his book and personal experience. When you make a commitment publicly, it becomes harder to back down and you're more likely to stick to your word. So, if you're struggling to make progress in a new habit or project, consider using a commitment device to help you stay accountable and committed to your goals.
Identifying cues, routines, and rewards for better habits: Creating habits involves recognizing triggers, establishing routines, and reinforcing with rewards. Start small and be consistent to build lasting habits.
Creating and retaining better habits involves identifying key cues, routines, and rewards. Cues trigger habits, routines are the actions we take, and rewards reinforce the habit. It's important to start small and be consistent. Habits are more than just actions; they define what we do. Listen to the Yap Snacks podcast for more actionable advice on forming better habits and leaving bad ones behind. Share your main takeaway by leaving a 5-star review or joining the text community. Text "Yap" to 28046 for a chance to have your question answered on the Ask Hala Anything series. Thanks for tuning into Young and Profiting Podcast, and keep listening for more valuable insights.
