The Habit Framework

Identify the routine. Experiment with rewards. Isolate the cue. Have a plan.

Habits are the things that you do without thinking. They can be good or bad, but the key to making them stick is by using a process I call the habit framework. This framework is based on the psychology of habit formation and will help you get started building new habits—or changing old ones—in a way that feels sustainable and automatic.

Habits are the foundation of our lives. They're the things we do without thinking, from brushing our teeth to checking Facebook to getting ready for bed. If you want to change your habits, you've got a lot of work ahead of you—but it can be done.

According to Charles Duhigg in The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, habits work like this: There's an urge (or craving), followed by some kind of cue (a trigger) that leads us into action—which may or may not be something we mean to do. This pattern becomes so ingrained over time that when the cue appears again, we automatically respond with some sort of routine action (the routine).

Our habits are formed by repetition and reward; they're difficult to change because they require us to give up something we've grown accustomed to receiving in order to replace them with something else; but if you put in enough effort and make sure your new behaviors provide enough rewards on their own merit, eventually those old bad habits will fade away entirely!

The habit framework is a step-by-step guide to creating habits that stick. It's the exact process I used to go from a smoker, to an avid runner and then all the way back again when I moved out of my old apartment building.

The habit framework helps you identify what will trigger your routine (cue), experiment with rewards (why do you want to do this?) and isolate the trigger that gets you started each time (routine). It gives you a plan and keeps track of your progress so that every time you follow through on one of your habits or make a little bit more progress towards one of them, it becomes easier than before.

Identify the routine.

Identifying your habit is one of the most important steps in building it, so let's make sure you're doing it right. A habit is a routine that has become automatic and unconscious, so identifying your daily routines can help you figure out which ones are worth focusing on.

To identify a routine:

• Look at what you’re doing during a typical day—you may see patterns or repetitions in places like social media use, getting ready for work/school/etc., cooking meals and other repetitive behaviors (for example: brushing teeth).
• Note when each habit happens — sometimes there are specific times of day when certain habits take place (for instance: morning showering or evening snacking).

Finally, rewards are meant to be pleasurable. We all want to feel good about our accomplishments and successes (and we should!). But the rewards you choose should also be something that you look forward to and don’t distract from your larger goal too much. Use rewards that will keep you motivated and engaged in the new habit loop, but not so much that they make it hard for you to focus on other things in life.

Habits can be powerful things, and once you have one, it can change your life. Habits are the foundation of our character, but they also have the potential to take over our lives. The habit framework is a way to get started with habits that stick. It's not an easy process—it takes work and dedication—but it's worth it in the end!

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