Habits- Interesting Analogy

Hey guys while reading stuff on the internet i came across something worthwhile,
Thought it might be of interest to some of you atleast..do read..



Habits are the result of our brain’s effort to spend less energy in doing routine things. This happens when the brain creates a routine out of a sequence of actions so that it can be done effortlessly. The efficient brain spends less time thinking about basic behaviors. Some habits are useful – e.g. we do not forget how to drive after a long vacation.

Habit formation is a three-step loop of cue, routine and reward. A cue is a trigger that tells your brain to go into automatic mode and which habit to use. Routine can be physical or mental or emotional. Finally, the reward tells your brain to figure out if this particular loop is worth remembering for the future. Over time, this loop—cue, routine, reward; cue, routine, reward—becomes more and more automatic. When the cue makes you crave for a reward a habit is born.

A habit cannot be eradicated but can be replaced with another by conscious effort. To change a habit replace the routine while keeping the cue and reward the same. You reach home (cue) read a book instead of switching on the TV (new routine) & then reward yourself (doing what you do while watching TV eg: having a cup of tea). The new habit has to be done repeatedly so that your brain gets used to the new habit. "If you believe you can change — if you make it a habit — the change becomes real," the author concludes. "This is the real power of habit: the insight that your habits are what you choose them to be."

Read : The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life by Charles Duhigg

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P.S.: Coming early to office has it'sown advantages.. :)