FIND THE KEYSTONE HABIT

There is usually one habit which when changed makes all the other habits fall into place. With me it was actually getting up earlier! I set my habit goal as getting up at 6am without fail, every single day, including weekends and holidays. My goal was to do this on 28 consecutive days. Getting up earlier gave me time to meditate in the morning; for me this daily regime keeps my mind calm all day, making it easier to form new habits and change others. It also made me more effective at work. Because of this, I was able to complete all my intended tasks on time, allowing me to finish at 5pm every day. This gave me some free time in the evening to go for a run. Getting this daily exercise not only had the effect of burning fat but increased my resting metabolism and many other benefits. Can you see how one keystone habit can cascade into many more habits. I will show you more benefits of exercise later and there are a few surprises here too.

Your keystone habit might be different to mine, so have a think which one it could be. If in doubt, try getting up earlier. It’s amazing the effect it can have. Once you have decided on the habit, now it’s time to plan the change. It is easier to start a new habit or change an old one, than it is to stop performing a habit. If you want to change an old habit, follow the procedure below.

Identify the routine

Sit and think about the habit. There is probably not just one thing you do, but a sequence. For example, an advert comes on TV. There’s a tempting shot of something yummy. You think about food, so you go to the fridge/ cupboard. You take the food out and you eat the food.

What was the cue?

What started you off on this routine? In the above example it was watching the TV, when a particular advert comes on. Listen, don’t beat yourself up because you are acting unconsciously, we all do it. Advertising companies spend millions researching how to influence people; it’s not your fault. However, things are going to change. Are there any other cues? It could be a certain time of day; maybe the clock strikes 3pm. Its break time. You go to the canteen. Its coffee time. Its muffin time. Here the cue is the time. Have a think and see if you can list more cues.

Experiment with alternative rewards

What we are trying to do here, is to change the result. Instead of following the routine and ending up with a muffin, you could end up with apple instead. Or a glass of water. Or a walk in the park. After you try one alternative reward, immediately write down three words that come to mind. Don’t think about this, we want your unconscious thoughts. For example, if it’s an apple the words could be “crunchy, healthy, and juicy”. 15 minutes later, check if the craving is still there. Do you still want that muffin? If you do try another reward and keep trying until you conquer the craving.

Isolate the cue

This means finding out what the location or time of day it is. What are you doing just before the event? Are there any other people involved who keep cropping up? Carrying on our example, what is happening immediately before 3 pm. Maybe you are at your desk, ploughing through grotty emails and feeling a bit jaded. This is the crucial part. How do you feel, where are you, is anyone else involved. You may only need to change one of these things for the whole habit to be obliterated. Think about how engineers demolish a derelict building; do they take it down brick by brick? No. They would place a handful of charges in strategic places, with just one fuse. Press the ignition once and boom – no more building.

Writing out a plan

The next stage requires a bit of forethought: Writing out the plan. Write down exactly what you want to happen the next time. For example at 2.30pm I will stop what I am doing, get up, go for a walk, and do some stretches. Take my bottle of water and apple and quietly drink and eat.