4 Steps to Help You Change Your Habits

At Catalyst, we believe that real change takes time and effort. There are no shortcuts or magic pills. To help our clients make long-lasting changes we have utilized the framework from the book "The Power of Habit," by Charles Duhigg. In his book, Charles Duhigg outlines a framework for understanding how habits work and how any habit can be reshaped. Here's his four-step process to help you make lasting, positive lifestyle and behavior changes:

Step 1: Identify The Routine

The first step is to identify the routine. This is the behavior that you are trying to change. For example, let's say that after dinner every night I grab a bag of chips and eat them while watching television. This eventually leads to weight gain, digestive issues, and being full in the morning so I end up skipping breakfast. My routine is finishing dinner, going into the kitchen and getting a bag of chips and eating them while watching television.

Step 2: Experiment With Rewards 

The next step is identifying the reward. This is where things get more difficult. Is the reward the chips itself? Is it a crunchy texture that I am craving? Is it watching television? Or is it the calming feeling I get from zoning out from a long stressful day? To figure out what the actual reward is you will need to experiment with different rewards. To do this, you will need to alter your routine. For example, to find out if I needed time to destress I altered my routine and did some foam rolling and stretching. In this situation, I found that I felt much better and didn't have the urge to eat the chips anymore. It may take a few times to figure out what your reward is. One strategy that you can use is to write down the first three things that come to mind after you complete your routine. This will help you become more present and aware of what you are thinking and feeling. After you do this, wait 15 minutes and ask yourself if you still have the urge for that bag of chips or whatever habit you are trying to change.

Step 3: Isolate The Cue Once you've figured out the routine and the reward, you need to identify the cue. When you are trying to figure out what's triggering your behaviors it can be helpful to use the following categories and jot down some notes: Location, Time, Emotional State, Other People, Immediately Preceding Action. Doing so will happen you identify what's triggering your habit. In my case, it was the time a day.

Step 4 Have A Plan: Once you've figured out the cue, routine, and reward, it's time to craft a plan. In this case, my plan was "After dinner, every day, I will grab a foam roller and do some stretching." Now, I'll admit this didn't always work. There were times when I said f*** I'm going to eat some chips. However, the more I practiced this on a daily basis the more routine it became and the less I had to actually think about it.

Now that you have the framework to reshape your habits and behaviors, it's time to take action. If you have questions or feel like you need more help please contact us at info@catalyst-pt.com.