Replacement Habits

It’s much easier to replace a bad habit than it is to break it.

Imagine, for instance, that you want to stop using your phone in bed.

Your current habit loop might look like this:

Cue: Get into bed → Routine: Use your phone → Reward: A sense of calm

If you stop using your phone, you won’t get a sense of calm either.

And that makes it very hard to stay away from your phone each night.

So, you might instead want to try a slightly modified habit loop:

Cue: Get into bed → Routine: Read a book → Reward: A sense of calm

If you can find a new routine that provides the same reward as the old one, it can stick surprisingly fast.


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