How to form habits effectively (with Jim Davies)

Aug 10, 2022 1h 22m 18 insights Episode Page ↗
Spencer Greenberg and Jim Davies discuss habit formation, emphasizing understanding triggers (H.A.B.I.T.) and replacing bad habits with specific, small, and enjoyable actions. They also explore animal welfare, the challenge of assigning moral weight to different species, and how to compare the effectiveness of charities across diverse causes like human health, animal welfare, and climate change, even amidst significant uncertainty.
Actionable Insights

1. Curate Your Habits

Actively manage and shape your habits, as they dictate your behavior when your mind is otherwise occupied, which is crucial for becoming the person you aspire to be.

2. Replace Bad Habits

Instead of trying to eliminate bad habits, identify their triggers and create new, competing habits that respond to the same triggers. This approach is more effective because old habits are always lurking and ready to be activated.

3. Use Specific Intentions

Form new habits or correct old ones by creating explicit, clear intentions about what specific action you will take when a particular trigger occurs. This specificity makes the habit easier to implement and track, unlike vague goals.

4. Start Habits Small

Begin new habits with an action so easy that it’s nearly impossible to fail, then gradually increase the intensity or duration over time. This method builds consistency and makes the habit feel achievable, fostering long-term change.

5. Create Habit Containers

Chain new desired behaviors to existing, consistent routines, such as a morning sequence of activities. This makes it easier to add new habits because you already have a dedicated slot in your day for them.

6. Automate Actions

Externalize and automate actions whenever possible, such as setting up automatic charitable donations or savings transfers. This ensures desired behaviors occur without conscious effort or reliance on willpower or habit formation.

7. Conserve Willpower

Recognize that willpower is a limited resource and avoid relying on it excessively for habit formation. Instead, focus on setting up triggers and routines that minimize the need for conscious effort and resistance.

8. Understand Habit Triggers

Identify the five types of habit triggers (Humans, Activity, Bearings, Internal states, Time of day) to gain insight into what cues your automatic behaviors. This understanding is foundational for effectively managing and changing your habits.

9. Address Underlying Needs

When replacing a bad habit, choose a new habit that genuinely satisfies the underlying need or desire that the old habit addressed. For example, if you eat donuts due to low energy, replace it with a brisk walk or black coffee instead of just another food.

10. Form Habits via Repetition

Establish new habits through consistent repetition, even if there’s no immediate reward for the action. The brain will eventually automate the response to the trigger through repeated practice.

11. Practice with Realistic Triggers

When training for real-world scenarios, practice responding to the correct trigger in a wide variety of realistic situations. This ensures the habit is broadly applicable and will be activated when truly needed.

12. Morning for Routine Habits

Schedule new habits in the morning, as it is generally the most routine and predictable part of the day for most people. This consistency increases the likelihood that the habit will stick.

13. Don’t Miss Repetitions

Strive for consistent repetitions without missing days when forming a new habit. Each missed repetition weakens the connection between the trigger and the desired response, making the habit harder to establish.

14. Choose Enjoyable Activities

Select activities that align with your goals but are also inherently enjoyable or require less willpower. This reduces friction in habit formation, making it easier and more sustainable to maintain the new behavior.

15. Compare Charity Effectiveness

To maximize your positive impact, compare the cost-effectiveness of different charitable causes (e.g., human health, animal welfare, climate change) by converting their impact into a common unit, such as human years of life saved. This allows for a more rational allocation of donations.

16. Weigh Expert Opinions

When grappling with highly uncertain and complex issues, such as animal consciousness, base your beliefs and actions on a weighted average of expert opinions. This approach respects the field’s uncertainty rather than assuming one view is definitively correct.

17. Act Despite Uncertainty

Even when faced with significant uncertainty, make decisions and take action based on the best available estimates and reasoning. Avoiding action due to uncertainty often leads to defaulting to unexamined gut feelings, which is generally less effective.

18. Use Rationality for Goals

Cultivate rationality skills to perceive the world more clearly as it actually is. A clearer understanding of reality allows you to better optimize your plans and strategies for achieving your personal goals.