Every habit, and possibly every human behavior, cycles through these four stages. The cue is some kind of raw data that you take in, often external. Craving is about how you interpret the cue - different people have different cravings. Response is when you are able to turn on a light switch or tie your shoes. Reward is being able to see what's on your tidulus for the morning. And if you do it enough, then you can go through all four stages pretty much an autopilot. You're not even thinking about ityou can have a conversation with somebody else. So this is ultimate purpose that habits serve: They allow us to solve our problems.
James Clear is the author of Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones. His work has appeared in The New York Times, CBS This Morning, Time, Entrepreneur, and he has taught in colleges around the world. James is also the creator of the Habits Academy, the premier training platform for organizations and individuals that are interested in building better habits in life and work.
In Part 1 of the interview, Eric and James discuss habits and how to set yourself up for short and long-term success when it comes to behavior change.
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James Clear and I Discuss the Compounding Nature of Habits and…
- His book, Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones
- How habits are like the compound interest of self-improvement
- Your outcomes are a lagging measure of your efforts
- How bamboo growth is like habit growth
- The importance of building a foundation of habits to see results
- How work isn’t wasted, it’s stored
- Focusing on systems rather than goals
- How the outcome is a natural consequence of habits
- How goals can create an artificial finish line
- The role of identity in behavior change
- How you choose to act leads to the kind of person you want to be
- Learning to adopt a growth mindset as opposed to a fixed mindset
- How humans are learning machines
- The 4 stages of habits: cue, craving, response, and reward
- The 4 laws of behavior change: make it obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying
- To break a bad habit, invert the 4 laws of behavior change
James Clear Links:
James’s Website
Twitter
Instagram
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If you enjoyed this conversation with James Clear, you might also enjoy these other episodes:
James Clear (2015)
Tiny Habits for Behavior Change with BJ Fogg
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