Soulful Sundays: Habit

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” —Annie Dillard

We all know the feeling of autopilot kicking in. We get in our cars in the morning, turn on our favorite music, pull out of the driveway, point our car toward work, and the rest takes care of itself. Very little of the commute has to be consciously managed. We have done it so many times that the routine is burned into our nervous system. Oftentimes, if we are distracted by a phone call or a particularly demanding line of thought, we arrive at our destination without any real recollection of the trip itself. This autopilot metaphor can be extended to all of our habits. Although they may seem like the things that happen in the background while we are living our lives, a closer look reveals that our habits are inseparable from our identities.

Neuroscience explains habit formation as an efficiency mechanism. New behaviors generally require more conscious attention and effort. Dopamine plays an important role in reinforcement learning, helping the brain learn which cues and actions predict rewarding outcomes. After enough repetition, behaviors can become increasingly dependent on circuits involving the basal ganglia and require less conscious supervision—effectively becoming an autopilot. James Clear, in his book Atomic Habits, describes the pathway as cue → craving → response → reward. Using this model, he suggests that the best way to form the habits we desire is by making them obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying. If we take on too drastic a change in the beginning, it will require extra willpower when the reward is not immediately met, and the habit is likely to die. The strongest habits are those we can consistently repeat.

An important determinant of behavior is how we self-identify. If we see ourselves as healthy, we are more likely to eat better and exercise. If we see ourselves as kind, we are more likely to be generous. That being said, no amount of positive affirmation can take the place of action. As the saying goes, it is far easier to act our way into a new way of thinking than to think our way into a new way of acting. Or, as Clear puts it, “Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.” It is our prerogative to train the autopilot, but first we must develop the habit of actually observing it at work. Thus, awareness becomes the master habit. Difficulty is intrinsic to the beginning, but small steps taken deliberately over time are how mountains are climbed.