CTM Episode 14: “How To Build High Performance Habits”: Part 2

This is Part 2 of the How to Build High Performance Habits series where Isaiah and Anthony will dive into the step by step process on how to form new habits and break existing bad habits. 

Before you can form any new habit you first need to discover your motivation.

Without motivation you won't be able to follow through on the process and you will fail in your endeavor. This motivation could come from yourself or it could come from for someone else or God. 

The first thing you must do in the process of forming a new habit is writing down your goals.

You then have to write down the specific steps you will take to achieve the goal. Then you have to come up with all of the possible adversities you will face in the pursuit of your goal, and you must come up with a plan for how you will overcome each of those adversities. 

Intrinsic rewards are better than extrinsic rewards. Sometimes you have to rely on extrinsic rewards to begin a habit, but overtime you should reduce the extrinsic reward and rely more on the intrinsic reward because intrinsic rewards are more sustainable. 

Remember that you will not succeed 100% of the time. Failure is okay, but make sure you don't fail in a systematic way, make sure it is random so you don't form a habit of failure. 

To get rid of an old habit the process is a little different.

Once a cue, routine, reward loop is formed its not going anywhere. So instead you have to keep the cue and reward and replace the routine. 

Once you have identified the habit you want to change, you must then determine what the reward is. Go though a series of experiments of trying to satisfy your craving (the craving for whatever the bad habit is). Once you have found an alternate activity that satisfies the craving that will be your new routine.

The next step is to isolate the cue. When you have the craving write down these five things: where are you, what time is it, who is around you, how do you feel/what is your emotional state, what was your immediate preceding action?

After enough time a patter will emerge and you will have identified the cue.

Now that you know the cue you can eliminate it or plan ahead for it by performing your new routine before the craving emerges. 

This process will not be easy and it will take time, but if you persist you will succeed and you will be better for it. 

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