On this episode of "The ARTwork of YOU," Lori Gouhin shares the science and strategy to make positive change in your life by creating habits.
In this episode, host Lori Gouhin discusses the fascinating world of habits and how they shape our lives.
She delves into the science of habits, the habit loop, and the power of small changes. Lori shares insights on forming new positive habits, changing existing ones, and implementing habit stacking.
Throughout the episode, she emphasizes the importance of clear, achievable goals and offers practical strategies to make habits stick.
Join Lori as she provides a roadmap for transforming your life through the power of habits.
Episode Highlights:
- Importance of habits in shaping our days, success, and happiness.
- Lori’s personal example of forming a new morning habit.
- Strategy for creating a new habit loop to replace the old one.
- Importance of making habits easy for consistency.
Thank you for sharing your time with me and remember to show up in your life like the masterpiece you are because YOU are the ARTwork!!!
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Lori Gouhin [00:00:02]:
Welcome to the artwork of you, the podcast where your life is the canvas and you are the masterpiece. I'm your host, Lori Gouhin, and together we'll explore creativity, self awareness, mindset, goal strategy, and the importance of accountability so that you can paint your life's portrait with confidence and ease. Remember, in the gallery of life, you're not just a spectator. You are the art. So let's grab our brushes and start creating the masterpiece that is you. Hello, my friends. I am so glad that you are here with me today, because today I want to talk about habits, the things that shape our days, our success, and even our happiness. And you might be thinking habits.
Lori Gouhin [00:00:45]:
Okay, what's so exciting about that? Because they're kind of just like the boring things we do without thinking. But actually, that's exactly where the magic lies, because it's in the small, seemingly insignificant routines that we barely give a second thought to, that our greatest potential for change is hidden. And that's what I want to talk about today. Because by tweaking little things in your daily routine, you could be well on your way to the big goals that you've been putting on the back burner for quite some time. But to be clear, it's not just about dreaming. It's about doing. So let's talk about the science of habits, the power of small changes, and how to make these concepts work in your life. Let's start with the basics.
Lori Gouhin [00:01:26]:
Every habit operates within a structure known as a habit loop. And this loop consists of three key elements. Number one, the queue. Number two, the routine. And number three, the reward. So, the queue is what triggers the habit, and the routine is the behavior itself. And the reward is what your brain gets out of it. And understanding this loop is so important because it helps us to see the pattern behind any habit that we have.
Lori Gouhin [00:01:54]:
So here's an example. Suppose you have a habit of snacking while you're working. The cue might be that you're just feeling bored or stressed. The routine is eating the snack, and the reward is that momentary pleasure that it brings. And by thinking about habits in this way, you can start to think about how you might be able to change them. So think of a habit that you have and try to identify its habit loop. Because habits aren't just behaviors. They're actually wired in our brain.
Lori Gouhin [00:02:24]:
And every time we perform a habit, the neural pathways that are involved get stronger. And this is why established habits can be so hard to break. They're like a well worn path within our brain. However, that also means that when we form new positive habits. They, too, can become automatic over time. And the key is repetition. So the more we repeat a behavior, the more ingrained it becomes. So why don't you try a little experiment this week? I want you to choose a new, simple habit that you'd like to form.
Lori Gouhin [00:02:56]:
It could be something like drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning or stretching for five minutes before you start your workout or planning your day the night before. Well, actually, it hasn't even been that recent. It's probably been close to a year now, nine months or so. But I started the habit of drinking a soleil every morning. And if you're not familiar with that, is you could look it up. S-O-L-E. It's basically like a salt water solution. And so the best way to take the soleil is to drink it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.
Lori Gouhin [00:03:31]:
And I don't think in the last. Say, I've been doing it nine months. I've maybe only missed once or twice. Notice how it feels when you add this new routine into your day and how it starts to become easier over time. I don't even think about it now with drinking my solo. It's just automatic. So, knowing what we do about habits, how can we go about changing the ones that we want to change? Not just starting new ones, but changing the ones that we want to change? Because it's not enough to try to just stop a bad habit. We need to replace it with a new, more positive one, because that means creating a new habit loop.
Lori Gouhin [00:04:07]:
So if we go back to our snacking example, the cue feeling bored or stressed, that'll remain the same. But you want to change the routine into a healthier behavior, like maybe taking a short walk, whether that be outside or around your office, wherever it is that you're working. And then the reward could be the feeling of either fresh air if you get outside, or simply just having a break from work for a few minutes, or the energy shift that you get just from moving your body. This will leverage your brain's wiring to establish the new habit. So think of a habit you'd like to change and create a new plan for a new habit loop. What will be your new routine, and what reward will encourage you to stick with it? Because creating a new habit is great, and it's a great start. But the real challenge is making it stick. And there's an idea that can help you with that, and it's called habit stacking.
Lori Gouhin [00:05:01]:
And that involves adding a new habit onto an existing one. So, for example, if you already have the habit of drinking coffee every morning, you could stack a new habit of, say, maybe writing a to do list for the day while you drink your coffee. And by anchoring your new habit to the established habit that you already have, you increase your chances of it sticking. So choose a habit that you've been working on, or one that you'd like to start and now think of an existing habit that you could stack onto it, and then plan how you'll integrate that into your daily routine. But if you're still a little uncertain as to how to apply all of this so that you can really create what it is that you want in your life and what you're aiming for, let's break it down a little more. The first thing is that clear, achievable goals are the foundation. It's not just about saying, for example, I want to be healthier. It's about defining what that looks like in an actionable way.
Lori Gouhin [00:05:56]:
So, for example, you could say, I will go for a 30 minutes walk every morning, because that clarity transforms your abstract ideas into more concrete actions. So again, rather than saying, I want to start walking more regularly, make it more specific. I want to start walking every morning for 30 minutes, for 15 minutes, for an hour. Make it specific. Make it measurable. So identify a broad goal that you have, one that maybe you haven't been able to stick with because it is very vague, and then break it down into specific, actionable habits that you can start working on. I don't know if you're familiar, but in the book atomic habits, James Clear outlines four powerful laws for behavior change. And they are number one, make it obvious.
Lori Gouhin [00:06:43]:
Number two, make it attractive. Number three, make it easy, and number four, make it satisfying. Each of these laws offers a unique angle on how you can approach habit formation. So, for instance, by making a habit obvious, you're removing the barriers to getting started. And that could be as simple as putting out your running shoes the night before to remind you to go for a run in the morning. Or in my case, I have my SOLE sitting on the counter where I clearly see it each morning. So choose a habit you're trying to develop and apply each of those four laws to this habit and create a strategy for implementing them and getting back to the idea of the habit loop. By identifying what triggers your habits, the queue and what you get out of them, the reward, you can start to remodel or replace habits that aren't serving you well.
Lori Gouhin [00:07:32]:
Sometimes the smallest changes in your environment or your routine can make a big difference. For example, if you mindlessly pick up your phone while you're working and then find yourself being distracted by shiny object syndrome 20 minutes later, hello, I know what that's about. Try keeping your phone in another room while you're working, or at least across the room so you're not as likely to pick it up. So think about a habit you want to change. Identify its cue, its reward. Then brainstorm how you could modify the elements to encourage you to create a more positive habit. Another book, tiny habits, offers another approach, and that's about scaling down. So, for example, if you want to read more, you could start with one page a night.
Lori Gouhin [00:08:15]:
If you're trying to exercise more, you could start with five push ups each morning. In these small actions, although they might seem insignificant at first, they lay the groundwork for larger changes by building your confidence and establishing your routine. Because remember, every time you keep a commitment that you make to yourself, your confidence increases. And the beauty of this approach lies in its simplicity, because knowing that the smallest actions can lead to significant changes. So try selecting a habit that you've struggled to stick with. Maybe scale it down to the tiniest version of that habit, and then plan how you'll incorporate it into your daily routine. Because you can't always rely on motivation, and when you rely on it for habit formation, you most likely will be disappointed. Instead, rely on what's easy to do.
Lori Gouhin [00:09:07]:
Make it so easy that you can't say no to doing it. And as we wrap this up, remember, changing habits is a process. It involves setting clear goals, understanding and applying the principles of habit formation that we talked about, and being patient with yourself. As you make these changes, the ideas that we talked about, they can provide like a roadmap for you. But of course, your journey is going to be unique. So stay curious and be flexible. And always celebrate your progress, no matter how small. Habits have the power to transform your life, but changing them requires understanding and strategy and persistence.
Lori Gouhin [00:09:43]:
And remember, every big achievement starts first with a decision. Start small, be consistent, and soon you'll see that the power of habits are working in your favor. Keep experimenting and learning about yourself, and don't be afraid to adjust your approach as you go, because you have the tools to shape your habits and in doing so, to shape your future. That's a wrap for today, my friends. Thank you for sharing your time with me. And remember to show up in your life like the masterpiece you are, because you are the artwork. Please subscribe and leave a five star review. Have a fabulous day.