Welcome, and let's get started. In this lesson, we will explore how we form habits and debunk one the popular myths related to habit formation. Habits are the foundation of our behavior. Habits are patterns of consistently repeated actions or thoughts. Things we do every day, like taking a shower, drinking coffee in the morning, and even driving your car are all examples of habits. We create them daily without even realizing it. In the effort to save mental capacity and become more efficient, our brain relies on patterns to free up mental space. The basal ganglia is the part of our brain responsible for storing habits. Have you noticed when you were learning how to drive a car, you concentrated hard on what you were doing, and after a few dozen times, you could drive and have a conversation simultaneously? By repeating the same action over and over again, you created a habit and freed up mental space, which allowed you to have a conversation in addition to performing an act of driving a car. The process of habit formation involves three steps: cue, routine, reward. This three-step cycle is repeated until a habit is formed. Understanding how habits are formed gives you the power to change them by replacing one habit with a new, and hopefully a better one. In his book, The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg offers a way to change your bad habit. First, we need to have a belief that it's possible to change your habit. This is really a step zero. Without this belief, nothing else will help. Sometimes we tell ourselves that something is possible even though deep down we know we don't fully believe in it. I recommend explaining why you think it's possible to change your habit on paper. This will allow you to cage any discrepancies with what you tell yourself and what your true belief is. Second, we need a strong and powerful reason for change your habit. This reason can't just be plain vanilla, and sound something like, "Because I want to be a better leader.", it must fuel you so much, that you'd jump out of bed at 4:00 AM every morning and get to changing this belief. The easiest way to develop a powerful reason for change is to think of all the pain you experienced because of a habit and associate so much pleasure with your desired state that you'll leave yourself no choice but to act. One of the habits that I was able to change for myself is procrastination. It sounds like a harmless habit, but in reality, it was robbing me off joy, and it was creating massive pain. It felt like I was waiting until the last moment before completing work right before the deadline, and I wasn't really living during the time of waiting. This dread made it impossible for me to enjoy anything fully. Looking back, it was like being an anxious ghost. When I was working on identifying my reason for the change, I compiled a list of all interactions and activities I missed, and all stresses and the anxiety I have experienced because of this habit. After looking at the list, it was a no brainer, I had no choice but to change. Third, we need to identify a cue that triggers a particular thought or behavior, and a reward we'll receive by performing this behavior. Forth, keep the cue and reward the same, but to replace it with a new routine. Since we're focusing on agile transformation, you will be learning tools for replacing your habitual thoughts and beliefs. Now, to the myth part. One of the most popular myths about habit formation is that it takes 21 days, on average, to develop a habit. Lally et al., in her study, How are habits formed: Modeling habit formation in the real world, examined the length of habit formation, and came to the conclusion that it takes 66 days on average to form a habit. However, the time it takes to develop a habit ranges anywhere from 18-254 days. Don't get discouraged when you see these numbers. In the next few videos, you will learn two additional tools that will help you create an emotional state that will make habit formation easier and faster. I'll see you there.
