Habits

Habits

  • Habit is an energy saver. Your brain goes into habitual zombie mode where it’s only semi-aware of a few key factors instead of being overwhelmed by all the data. u don't have to think in a focused manner about what ur doing while ur performing the habit, it saves energy. like riding a bike: at first it's really hard later it's easy u don’t need to think about it

  1. Cues - location, time, how u feel. change ur reaction to these procrastination or distraction cues using willpower (valuable mental resource that’s hard to come by, dont use it unnecessarily uses lots of neural resources don’t waste it on fending off procrastination except when absolutely necessary)

  2. Routine - habitual zombie mode. quiet place minimal distractions. when distraction arises train urself to not to get annoyed but to just let it flow or drift by 🌊🍃 and get right back to work

  • process - the flow of time. allows brain to march mindlessly along. Pomodoros. focus on the process not the product

  • make steady appointments with urself: 10am every day + plan ur quitting time: 5pm

  • Dr Robert Gamache - study every subject every day 15min on each so there won’t be a lot of recall

  • face ur fears - once u have a plan for the worst possible contingency the fears will begin to subside

  1. Reward - every habit develops because it rewards us. the better u get at something the more enjoyable it gets. reward with mindless scrolling purchases trips etc

  2. Belief - to change a habit u need to change ur underlying belief. surround urself with likeminded ppl

Operant Conditioning

  • gentle steering - reward w praise punish w indifference or lack of reaction. the key is thefrequency of administering the rewards and punishments. best way to ensure interest in behavior modification is rewarding in irregular intervals (they know it’ll happen but don’t know when)

  • if reward someone every time they deliver, their interest gradually diminishes. predictability isn’t a good motivator. think of what happens to children who get what they want every time, or what little effect a compliment has on a partner if deliver it too frequently

  • want child to learn to always say thank you, want partner to always be excited about what evening might bring in the bedroom reward them occasionally without any predictable pattern to keep their interest high. it’s like gambling or any form of dependency lol