Awareness
What begins the process of behavior change?
Awareness of pre-existing subconscious habits
What is the main purpose of a habit scorecard?
To become conscious of what you do every day instead of operating on autopilot
What is an implementation intention?
Writing down where and when you intend to do a habit
What is habit stacking?
Tying a desired behavior to something you already do each day
What are the two chapters mainly trying to help you do?
Become aware of habits and create clear cues for new ones
What was one example of subconscious intuition at the beginning of Chapter 4?
Paramedics recognizing illness / radar operators identifying enemy planes / hairdressers noticing pregnancy
Why is “pointing and calling” effective?
It makes a subconscious habit conscious by involving more of your senses
Give an example of an implementation intention.
Example: “I will give my friend a hug at 2:30 PM.”
What is the Diderot Effect?
When buying or doing one thing leads to another related behavior or purchase
What part of a habit should be made obvious according to the First Law of Behavior Change?
The cue
Why can habits be difficult to notice?
Because after repetition they become automatic and can happen without conscious thought
What are you supposed to label each habit on a habit scorecard?
Positive, negative, or neutral based on whether it helps your goals
What two details should an implementation intention clearly identify?
The time and location
Complete the habit-stacking formula: “After I _____, I will _____.”
Current habit; new habit
Why does James Clear recommend being specific about when and where you will perform a habit?
Because a clear cue makes it more likely you will actually do it
There aren’t necessarily good habits or bad habits, but rather what?
Habits that are effective or ineffective at helping you reach your goals
What is the major danger of living on “autopilot”?
You may repeat habits without realizing whether they are helping or hurting you
What is the formula for an implementation intention?
I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION].
Why does habit stacking work?
An existing habit acts as an obvious cue for the new behavior
What is the connection between Chapters 4 and 5?
Chapter 4 teaches you to notice your existing habits; Chapter 5 teaches you to use clear cues to create new ones
What does Clear mean when he says the process of behavior change always starts with awareness?
You must recognize a habit before you can intentionally change it
Why can simply saying an action out loud change your behavior?
It raises the action from a nonconscious habit to a conscious decision
Why is “I’m going to exercise more” weaker than “I will exercise at 4:00 PM at the gym”
The second statement gives the habit a specific time and location cue
What makes a good habit-stacking cue?
It should be a specific behavior you already perform consistently and reliably
Name three strategies from Chapters 4–5 that make habits more obvious.
Examples: habit scorecard, pointing and calling, implementation intentions, habit stacking