A habit is defined as an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary. Habits allow us to do the majority of our actions without putting a lot of mental effort into them. This is a good thing. We don't have to put effort into how we are putting our clothes on or each step that needs to be done to start the car to go to work. Instead we can put our mental energy into picking an outfit with colours that don't clash or what our day's activities are going to be. By committing the many little things we do over and over to habit allows us to perform activities while freeing our mind to focus on other things. Consequently, if the habits we develop are "good" habits, we become more efficient and effective. If however we develop "bad" habits they will cause us to be less effective and even self destructive.
Each person has developed both "good" and "bad" habits. We can be happier and more successful in life by changing our "bad" habits to "good" habits. Sounds simple doesn't it? But just ask someone who has an alcohol habit, or a sugar habit, or a procrastination habit if it's easy to change the habit and they will tell you it is not. Even changing a small habit can take a tremendous amount of effort. In order to change a habit a person needs to understand how habits work.
There are three components to each habit: a cue, a routine, and a reward. I'll let Charles Duhigg explain how these habit components work together. Take a look at his video "How to Break the Cookie Habit" posted on the New York Times website.
Changing a habit requires that a person recognized all three components. That's easier said than done. Personally I think determining the reward is the hardest part. What we truly gain from our bad habits is usually not obvious. In many instances a person really needs to be a sleuth to pin down the reward and sometimes the cue as well.
This is a very brief overview of habits. If you are serious about wanting to change your habits please read "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg. This very readable book will give you a comprehensive understanding of how habits work, how we develop them, and very importantly how we can change them.
