0:00

right, so welcome to your like atomic

0:02

habits cheat sheet. It's your

0:04

shortcut, you know, to understanding and

0:06

really applying these core concepts of

0:08

habit formation. And

0:10

of course, you've joined us for season one

0:12

of the deep dive, which we're calling atomic

0:15

habits for beginners. That's right.

0:17

And today we're diving deep, no

0:19

pun intended, into episode three, four

0:22

easy steps to habit formation. Love

0:25

it. Our mission is to unpack

0:27

that fundamental framework, you know, how

0:29

habits actually work. We're drawing from

0:32

some seriously insightful research and explanations

0:34

so you can just like immediately

0:36

grasp these essentials. Absolutely. And

0:39

to really get down to that bedrock of

0:41

how habits form, we can

0:43

look I mean, all the way

0:45

back to 1898 to the work of

0:47

psychologist Edward Thorndike. He had this really

0:49

fascinating experiment using cats and puzzle

0:51

boxes. And while it sounds

0:54

maybe kind of simple on the surface,

0:56

it actually reveals these fundamental principles about

0:58

how we learn and repeat behaviors, which

1:00

is really the essence of habit formation.

1:02

OK, so puzzle boxes, cats. Paint

1:05

me a picture. What was actually happening here? So

1:07

Thorndike, he placed these cats individually

1:10

inside these boxes. and

1:12

the only way for them to

1:14

escape to get a reward, which was

1:17

usually a little bit of food, was

1:19

to perform this very specific, simple

1:21

action. It could be anything from pulling

1:24

a cord to pressing a lever, even

1:26

just stepping on a little platform. Imagine

1:29

yourself as the cat, trapped in

1:31

this unfilial space, this smell of

1:33

food, wafting in just out

1:35

of reach. Right, so you're just gonna like...

1:37

anything to get out. Yeah, exactly. Initially,

1:39

the cats would like, thrash around, they'd

1:42

be scratching, biting, pushing, just,

1:44

you know, engaging in these random movements. And

1:46

it was through this process of trial and

1:48

error that they would eventually, and this was

1:50

like quite by accident, stumble upon the solution.

1:52

So like, a cat might just brush against

1:55

the lever, click, the door opens, food. Right.

1:57

So it's like an accidental discovery at first,

1:59

but what happened next? Like, did they just

2:01

keep randomly bumping into the escape mechanism? Not

2:04

at all. Thorndike, he was very

2:06

meticulous. And he recorded how long

2:09

it took each cat to escape

2:11

over multiple attempts. Okay. What he

2:13

observed was this clear and consistent

2:16

pattern. Okay. With each successful escape,

2:18

followed by the reward, the

2:20

cats got faster and faster at performing

2:23

that necessary action. They were learning. Okay.

2:25

So, I mean, they were getting good. Like,

2:27

this wasn't just luck anymore. They were figuring

2:29

it out. Exactly. Exactly. It was this cause

2:31

and effect this action leads to reward. Right.

2:34

And they were repeating that action more efficiently.

2:36

You know, I actually have a specific example

2:38

on my notes. There's a cat. They

2:41

called Cat 12. Okay. Yeah. What about Cat 12?

2:43

A Cat 12 learning curve, I think, is a really

2:45

good illustration of this. On its very first attempt, it

2:48

took a full 160 seconds to figure out how to

2:50

get out of the box. Wow. But look

2:52

at the progression. 30 seconds,

2:54

then 90, then 60. There

2:56

was, you know, some variability. But overall,

2:59

you see this clear downward trend.

3:02

By the final few trials, CAT

3:04

12 was consistently escaping in an

3:06

average of just 6 .3 seconds.

3:09

You know essentially it had learned

3:11

the habit of performing that action to

3:13

get free and get that food Yeah,

3:15

I mean that's that's a massive improvement

3:18

in time huge so from all these

3:20

observations Thorndyke came up with what's known

3:22

as the law of effect So essentially

3:25

it states that behaviors followed by satisfying

3:27

consequences tend to be repeated right whereas

3:29

behaviors that lead to those unpleasant consequences

3:31

They're less likely to be repeated. You

3:34

know when you think about it with

3:36

those cats pressing the lever led to

3:38

a and food, that behavior just became

3:40

stronger and stronger. Precisely. And, you

3:42

know, while Thorndike was working with, you

3:44

know, cats in these boxes, this principle,

3:46

this law of effect, it gives us

3:49

this really crucial starting point for understanding

3:51

how habits take root in our own

3:53

lives as humans. Right. And it starts

3:55

to answer these really key questions for

3:57

us, like, what

3:59

is a habit? Right. And, you

4:01

know, why does our brain even bother going through

4:03

the process of building them in the first place?

4:06

Right, because it's not like we just... you know,

4:08

one day decide, I'm gonna automate this, you

4:10

know? Exactly. Yeah. And it's a great

4:12

point because let's go back to those

4:14

cats in that initial puzzle box experience.

4:17

Okay. It was a totally novel situation

4:19

for them. Right. Their brains didn't have

4:21

a ready -made solution to escape. So

4:24

they had to, you know, explore. They had to

4:26

go through trial and error. Right. And

4:28

when we encounter

4:31

new situations, our

4:33

brains are similarly in overdrive.

4:35

We're consciously analyzing what's happening.

4:37

We're weighing different options making

4:39

decisions. We're just absorbing tons

4:42

of new information, right? And

4:44

it's very It's a very

4:46

neurologically demanding energy intensive process,

4:48

right? Your brain is just like working over time

4:50

trying to figure out like okay, what do I do here?

4:53

Exactly, but every now and then

4:55

you know, just like those cats accidentally hitting

4:57

the lever, we stumble upon a solution that

5:00

gives us a reward. Why? Okay, yeah.

5:02

Maybe you're feeling really anxious and you

5:04

discover, wow, going for a run really

5:07

clears my head. Yeah. Or after a

5:09

stressful work day, playing this particular video

5:11

game, that helps me unwind. There's that,

5:14

aha. moment that unexpected

5:16

but positive outcome and then

5:18

our brains are like wait hold on how do we

5:21

get there I need to remember that exactly exactly your

5:23

brain starts taking notes like okay what

5:25

happened in the moments leading up to

5:27

that reward it's forming that feedback loop

5:29

okay you tried something it resulted in

5:31

this outcome either good or bad you

5:34

learn from that experience and you adjust

5:36

your approach the next time right And

5:38

when we encounter these similar problems, these

5:40

stresses over and over again, our brains

5:43

start to automate the process of finding

5:45

that solution. Right. And that automation, that

5:48

sequence of actions, we do it without

5:50

even thinking about it. That's basically what

5:52

a habit is. You know, the behavioral

5:54

scientist, Jason Reha, he put it really

5:56

well, he said, habits are simply reliable

5:58

solutions to recurring problems in our environment.

6:00

Yeah, I like that. So, so basically the

6:02

brain's like, okay, this worked before, let's just

6:04

make this our go to response. Yes.

6:06

I want to think about it

6:08

every time. Exactly, exactly. And as

6:10

these habits become more ingrained, something

6:13

really interesting happens in the brain.

6:15

Okay. The level of neural activity

6:17

actually decreases when we're performing the

6:19

habit. Oh, interesting. Okay. So we

6:21

learn to filter out all the

6:23

irrelevant information and we just focus

6:26

on those specific cues that predict

6:28

success. Right. So you're getting more

6:30

efficient as you go. Exactly. You're

6:32

getting hyper efficient. Okay. So when

6:34

a similar situation pops up in

6:36

the future, we already have that

6:38

mental rule. It's like an if

6:40

this then that script. Okay. That

6:42

we follow automatically. So instead of

6:44

like consciously debating what to do

6:46

when you feel that afternoon slump.

6:48

Right. You just automatically reach for

6:50

that cup of coffee and a

6:52

choice that once requires you know,

6:54

some effort now happens like effortlessly.

6:56

A habit has formed. And your

6:58

brain's like already three steps ahead. Totally,

7:01

totally. Okay, so it's like

7:03

our brains are constantly creating these

7:05

little mental shortcuts. Yes. Just based

7:07

on our experiences. Precisely. Habits

7:10

are like mental shortcuts. Yeah. Learned from

7:12

experience. You can almost think of a

7:14

habit as like a stored memory. Okay.

7:16

Of the most efficient steps to take

7:18

to solve that problem. Right. Right.

7:21

So we've encountered this before. We know what to do.

7:23

And, you know, the

7:26

primary reason that our brain is so good

7:28

at remembering the past, it's to help us

7:30

predict what will work in the future. And

7:33

this is so valuable, this whole process, because

7:35

our conscious mind is actually pretty limited in

7:37

its capacity. We can only really focus on

7:40

one thing at a time effectively. So

7:42

our brains are constantly looking for

7:44

ways to offload those routine tasks

7:47

to the non -conscious mind, to

7:49

just handle it automatically. That's the

7:51

real power of habits, right? Right.

7:53

It frees up our mental resources

7:55

for more complex and essential tasks.

7:57

Right. So it's not about being like

7:59

robotic. It's actually like making your brain

8:01

more efficient. Exactly. So you can like

8:03

do bigger and better things. That's

8:05

exactly. But this brings up a question that

8:07

a lot of people have when they think

8:10

about habits, right? Yeah. Does this restrict our

8:12

freedom? Right. Like so much of our day

8:14

is on autopilot. Doesn't that make life a

8:16

bit, you know, dull or

8:18

less continuous? That's such

8:20

a great question. And the answer is, I

8:22

mean, it's a resounding no. Habits,

8:25

when you really understand them, they

8:27

don't restrict freedom. They actually create

8:30

it. Think about it

8:32

this way. The individuals who haven't

8:34

developed like good, helpful habits in

8:36

key areas of their lives, they're

8:38

actually the ones experiencing the least

8:40

amount of freedom. Okay, so like, give me some

8:42

examples. What do you mean? Okay, so

8:45

consider financial habits. Okay. You know,

8:47

without those good habits around budgeting,

8:49

saving, managing money, you

8:51

might find yourself like constantly stressed about

8:54

finances. And that's going to limit your

8:56

ability to, you know, pursue opportunities, even

8:58

just handle unexpected expenses. Right. That's a

9:00

lack of freedom. Or think

9:02

about health habits. If you don't have

9:05

those good habits around sleep, nutrition, exercise.

9:07

You might constantly be feeling low energy.

9:10

You might be dealing with health

9:12

issues, which is severely restricting

9:14

what you can do, what

9:16

you can enjoy, and even

9:18

learning habits without good routines

9:20

for acquiring new knowledge, new

9:22

skills, you might feel

9:25

stuck, unable to adapt

9:27

to new situations. So if you're

9:29

constantly having to make these conscious

9:31

decisions about these fundamental tasks, when

9:33

to exercise, when to work, when

9:35

to pay the bills, you

9:38

have less Mental energy is tired. You're

9:40

exhausted. Yeah and less time to dedicate

9:42

to those things you really value, right?

9:44

So by like automating the fundamentals Yeah,

9:47

it frees us up to actually focus

9:49

on the things that matter the things

9:51

that we enjoy Precisely precisely. Yeah, you

9:53

know when the basics are handled almost automatically,

9:55

you know through those good habits, right? Your

9:57

mind is liberated You can focus on new

10:00

challenges be more creative You can

10:02

engage in deeper thinking and ultimately

10:04

you can experience more of what

10:06

life has to offer Right. It's

10:08

like building those habits now is an

10:11

investment in your future freedom. Exactly. Okay.

10:13

So we've established habits. They're a good

10:15

thing. Yes. Our brains develop them for

10:17

efficiency. Right. And they actually contribute to

10:19

our freedom. Yeah. So now let's get to

10:22

the core of what we're talking about. The

10:25

four step process. Yes. Of how

10:27

habits actually work. This is where

10:29

things get really practical and I think

10:31

incredibly empowering. You know, the

10:33

formation of any habit, whether it's something

10:35

you do every day without thinking or

10:38

a more conscious routine you're trying to

10:40

build, it follows this four step pattern.

10:42

Cue, craving, response

10:44

and reward. Okay. Think of it like

10:47

the fundamental operating system for all of

10:49

our habits. Got it. So cue.

10:52

Craving response reward. Let's break each of those down.

10:54

Okay. Yeah. Starting with the first one. Yeah. The

10:56

cue. What is a cue when we talk about

10:58

habits? So the cue is essentially the

11:00

trigger. It prompts your brain

11:03

to initiated behavior. It's a piece

11:05

of information, and it can

11:07

be internal or external. That signals the

11:09

possibility of a reward. And

11:11

if you think about it, if we go back

11:13

to our evolutionary roots for a minute, our ancestors,

11:16

they were constantly scanning their

11:19

environment for cues that indicated

11:21

essential rewards. Things

11:24

like food, water, signs of safety.

11:26

Survival. Yeah, exactly, survival.

11:29

In our modern world, while those

11:31

basic cues still exist, we're also

11:33

responding to cues that predict secondary

11:36

rewards, things like money. recognition

11:39

from others, a boost in status,

11:41

approval, love, friendship, or even like

11:43

a feeling of personal satisfaction. So

11:46

it's like our brain is saying like,

11:48

hey, there might be something good here.

11:50

Exactly. It's attention. Exactly. Our minds

11:52

are constantly analyzing our internal state. Are we

11:54

bored? Are we tired? Are we stressed? And

11:57

our external environment. Where are we? What time is

11:59

it? Who are we with? looking

12:01

for those little hints that a reward

12:03

might be within reach. And

12:06

because the cue is that initial

12:08

predictor of something positive, it

12:10

naturally leads to the next step. The

12:13

craving. Okay, so craving. Is

12:15

that like more than just wanting something?

12:18

It is. Craving is like the

12:20

motivational engine behind every habit. Yeah.

12:23

without that desire, without that craving

12:25

for a change in your current

12:27

state, there's no real reason to

12:29

take action. But here's a really

12:31

critical insight. What you're

12:33

craving isn't actually the habit itself.

12:36

It's the change in state that

12:38

you anticipate that habit will deliver.

12:40

Okay. So you don't crave the

12:42

act of smoking, you crave the

12:44

feeling of relaxation, the stress

12:46

release that you've associated with it. You're not necessarily

12:48

motivated by brushing your teeth, you're motivated by the

12:51

feeling of a clean mouth. Right, the outcome. Exactly,

12:53

it's the outcome. You don't just want to turn

12:55

on the TV, you want to be entertained, you

12:57

want to be distracted. So

13:00

every craving is linked to

13:02

this underlying desire to alter your

13:04

internal state. Okay, so it's not the thing,

13:06

it's the feeling we expect from the thing. Exactly,

13:08

precisely. It's also

13:10

important to remember that cravings are individual.

13:13

What might trigger a strong craving

13:16

in one person could be meaningless

13:18

to another. Right, because we all

13:20

have different experiences. Exactly. So

13:22

for someone who struggles with gambling, the

13:24

lights and sounds of a slot machine, that

13:26

can create an irresistible craving. But

13:29

for someone who's not interested in gambling, it's

13:31

just noise. It's background noise. It's just background

13:34

noise. cues themselves are

13:36

neutral. It's our thoughts, our

13:38

feelings, our past experiences, and our emotions

13:40

that really interpret those cues and transform

13:43

them into a craving. So we've

13:45

got the cue, which acts as a trigger.

13:48

That leads to the craving, the desire to

13:50

change our state. What's next?

13:52

Okay. So the third step is the

13:54

response. Okay. This is the actual Habit,

13:57

okay that you perform and it could

13:59

be a physical action right or even

14:01

a thought and Whether you actually

14:03

perform the response it really depends

14:06

on two things. Okay first your

14:08

motivation How strong is that craving? Okay,

14:10

and second the friction associated with the

14:13

behavior? Okay, so if the response requires,

14:15

you know too much physical effort mental

14:17

energy or time You're probably not gonna

14:19

do it Right. It's too hard. It's

14:22

too hard, yeah. And your

14:24

ability also plays a role. You might really

14:26

want to dunk a basketball. Right. But if

14:28

you can't jump high enough, well,

14:31

it's just not possible. It's just not going to happen. It's

14:33

not going to happen. So the response is the thing

14:35

we do or think in reaction to

14:37

the craving, you know, if we're motivated

14:39

enough. Exactly. Exactly. And then the

14:41

fourth and final step is the reward.

14:44

Okay. This is the ultimate goal of

14:46

every habit. So the cue

14:48

is about noticing the reward. The

14:51

craving is wanting the reward. The

14:53

response is how you get the

14:55

reward. And rewards

14:57

serve two purposes. First,

15:00

they that craving. Right. And

15:02

second, maybe even more importantly, they

15:05

teach us which actions are worth

15:07

remembering and repeating. So the reward

15:09

is like the payoff. It feels good, but

15:11

it also tells our brain, hey, remember this

15:13

whole sequence? It worked. Exactly, exactly. So

15:15

rewards give us that immediate satisfaction. You

15:18

know, that feeling of relief when the

15:20

cravings fulfilled. Right. But what's also important

15:22

is the learning aspect. You know, our

15:25

brains are like sophisticated reward detection

15:27

systems. When we experience

15:29

pleasure, when we experience satisfaction

15:31

after doing something, our brains

15:33

take note. Interesting. OK.

15:35

And those feelings of pleasure

15:37

or even disappointment, they're like

15:39

feedback. They help us

15:41

differentiate between actions that are beneficial and

15:44

those that are not. And

15:46

the reward basically closes that whole

15:48

feedback loop and completes the habit

15:51

cycle, making it more likely to

15:53

be repeated in the future. So it

15:55

sounds like all four of those steps,

15:57

the cue, the craving, the response, the

15:59

reward, they're all essential

16:01

for the habit to actually form and

16:03

stick around. Absolutely, you got it.

16:06

If there's no clear cue, the habit

16:08

won't be triggered. If the

16:10

craving is not strong enough, you won't have the motivation.

16:13

If the behavior is too hard, You're not going to do

16:15

it. And if the reward isn't good, you're going to be like,

16:17

well, what was the point of that? Exactly. Yeah. Your

16:19

brain will have no reason to repeat it. And

16:21

it's just not going to become a habit.

16:23

It won't stick. So this all sounds

16:25

like this ongoing cycle. It

16:28

is. The four stages of

16:30

habit formation, they're best

16:32

understood as this feedback loop. We call

16:34

it the habit loop. Okay. It's constantly

16:36

running in the background. Okay. Our

16:38

brains are scanning for those

16:40

cues, making predictions, experimenting, learning

16:43

from those rewards. And

16:45

all this is happening like crazy fast.

16:47

Oh yeah, in a fraction of a second, often without us

16:49

even realizing it. Right, subconsciously. Totally,

16:51

totally. You know, we can

16:54

even think about dividing these steps into two

16:56

phases. Okay. So first, we have the problem

16:58

phase. Okay. That's the cue and the craving.

17:00

All right. This is where you're like, okay,

17:02

something needs to change. Right. Whether it's a

17:05

desire to get something good. Right. or avoid

17:07

something bad. And then we

17:09

have the solution phase. Okay. This

17:11

is the response and the reward.

17:13

This is where you actually take

17:15

action to solve that problem and

17:17

experience the outcome. Gotcha. So like

17:19

you said before, you know, flipping a light switch

17:22

in a dark room, that's a perfect example of

17:24

the habit loop happening automatically. So

17:26

I walk into a dark room, that's the

17:28

cue. Yes. Immediately, I'm like, I need light.

17:30

That's the craving craving. I flip the switch.

17:32

That's the response. The response. The light comes

17:34

on. That's the reward. Exactly. And it just

17:36

happens. It just happens. And most of

17:38

our adult habits work this way, you

17:41

know, without us thinking about it. Wow.

17:43

That's amazing. Yeah. Okay. So

17:45

understanding this loop. the

17:47

cue, the craving, the response,

17:49

and the reward, that's the

17:51

key to understanding how our

17:53

habits work. It is, it is. And

17:55

it gives us this foundation for the final part

17:57

of what we're talking about today. How

18:00

we can actually use this. Knowledge

18:03

right to make changes in our

18:05

behavior and break free from those

18:07

unwanted habits. So this brings us

18:09

to This framework that comes from those

18:11

four steps the four laws of behavior

18:14

change So it sounds like these laws

18:16

are like the practical application of everything

18:18

we've been talking about exactly the four

18:21

laws of behavior change. They're like This

18:23

set of rules that we can use

18:25

to build good habits right and break

18:27

bad ones. Okay, think of each law

18:29

as like a lever that

18:31

influences behavior. When these

18:34

levers are in the right spot,

18:36

creating good habits becomes easier. But

18:38

when they're in the wrong spot, it

18:41

can be really tough. So what

18:43

are those four laws for creating

18:46

good habits? So the first

18:48

law, which addresses the Q, is

18:50

make it obvious. The second law

18:52

for the craving is make it

18:54

attractive. The third

18:56

for the response, make it easy.

18:58

And the fourth, for the reward, make

19:01

it satisfying. Okay, and you mentioned we

19:03

can flip these laws around, right? Yes. If we want

19:05

to break a habit. Exactly. To break a

19:07

bad habit, you want to do the

19:09

opposite. Okay. So the inverse of make

19:12

it obvious is make it invisible. Okay.

19:14

Make it attractive becomes make it unattractive.

19:16

Okay. Make it easy becomes make it

19:18

difficult. Okay. And make it satisfying becomes

19:20

make it unsatisfying. So like for example,

19:23

if I'm trying to stop snacking on cookies late

19:25

at night. Yeah. I could make it invisible.

19:27

I could just not have cookies in the

19:29

house. Exactly. I could make it unattractive,

19:31

like, okay, well, this is actually bad for

19:33

me. Right. Make it difficult. Put them, like,

19:35

way up high in the cupboard. Yes, exactly.

19:38

Make it hard to get to. And then

19:40

unsatisfying, like, okay, even if I do get

19:42

a cookie, don't let myself enjoy it. Yeah,

19:44

remove that enjoyment. So, while those

19:46

four laws might not, like, explain

19:49

everything about changing behavior, they sound

19:51

really useful as a framework. They

19:53

are. You know, when we're talking about sports,

19:55

or business, or health, or

19:58

just personal growth, these principles

20:00

are at play. So whenever we're trying

20:02

to change something, we can ask ourselves

20:04

those four questions. How can

20:07

I make it obvious, attractive, easy

20:09

and satisfying? Exactly. And if

20:11

it's a bad habit, how do I do the opposite? Exactly.

20:14

And if you've ever wondered why you

20:16

struggled to stick to those goals, you

20:18

know, like losing weight or quitting smoking

20:20

or saving money. Right. The things we all

20:23

struggle with. Yeah. The reason often

20:25

comes back to those four laws. Really?

20:27

Yeah. The key is being aware of

20:29

them. Right. And knowing how to adjust

20:31

those cues, those cravings, those responses, those

20:33

rewards to get where you want to go. Because

20:35

if you're not aware of those, you're basically

20:38

swimming upstream. Exactly. It's like

20:40

fighting against the current. It's so much

20:42

harder. Way harder. So it sounds like,

20:44

you know, the habits we have

20:46

are really shaped by the systems and

20:48

the environments we create. Totally. And these

20:51

four laws give us the tools to

20:53

actually design those systems. They do. so

20:55

we can encourage good habits and make those

20:57

bad habits fade away. Exactly, yeah.

21:00

Okay, so to wrap up, let's go

21:02

over the key takeaways. First, a habit

21:04

is just a behavior that's been repeated

21:06

enough to become automatic. Right. If second,

21:08

habits exist to help us solve problems

21:10

efficiently. Yeah, exactly. Third, every

21:13

habit follows that loop. Q, craving,

21:16

response, and reward. You got it. And

21:18

finally, those four laws of

21:20

behavior change make it obvious,

21:22

attractive, easy, and satisfying. Yeah.

21:25

They give us this awesome framework for

21:27

shaping our behavior. They do. So we

21:29

hope this atomic habits cheat sheet

21:31

has given you some insight into

21:34

how your habits work. Yeah. And

21:36

understanding this is the first step

21:38

to making real changes. Absolutely. This

21:40

was just one deep dive into

21:42

atomic habits, part of our atomic

21:44

habits for beginners season. There's

21:47

so much more to explore from making

21:49

those cues obvious to making those rewards

21:51

truly satisfying. So to keep

21:53

learning and supporting record our work, head over

21:56

to TheMessyPodcast.com. Yes. You'll find all the

21:58

books we've covered this season and other ways

22:00

to connect with us. Yeah, come check us out. And

22:02

as you go about your day, think

22:04

about your own habits. Can you spot

22:06

the pews, the cravings, the responses, the

22:08

rewards? What problems are those

22:11

habits solving for you? Understanding that is

22:13

the key to making those lasting changes.

22:16

have said it better myself. All right, that's it for this

22:18

deep dive. We'll catch you next time. See you.