Habit Hacks You Need to Know!

If you want to change them, then you MUST face them.

Hey Mindfulness Mavericks! 🌟

This quote woke me up to how powerful habit is - check it out:

”I am your constant companion.
I am your greatest helper or your heaviest burden.
I will push you onward or drag you down to failure.
I am completely at your command.
Half the things you do, you might just as well turn over to me,
and I will be able to do them quickly and correctly.
I am easily managed; you must merely be firm with me.
Show me exactly how you want something done, and after a few lessons I will do it automatically.
I am the servant of all great men.
And, alas, of all failures as well.
Those who are great, I have made great.
Those who are failures, I have made failures.
I am not a machine, though I work with all the precision of a machine.
Plus, the intelligence of a man.
You may run me for profit, or run me for ruin; it makes no difference to me.
Take me, train me, be firm with me and I will put the world at your feet.
Be easy with me, and I will destroy you.
Who am I?
I am a HABIT!”
~ Unknown

Welcome back to another quick hit from the Men Talking Mindfulness!

This week, Jon McCaskill is flying solo while he and Will Schneider are on a break between seasons. But don't worry, Jon's got some killer insights on habits to keep you going.

Here are the Key Takeaways:

The Habit Loop: Cue, Routine, Reward, Repeat

Charles Duhigg's “The Power of Habit” breaks it down like a boss: every habit starts with a cue, followed by a routine, ends with a reward. We will add that this loop must be frequently repeated too. Crack this code, and you can hack your bad habits and create new ones that align with who you want to be!

Think of it as your secret weapon to becoming a habit ninja.

Got a bad habit? Identify the cue (what is triggering the habit). Change the routine. Experience the new reward. Repeat this action again and again and again and boom—new habit unleashed!

For example:
The Cue: You always grab a sugary snack when you're stressed,

Change the routine: try swapping it with a quick walk or a few deep breaths.

The Reward: Your brain still gets the reward. In this example it’s stress relief, but now you're not reaching for the cookie jar every time life gets hectic.

Repeat these actions until its habitual and unconscious.

Start Small with Atomic Habits

James Clear's “Atomic Habits” is all about starting tiny - “atomic”.

This is what it looks like.
Do you want to become a fitness beast? Begin with just 5 minutes of exercise. No need to crush your soul on Day #1 and burn out by Day #5. Slow and steady wins the race, my friends.

Remember, Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is a healthier body. Start with a mini workout, like a few push-ups or a short jog, build daily momentum and gradually increase the intensity. Before you know it, you'll be crushing your fitness goals without even realizing it.

Habit Stacking: Double the Impact

Habit stacking is the ultimate life hack by practicing new habits with existing ones.

Here is an example: before I meditate, I take a few minutes to get physical and do 25 squats, 50 pushups, and some light stretching then I sit and meditate.

Where can you habit stack?

What about every time you make your morning coffee? Instead of more useless '“doom scrolling” what if you spend those few minutes doing a quick mindfulness exercise. Now, your caffeine fix comes with a side of zen. It’s possible!

Track It 2 Hack It

Lean into the importance and feeling of Reward. Turn your habit formation into a game with habit tracking.

Get visual! Use a calendar or journal to track your habits. Draw circles next to each day and fill them in when you complete your habit. It's like leveling up in a video game, but for your life.

Seeing those filled circles is oddly satisfying (the reward). You can even get creative with stickers or colorful markers. The visual progress will keep you motivated and make the journey to better habits a lot more enjoyable.

Break Bad Habits; Make Them Harder

Want to break a bad habit? Make it a pain in the butt to do them.

If you're a late-night snacker, don't keep snacks by your bed. (Or what about if you don’t even buy them??) Modify your environment to disrupt the habit loop. It's like putting up roadblocks around your bad habits. The harder it is to do, the less likely you are to do it. Simple but effective!

If binge-watching TV is your kryptonite, unplug the TV and put the remote in a different room. The extra effort required to set it all up might just be enough to deter you from another marathon session. And boom!! Check off another day with no bingeing on your habit tracking and keep stacking these new wins.

By understanding and applying these habit hacks, you can make meaningful changes to your daily routine and achieve your goals more effectively.

These are just the highlights from this insightful episode folks! For the full scoop and more tips from Jon, make sure to listen to the entire episode. You don't want to miss it!

Stay mindful and take care, everyone!

Jon & Will
Your MTM coHosts

p.s. MTM Season 9 starts this month with an incredible lineup of guests and topics. Head to mentalkingmindflness.com for more info.

p.s.s Need to Chill out? We just dropped a new meditation too.
Here it is ➡️ Let Go & Be Here Now! (18min)