Habits are the driving force behind much of what we do. A study by researchers at Duke University found that between a third and half of the behaviours participants in their study exhibited in a day were the same thing in the same place, every day - in other words, habits.
It's important then, that EAs make sure their habits work for them, instead of being controlled by them. How can you build good, solid habits?
Start small
Some of the difficulty with creating a new habit comes down to the fact that it's too much change all at once, and it becomes overwhelming. Starting a routine of going to the gym early in the morning involves a lot of changes all at once: waking up earlier, preparing your breakfast to eat after, driving to the gym, et cetera. In this example, you could break down the habit into its component parts. Start by getting up early - that's all you need to commit to in the beginning. Then as that becomes ingrained, you can start adding more.
Identify triggers and cues
Charles Duhigg, author of "The Power of Habit", argues that habits can be broken down into three parts - the cue, the routine and the reward. The cue is the thing that triggers the habit. It can be a time of day, a certain feeling or being a specific place. The routine is the action that you do, the core of the habit itself. The reward is the motivating factor behind the habit, the thing that drives the routine.
Habits can be broken down into three parts - the cue, the routine and the reward.
For example, every morning before work you might walk to a particular coffee house and buy your favourite coffee. The cue might be the time of day, or the location you find yourself in. That sets of the idea in your brain "it's time for my morning coffee". The routine is obviously the buying of the coffee itself. The reward may seem simple, but it could be a number of things. It could be the hit of caffeine you get or it could be something more subtle - the chance to relax before a big day, or perhaps the feeling of treating yourself with a small purchase.
Either way, the key to controlling your habits argues Duhigg, is that you're able to identify each part of the habit and change it to suit your advantage. If you'd like to start saving money, you might find what was driving the coffee purchase was not the caffeine hit (instant coffee at the office doesn't satisfy the habit) but the chance to have some time to yourself before work. You could substitute the coffee purchase for another thing, like a walk in a park, to see if that is sufficient reward.