# Habit-forming cycle Habits are usually formed through a cycle. Let me give an example: when I pass in front of a bakery, I often feel like buying a pastry. I get in, buy one, and then I eat it. It is sweet and I am satisfied. Let us now describe the process in more detail. First is the ***cue***, the specific signal which prompts you to initiate a behaviour. In my example, the cue was seeing the bakery. Second is the ***craving***, the motivational force behind every habit. The cue makes you desire something, which is usually not the habit itself, but a consequence of it. When I see the bakery, I crave the sweet and pleasing taste of a pastry. Third is the ***response***, the action you take in order to satisfy the craving. Sometimes the cycle ends before the response, depending on how motivated you are and how difficult it is to take the action. Unfortunately, it is quite easy to get in the bakery and to pay for a pastry, so I often end up doing it. Fourth is the ***reward***, the target of the habit. We seek a reward because it satisfies us, and also because it teaches us. When we were hunter-gatherers, we had to remember how to find food. Whenever we found some, our brains would trigger the reward system so that we learned which actions led us to this result. To break bad habits, identify the weak link of the cycle and eliminate it. Perhaps you can eliminate the cue, by deliberately avoiding the bakery. Eliminating the craving is generally more difficult to do immediately, but here you could tell yourself that you are saving for your holiday, and every dollar counts, so you should not buy a pastry. You can eliminate the response if you do not bring money with you: if you cannot pay, you cannot eat a pastry. Finally, you can eliminate the reward over time by eating fewer sweet foods and becoming less fond of them. --- ## 📚 References - [[@whativelearnedWhyHabitsForm2016|WHY Habits form & HOW to build them]] - [[@whativelearnedHowQuitSugar2016|HOW to quit Sugar & Unhealthy Habits]] - [[@whativelearnedStepsStopProcrastinating2016|5 Steps to Stop Procrastinating, Focus & Be Productive]]