A Pint Half Full: Why forming new habits is easier than you think

How easy do you find it to form new habits? Do you manage to keep them up no matter what? Or are you someone who starts a new habit as if you’re Usain Bolt in his 100m heydey, only to finish a little like Derek Redmond, limping across the finish line? 

If you’re fed up with struggling to start and maintain new habits, Dave Keeling’s here with a pint of Guinness and some advice for you.

A plethora of new habits

Today is, of course, St Patrick’s Day, and I’ll be raising a glass of Guinness (or two, probably three) to my late grandad, Andrew Towey - something I’ve done since it was legal for me to do so (scouts honour, pinkie padlock, no-returns).

The only thing that’s changed is my newfound love affair with Guinness. I don’t recall when it started; I have a vague recollection of the hazy days of the pandemic. I hadn’t formulated a strategic ‘stout’ master plan to embed this as a lifelong habit, either; it kind of crept up on me to the point I’m at now, where it’s become the only thing I drink when imbibing alcohol.

But this change got me thinking. So I decided to take a closer look at what other repetitive behaviours have crept in over the last few years, particularly as I head towards fifty. Some are without me realising, and why they may, for good reason, be here to stay.

Below is a list I’ve compiled of some small, cheeky habits that have encroached on my life (in a good way) over the last 18 months:

• Walking – I walk more now than I’ve ever done (having run for 25 years, my knees now appreciate a more rambling approach to physical exercise)
• Toasted sandwiches - boy, do I love my toasted sandwich maker. If my house were on fire, I’d go back for this (and my family, obviously)
• Drum practice – having joined a band in the last 18 months, I’ve returned to drumming with renewed vim and vigour, practising more than ever
• Press ups – I do twenty a day and add an extra one every two weeks - thanks to habit stacking (more on that later)
• Probiotic and vitamin D – another habit stack after some good advice from my doctor (it’s the first thing I do when I get downstairs)
• Reading – I’ve always read but tend to do it voraciously for a period and then nothing, then back on it again, but recently I’ve been reading less but more regularly
• Getting a Laughology blog in on time – this is a lot harder than you think
• Having a laugh – I’ve always been committed to this but recently have noticed what a difference to my day this makes when I’ve had a good laugh before I’ve even got out of bed (insert your own joke here)

A DOSE of neuroscience

None of the habits I’ve shared are life-changing, you may add, but incrementally these changes/habits have had a profound effect on my general well-being.

Why?

Well, what they all have in common is DOSE:

• Dopamine
• Oxytocin
• Serotonin
• Endorphins

A great acronym for the four naturally occurring neurotransmitters; I think you’ll agree. Not only are they responsible for making us feel good, but they also reward and re-enforce the learning that takes place, making us want to repeat the behaviours.

Annoyingly, we’re more likely to form bad habits than we are good habits, as the reward system we have evolved tends to favour short-term pleasure rather than long-term happiness. Think fast food over healthy food, watching telly rather than exercising, and unhelpful sleeping habits over good bedtime routines.

According to an article in Psychology Today:

“We struggle to form good habits, not because of a lack of self-discipline or education but because we are biologically predisposed to repeat behaviours based on their immediate physical, social, and emotional consequences.”

Sometimes, attempting to change too much too soon can have a detrimental effect on our motivation to see it through. So, to embed a new habit with long-term benefits, we need to think about smaller, more sustainable shifts in our behaviours, and a top tip to assist in this is…

Habit stacking

I first came across this idea in a book called Atomic Habits by James Clear. I now tend to do this technique without thinking about it, as it’s such a simple idea and easy to deploy.

The basic idea is to introduce a new habit on top of, or alongside, an existing habit. For instance, I kept going on about doing press-ups, but whenever I thought about doing them, I would immediately take an unhealthy interest in housework. So now I do them just before I brush my teeth (something I do every day, as do you, I hope), which means I do my press-ups every day too.

I don’t always want to, but because I have built what James Clear describes as the three steps to forming sustainable habits, it’s become much harder to talk myself out of it.

3 steps to forming a habit (good or bad)

1. Reminder – The trigger that initiates the behaviour (brushing my teeth)
2. Routine – The behaviour or action you take – press-ups
3. Reward – The benefit you gain – feeling more motivated, stronger, and beach-body-ready!

In terms of motivating yourself to begin thinking about changing a behaviour or habit, it’s often a helpful thought process to ask yourself who you want to be and whether that habit will help you achieve that goal, i.e., “I want to be a healthy person.” With this as a starting point, you’re more likely to make choices and create habits which support this idea of yourself and your identity.

Remind yourself that a year’s worth of small positive habits will take you somewhere really interesting, whereas a year’s worth of wonky choices may take you somewhere you don’t necessarily want to be.

But back to Guinness

Taking a closer look at our own habits and behaviours can be the catalyst to making some little shifts that can, in turn, have a significant impact on how we think and feel and, more importantly, on what we choose to do.

Have a little reflection on your own habits, those you wish to change, introduce, or stop and think about how you could habit stack it into a routine you already have.

Meanwhile, it’s your round; I’m off to get a toastie!

If you’d like a DOSE of happiness injected into your workplace or organisation, why not get in touch with our Doug - doug@laughology.co.uk - and he’ll be able to talk through your options? No Guinness on offer, we’re afraid to say, but he might throw in a Curly Wurly.