How to Form New Habits and Get Rid of Old Ones
I did it, so you can too
A few months ago, if someone had told me that I’d be ending each day with a gratitude practice that actually stuck, I would have been skeptical. But here I am, consistently reflecting on three things I’m grateful for each evening—all thanks to small, specific changes that fit seamlessly into my existing routines. This process didn’t require perfection or superhuman willpower—just the right blend of strategy and patience.
In this issue, I’ll unpack the science behind habits, sharing insights into how our brains process them, why they’re hard to change, and how you can work with your brain’s natural mechanisms to create lasting new habits and replace old ones. Along the way, I’ll give you practical steps to get started on your own habit journey, with actionable tasks for each step.
The Neuroscience of Habits: How Habits Shape Our Brains
So, what exactly is a habit? At its core, a habit is a behavior pattern that’s repeated so frequently it becomes automatic. According to neuroscientists, habits are encoded in the brain as “neural pathways” within a structure called the basal ganglia, which is responsible for managing motor actions and routine behaviors. Over time, these pathways become so ingrained that the behavior feels almost reflexive. This is why we often go on “autopilot” when performing habits—we don’t need to think, because the brain already knows what to do.
The prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for decision-making and impulse control, is highly active when we’re learning new behaviors. However, as a behavior becomes habitual, the basal ganglia takes over and activity in the prefrontal cortex decreases. This shift conserves cognitive resources, freeing the brain to focus on other, more complex tasks.
The Role of Dopamine in Habit Formation
Dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward, plays a crucial role in habit formation. When we perform a behavior that results in a positive outcome (like the satisfaction of a morning coffee), the brain releases dopamine, creating a sense of pleasure. This dopamine release “rewards” the brain and strengthens the association between the cue (e.g., morning time) and the behavior (e.g., drinking coffee). This release is what makes habits feel good and drives us to repeat them.
Keystone Habits: Small Shifts with Big Impact
Charles Duhigg, in The Power of Habit, describes “keystone habits” as certain types of habits that trigger a positive chain reaction across other areas of life. Exercise is a common example; people who start exercising often find they make healthier food choices, sleep better, and even become more productive at work. A single keystone habit can, over time, restructure how we live, because it serves as an anchor point for positive change.
This is why, if you’d like to maximize the impact of changing your habits (and habit change is challenging work that requires both energy and patience), the best approach is to start with one keystone habit. You might not identify it right away, and sometimes you can only recognise it in hindsight, but keystone habits usually revolve around the most fundamental—and impactful—behaviours: sleep, food and drink consumption, and physical activity.
Retrospectively, my own keystone habit was taking up running. It has changed the way I structure my day, what I eat, and how much water I drink throughout the day. It even influenced my career choices: when I was presented with two job offers, I chose the one with an office close to a park, so I could run during lunch breaks. (The second company went bankrupt four months later—though that may have been pure coincidence!).
Your turn!
Consider an area of your life where you’d like to see improvement. Maybe you want to boost your energy, improve focus, or enhance self-care. Now, brainstorm one small habit that could influence this area. For example, if you want to improve your focus, a keystone habit might be a five-minute morning mindfulness practice. Write down this habit and why it could positively impact other parts of your day.
The Habit Loop: Cue, Routine, Reward
Every habit consists of a “habit loop,” a concept Duhigg explores extensively:
Cue: The trigger that initiates the behaviour.
Routine: The behaviour itself.
Reward: The benefit or satisfaction you get, which reinforces the habit.
For example, my evening gratitude practice relies on the cue of my shower. The routine involves taking a moment during the shower to reflect on three things I’m grateful for, and the reward is a sense of calm and closure as I wind down my day. This structure—cue, routine, reward—forms the foundation of all habits. By using it as a guide, we can intentionally build new habits.
Here’s what my shower-gratitude habit loop looks like:
Your Turn!
Pick a habit you’d like to introduce and identify each part of the habit loop. Write down the cue (something you already do daily), the routine (the new habit itself), and the reward (the outcome you’ll gain). For instance:
Cue: Finishing breakfast.
Routine: Taking five minutes to stretch.
Reward: A morning energy boost.
Try this loop for a week and note whether anchoring your new habit to an existing routine makes it feel more automatic.
Creating New Habits: Start Small and Stack Onto Existing Routines
Creating new habits isn’t easy, as it requires additional energy from our brain (and our brain tends to conserve as much energy as possible). That’s why starting small and focusing on one habit at a time is an effective approach.
Another useful strategy for introducing a new habit is to stack it onto an already existing routine. By habit stacking, you build on established brain pathways, making it easier and less energy-intensive for the brain. I started my gratitude practice by tying it to my evening shower, so instead of adding more tasks to my day, I enhanced an established routine.
Here’s how my habit stacking looked:
Existing Habit: Take an evening shower.
New Habit: Practice gratitude.
Plan: “When I’m in the shower, I’ll remember three things I’m grateful for.”
Your turn!
Identify a new habit you’d like to introduce. Find an existing habit you can anchor it to, such as brushing your teeth, commuting, or your morning coffee. Write down your plan in this format:
Existing Habit: Brushing your teeth
New Habit: Doing a one-minute breathing exercise
Plan: “After brushing my teeth, I’ll take one minute to breathe deeply.”
Track your progress for a week, adjusting if needed. Often, a small tweak can make the habit feel more natural and sustainable.
Changing Old Habits into New Ones
Creating new habits is one thing, but what about replacing old, unwanted ones? This was my challenge with snacking between meals. I didn’t want to continue the habit, but I also didn’t want to feel deprived. So, I replaced the snacking with drinking coffee in the morning and water in the afternoon, satisfying the urge to reach for something without the mindless eating.
The Mechanism of Habit Replacement: Replacing a habit involves keeping the original cue and reward but changing the routine in the middle. This works because the brain still recognizes the trigger and expects a reward, making it more receptive to a new behavior. When my old cue (the urge to reach for something to eat) arises, I now grab a cup of coffee instead of a snack. My brain receives the reward of a break and a little energy boost, but without the original behavior.
Start with the reward
Now, here’s the trick to changing an old habit: always start by understanding the reward—what your brain is actually craving. Experiment with different rewards to figure out what’s driving the habit. For example, if you have a habit of snacking mid-afternoon, try replacing it with different activities: take a quick walk, drink a cup of tea, or chat with a colleague. Each time, note how you feel afterward. This helps you determine whether you’re seeking an energy boost, a break, or something else.
For me, I realised I was craving a break and a bit of energy in my snacking habit loop.
Isolate the cue
The cue is the trigger that initiates your habit loop, so understanding it is key to managing when and why the habit starts.
According to Duhigg, cues generally fall into five categories:
Location: Where are you?
Time: What time is it?
Emotional State: How are you feeling?
Other People: Who else is around?
Action Preceding the Habit: What were you doing right before?
In my situation, the cue was being in my office around 10:30 a.m. I felt like I needed a break, I was alone, and I had just finished a big chunk of work.
Replace the routine
This is the simplest part. Once you’ve identified the cue and reward, you can replace the old routine with a new one that provides the same reward.
In my case, I replaced snacking with drinking coffee.
Here’s what my [old] —> new habit loop looks like:
You turn!
Think of a habit you’d like to change. Write down the current Habit Loop—cue, routine, reward. Now, identify the reward, isolate the cue and brainstorm a new routine that could replace the old one.
Reflect, Celebrate and Adjust
I’ve been working in IT companies for ages, and one of the most powerful tools I’ve taken from that experience is the concept of retrospectives. In software development, retrospectives are done at the end of a cycle to review what went well, what didn’t, and how to improve next time. It’s also a fantastic framework for personal growth.
Reflection gives you the opportunity to step back and see the bigger picture.
Celebrating what worked well gives you a dopamine boost and reinforces positive behaviors in your brain.
Non-judgmental reflection on what didn’t go well, with the goal of learning and improving, creates space for growth.
I do my retrospectives daily, but they can easily be done weekly. If you already have a habit of reflecting on the week, you can just add this to your agenda. If not, well, now you know how to form a new habit. :)
Here’s my retrospective from yesterday about my gratitude practice: I managed to remember two things to be grateful for, but not three. My mind quickly drifted from gratitude to reflecting on a work situation that I was particularly unhappy with, much faster than I would have liked. To improve the practice today, I plan to focus on my breathing for 10 seconds before starting. My hypothesis is that this will ground me and calm my mind, allowing me to focus better on the gratitude practice.
Your turn!
At the end of each day or week, take five minutes to reflect on your habit progress. Ask yourself:
Did this habit feel natural?
Did I miss any days? If so, why?
Is there an adjustment that could make it easier or more enjoyable?
Write down any changes you plan to make for the week ahead.
Final Thoughts
Forming new habits is tough work, but it’s absolutely worth it. By adding valuable, purposeful habits to our “autopilot” mode, we consciously change our default behaviours and align ourselves with our values and aspirations.
While our brains may resist this exercise—always trying to conserve energy by pushing us back to familiar routines—we do have the power to overcome these tendencies and make the changes we want.
The key is to take it one habit at a time, especially if you’re new to the process. Start by analysing the reward and cue, then replace the old routine with the behaviour you want to establish. Stacking the new habit onto an existing routine can make it even easier. Remember to review your progress regularly and celebrate small wins. Building a new you takes time, so focus on progress, not perfection.
Habits can take anywhere from several weeks to several months to fully form. You will notice when you are done with a new habit when you will stop noticing it :)
Happy habit-building!
Resources for Further Reading
Here are some resources that can offer more insights into the science and psychology behind habits:
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg: A foundational book on how habits work and how we can use them to drive change.
Atomic Habits by James Clear: A practical guide to building good habits and breaking bad ones, focusing on small steps that lead to big results.
Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg: A guide to making changes through micro-habits, grounded in Fogg’s behavioral science research.
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