Inversion of the 1st Rule (Cue): Make it invisible.

Inversion of the 2nd Rule (Craving): Make it unattractive.

Inversion of the 3rd Rule (Response): Make it difficult.

Inversion of the 4th Rule (Reward): Make it unsatisfying.

 

It’s not easy to get rid of bad habits, they are autocatalytic: the process feeds itself. You feel bad, so you eat junk food. Because you eat junk food, you feel bad. Watching television makes you feel sluggish, so you watch more television because you don’t have the energy to do anything else. Worrying about your health makes you feel anxious, which causes you to smoke to ease your anxiety, which makes your health even worse and soon you’re feeling more anxious. It’s a downward spiral, a runaway train of bad habits.

 

Researchers refer to this phenomenon as “cue-induced wanting”: an external trigger causes a compulsive craving to repeat a bad habit. Once you notice something, you begin to want it. This process is happening all the time—often without us realizing it.

 

You can break a habit, but you’re unlikely to forget it. Once the mental grooves of habit have been carved into your brain, they are nearly impossible to remove entirely—even if they go unused for quite a while.

 

One of the most practical ways to eliminate a bad habit is to reduce exposure to the cue that causes it.

• If you can’t seem to get any work done, leave your phone in another room for a few hours.

• If you’re continually feeling like you’re not enough, stop following social media accounts that trigger jealousy and envy.

• If you’re wasting too much time watching television, move the TV out of the bedroom.

• If you’re spending too much money on electronics, quit reading reviews of the latest tech gear.

• If you’re playing too many video games, unplug the console and put it in a closet after each use.