Habit Loops: Cue, Routine, Reward

Many habit researchers describe habits as a loop: a cue (a time, place, feeling or person) triggers a routine, which brings some reward. Repeating the loop in the same context makes it more automatic.

How long it takes varies a lot. One well-known study (Lally and colleagues, 2010) found a median of about 66 days for a new daily behaviour to feel automatic, with a range from 18 to 254 days. There is no magic number.

Changing a habit

• Notice the cue: when and where does it happen?
• Keep the cue and reward, but try a new routine.
• Make the new choice easy and visible; make the old one a little harder.
• Start very small: one push-up, one line in a journal.

Kind reminder

Missing one day does not erase your progress. Just begin again.