An uncommon method to create new habits and not abandon them

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Blogger Brad Buzzard shared how he developed habits with spaced repetitions.

I don’t know if it’s my obsessive nature or my tendency to eat four chocolate bars at a time, but at one point I decided to eat healthy food. And while not giving yourself any indulgences. So over the course of several years, I would set hard and fast rules for myself, stick to them for four or six weeks, and then I would definitely break down. I had to start from scratch. At least then I thought it was from scratch.

For about the fourth time, I felt that with each new visit, healthy eating is given a little easier. And it doesn't matter how much time has passed since the previous attempt. I had to persuade myself less and managed to hold out a little longer. And the likelihood that some trifle will make you break off, each time decreased.

Of course, my habit was strengthened by trying again and again. But the question of whether there was any benefit from previous failed attempts led to thoughts of spaced repetition.

What is spaced repetition

It is a learning method based on two psychological concepts: the forgetting curve and the distribution effect.

First, when we learn something new, fresh information is quickly forgotten. Already within the first hour, 60% of the received data is lost. Secondly, we remember better when we memorize material not at one time, but at intervals in time. This effect is manifested because day by day it is more difficult for us to remember the information we have learned earlier. The deeper you have to dig into the memory, the better this information is fixed. You can turn this to your advantage.

Of course, striving is not sweet and memorizing new words are two different things. But I've learned from experience that spaced repetition works. Below is a plan with which I instilled in myself three habits: healthy eating, exercise and meditation.

1. Install spaced repetition app. For example, Anki or Mnemosyne. They use sophisticated algorithms to determine the appropriate intervals between correct and incorrect answers (in our case, between established and unsettled habits). I prefer Anki because you can upload images to cards there. It is easier to create the latter in, and repeat the habits on the smartphone.

2. Build a deck. This is a collection of cards, each representing a different habit.

3. Click "Add" to create a new one.

4. Fill it out. For example, in the “Question” field, I wrote “Don't eat sugar and sweets”. The Answer field contains the solution to the most difficult problem that might prevent you from strengthening this habit. I’m more likely to eat something unhealthy if I’m hungry for a snack, and there’s no healthy food on hand. Therefore, "Always have a healthy snack with you" and the corresponding picture is my answer.

5. Get cards for at least two more habits. It is important for the method that you memorize more than one.

6. Install the extension for Anki. With it, it is more convenient to control the intervals between repetitions.

How to use this method to build habits

Open Anki and click on the deck. The first card will appear in front of you. Since you are viewing it for the first time, the app will show all the new habits no matter how well you adhered to each one.

Now think about the answer you wrote on the back of the card. It reflects how to respond to the most difficult obstacle to a new habit. Imagine how you successfully deal with this. Click Show Answer.

Along with the answer, buttons will appear from which you can choose how soon you want to see this card again. If a habit is troubling or you think you might be having trouble with it in the coming days, select “Don't remember (<1 min.)” Or “Just right (<10 min.)”. And then the card will appear again in the near future.

If the habit works well and no difficulty is foreseen, choose a later revision date. Tomorrow the deck will show only problem cards. Look at them every day and imagine doing the necessary actions.

Cards with established habits will rarely appear, but you won't forget about them altogether. Periodically, the application reminds of them.

Why This Method Works

Studies have shown that one skip has little effect on the habit. If on the second day out of three you did not complete the required action, on the third day the habit will still be more stable than at the beginning. But weaker than in the case when there were no gaps. Strength is assessed by whether you do everything automatically.

The main thing is to bridge this gap between the first and third days. This is where visualizing the results comes in handy. According to scientists, the idea of how you perform an action, in terms of its effect on the brain, is similar to what is actually done.

If you visualize the habit on the day you skip, it will be easier to return to it the next day.

Plus, you'll remember it better thanks to spaced repetition. After all, you need to memorize the response to what interferes with addiction.

This method helps you keep track of many habits without straining yourself with a long, convoluted list. When you open the deck, you will not see all your habits, but only those that you need to work on today. And you will know that the application will remind others at the right time.