The Chemistry of Creating Good Habits

Use your energy wisely

Activation energy is needed not only for chemical reactions, but also for new habits. Of course, this is just a metaphor. But whatever habit you want to develop, it takes effort to get the process started.

The more complex the chemical reaction, the more activation energy is needed. It's the same story with habits. The more complex the desired behavior, the more effort will have to be put in.

For example, let's say you want to do one push-up a day. This requires very little effort. But the habit of doing 100 push-ups a day will require more activation energy, more motivation and perseverance.

There is a common problem you may face when forming a new habit. In the beginning, it's easy to be on the rise and be motivated. A big goal makes you think that all it takes to change your life is to acquire a whole set of new good habits. And you get stuck in dreams of life-changing results and don't make small improvements.

The problem is that large targets require a lot of activation energy. At the very beginning, when you are motivated, you have the strength to start working in the right direction. But pretty soon (usually within a few weeks) the fuse disappears and you no longer have enough energy to activate the habit every day.

Lesson number 1: small habits require little activation energy, which is why they are more resilient. If at the very beginning you need a lot of energy, its reserves are quickly depleted and the habit fades away.

Find a catalyst

Everyone is looking for life hacks with which it is easier to succeed. Chemists are no exception. And when it comes to chemical reactions, they have a trick up their sleeve. These are catalysts.

A catalyst is a substance that speeds up the reaction. Basically, the catalyst reduces the required amount of activation energy and makes the reaction easier to proceed. In this case, the catalyst itself is not consumed during the reaction. It is only needed for acceleration.

An illustrative example:

When it comes to forming a new habit, there is only one catalyst you can use: the environment.

The idea is simple: the circumstances in which we live and work affect our behavior. A logical question arises: how can we change these circumstances so that good habits remain, and bad ones do not?

Let's look at a concrete example of how the environment can act as a catalyst for your habits.

Let's say you're trying to get into the habit of writing 15 minutes a day after work. Whether you have roommates, restless kids, or the TV is on all the time, you need a lot of activation energy. If there are so many distractions around you, at some point you are likely to deviate from the intended plan, unless you completely abandon the habit of writing.

Conversely, if you write in a relaxed environment, such as in a library near your home, the environment can be a powerful catalyst for new behaviors. And it will be easier to develop a habit.

The environment can influence your habits to a greater or lesser extent.

If you prepare your shoes and sportswear in the evening, you will need a little less activation energy to go jogging in the morning.
If you use a food delivery service and low-calorie foods are brought to your door every morning, you will need significantly less activation energy to lose weight.
If you hide the TV in a closet, you will almost completely reduce the amount of energy required to watch less TV.

Lesson number 2: the right environment is a powerful catalyst for the formation of new habits. It reduces the amount of activation energy required to trigger an action.

Get rid of tricky intermediate steps

In chemical reactions, transition states, gaps between the starting substance and the reaction product, can often be observed. Intermediate steps are also found in habit formation.

For example, let's say you want to get into the habit of exercising regularly. This can include several intermediate steps:

pay for a gym membership;
collect a gym bag in the morning;
go to the gym after work;
start working with a coach.

Each intermediate stage requires its own activation energy. You need to study each intermediate step and find out which one you are having the most trouble with. So you will understand where you are lacking activation energy and why the habit does not take root.

Some intermediate steps can be easy. Let's go back to our sports example. For example, it's not at all difficult for you to buy a subscription and put the necessary things in your bag in the morning. But you may find that you do not like going to the gym after work: you have to get there during rush hour and you spend most of your energy in traffic jams. Or you may notice that you are uncomfortable doing one-on-one with a trainer or, conversely, in a crowded gym.

Consider how you can get rid of problematic intermediate steps and reduce the amount of activation energy required to form a new habit. In the long run, this will make your task easier. For example, you can go to the gym in the morning when there are no traffic jams on the roads. Or you can try to do the exercises at home and thereby kill two birds with one stone: you do not have to spend time on the road and study in the company of other people if you are shy. Without these barriers, habit is much easier to develop.

Lesson number 3: Take a close look at your habits and see how you can eliminate intermediate steps that require large reserves of activation energy (that is, the highest obstacles in your path).

Finally

To start working on yourself, you need activation energy. The less the habit, the less effort you need to put in at the beginning.
Catalysts reduce the activation energy required to form a new habit. The best catalyst is environmental optimization. In the right environment, the formation of any habit happens faster.
Eliminate the intermediate steps that require a lot of activation energy, and even the simplest habit will be easier to develop.