Rehearse the sequence: Anchor-habit-celebration
If you are a beginner or never created any habit before consciously for your lifestyle; you might think of these two questions:
- How can I wire my habit fast?
- How can I help myself remember to do the habit I created?
The only simple and surprising answer to these two questions is “Rehearse the sequence” which is Anchor-Habit-Celebration. Once you realize that creating any habit is a skill, this answer will make sense to you. Repeating the sequence for a week will show you how easily you are able to supercharge the speed of habit formation. Let me break this for you with a simple example. Whenever you have to give a presentation, you do your rehearsal well before to be perfect on the day you deliver your presentation, or if ever you’ve given any stage performance during your academics or an event, you keep polishing yourself well enough to be ready for the special day. Building any habit is also the same as your one-time action that requires repetition.
One other important factor is when are you celebrating. Like after any presentation or any performance you get applauded immediately boosts your positivity, Celebration for habit formation does the same; however, it can be done at three different times:
- The moment you remember to do the habit
- The moment you are doing the habit
- Immediately after completing the habit
When you celebrate remembering to do the habit, you wire in that moment of remembering which is most important for habit building, because if you don’t remember to do a habit, you won’t do it. When you celebrate while doing a habit, your brain will then associate doing the behavior with the positive feeling of shine. Celebration immediately after completing the habit will encourage you for the next time you practice the habit.
Trust the process and rehearse the sequence!