How to Build Habits141eating your favorite ice cream, but do you have a habit you
know is bad, but you find yourself doing anyway? Maybe it’s
ordering a soda or grabbing a morning doughnut. Maybe it’s
driving too fast or procrastinating when you feel overwhelmed.
Why do we develop these habits that we don’t really want?
And how can we harness whatever is powering them and turn
it into something good?
Is that even possible?
As we work to build morning routines of God time, Plan
time, and Move time, we need to utilize the power of habit
to create a lifelong change. Charles Duhigg, the author of the
New York Times bestselling book The Power of Habit, says
that a habit consists of three elements: a cue, a routine, and
a reward.^1 In my case, the cue was being alone in the living
room. The routine was grabbing suburban- mom junk food
and hitting play on a cheesy movie. And the reward was feel-
ing like I was a carefree twenty- year- old again. According to
Duke University researchers, nearly 40 percent of what we do
every day is a product of habit rather than conscious decision.^2
If you think about it, you’ll begin to recognize all the
habitual moments in your day: The way you brush your teeth,
how you drive to work, the order in which you get dressed or
make your breakfast. Tying your shoes. Checking your phone.
These are all habits.
Shift Your Habit- Building Perspective
Have you ever seen a baby learn to walk? One hundred per-
cent of their baby attention is on the task. Babies don’t learn