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3 Simple Ways to Make Your Good Habits Automatic
Use habit algorithms, behavior chains, and environment design.
1. Create Habit Algorithms
Anytime you want to establish a new behavior, fill out this simple formula:
After I have [existing habit], I will [new habit].
For example: “After I have brushed my teeth in the morning, I will do 20 minutes of yoga.”
Hundreds of scientific studies show that people who plan this way are about 300 percent more likely to achieve their goals(1).
And the reason it works so well is that it forces you to turn vague intentions into specific algorithms.
That way, you’ll remove the cognitive load of continually deciding when to do the behavior.
Instead, you simply execute the algorithm whenever the situation arises.
2. Build Behavior Chains
Whenever you want to create a routine with several habits, use this formula:
[Existing habit] → [New habit 1] → [New habit 2] → [New habit 3], etc.
That way, you’ll turn the individual habits into one single routine where each behavior acts as a trigger for the next(2).
