Re:How Target Figured Out A Teen Girl Was Pregnant Before He...
by pinchyfingers on Friday February 17, 2012 @06:59AM
(#3603002)
How Duhigg hacked his brain to reprogram an unwanted routine:
1. Identify the habit's reward.
Ex: going to a cafeteria to eat a cookie could be to satisfy hunger, get a burst of energy, take a break from work, socialize, etc.
2. Identify the habit's cue.
Ex: location, time, emotional state, other people or the immediately preceding action.
3. To shift the routine, replace the habit, but maintain the cue and reward.
Ex: If you eat a cookie everyday around 3:30 as a way of taking a break to socialize, stay current with office gossip and talk to friends, then continue taking a break at 3:30, but instead of hitting the cafeteria, look around the newsroom for someone to talk to. This way, the benefits of the habit are being preserved (taking a break and socializing), but the unwanted aspects are being replaced.
Of course, these examples are lifted directly from the article.
1. Identify the habit's reward.
Ex: going to a cafeteria to eat a cookie could be to satisfy hunger, get a burst of energy, take a break from work, socialize, etc.
2. Identify the habit's cue.
Ex: location, time, emotional state, other people or the immediately preceding action.
3. To shift the routine, replace the habit, but maintain the cue and reward.
Ex: If you eat a cookie everyday around 3:30 as a way of taking a break to socialize, stay current with office gossip and talk to friends, then continue taking a break at 3:30, but instead of hitting the cafeteria, look around the newsroom for someone to talk to. This way, the benefits of the habit are being preserved (taking a break and socializing), but the unwanted aspects are being replaced.
Of course, these examples are lifted directly from the article.