We are all habit rabbits

From counting steps to measuring water intake to dawn reminders to do those ab crunches, tracking habits we want to stick to, has become fashionable. Is this as healthy as we would like to believe?

We’ve all been there. From time to time, we make rather rash promises to ourselves to cut out sugar, exercise more and read more books than last year. Some habits stick while others don’t; some of us make them happen while some of us forget all about them.

There are some habits we follow that we are hardly aware of; they feel that natural. Like reaching out for your smartphone the moment you wake up...see how easily that became a habit!

If you are someone who has looked online for some inspiration to form and track habits, you sure have come across a habit tracking app or two. There is a growing number of apps that help you form and track habits. There are apps that use gamification to help you drink water, exercise or meditate, providing you incentives, giving you a chance to join a community or share missions or quests with friends.

Do habit trackers really help you become a better person one morning?

Trackers are essential, notes Ashdin Doctor, a habit coach from Mumbai. Doctor, who also runs a habit coaching programme called Awesome 180, explains that the current habit tracker systems are not optimal as they are looking for habit streaks. “I think that’s a wrong way of thinking about a habit because life does come in the way and break a streak. Many people feel disheartened and give up when that happens.” Doctor, who already has a popular podcast, The Habit Coach, is himself working on a habit tracking app called The Awesome180 that will launch next month. He points out that his app teaches you how to form habits and tracks them as well. Most of us have 21 days fixed in our heads as the optimal time to form a habit, but this idea often leads to disillusionment. Ashdin’s programmes and app are both based on a 180-day period.

Bangalore-based visual designer Karthik Srinivas and his colleague Kirthika Selvaraj have also come up with an app called ‘Microhabits’ that help you start building micro habits and motivate you to accomplish more with motivational messages and cool GIFs. Karthik uses his app and a few other tracker apps to ensure he follows a set of habits.

Kiran Johny, a Bangalore-based blogger who is also working for a startup, uses an open-source mobile app that is simple. The first habit that is listed in his tracker is to open up a to-do list app, where he lists his to-dos. This method has worked well for him over the last six months, he points out.

Not everyone is into habit tracking apps, though. For Bangalore-based blogging coach and social media strategist, Shailaja V, writing things down has always worked better. “I have a habit tracker drawn by hand that I create at the beginning of each month,” she explains.

What makes habits stick?

There is a wealth of research on the science behind habit formation. Charles Duhigg, author of ‘The Power of Habit’ cites MIT research from the late 90s that shows how the brain converts a sequence of actions into an automatic routine, which is known as ‘chunking’. This process, the MIT study says, is at the root of how habits form. Duhigg notes that every day we depend on several such ‘behavioural chunks’. One example is automatically putting toothpaste on your toothbrush.

Duhigg cites more research in his book that shows how a lump of tissue towards the centre of the skull, called basal ganglia, stores habits even while the rest of the brain powers down for a nap. Habits, Duhigg explains, “emerge because the brain is constantly looking for ways to save effort.” Duhigg points out in his book that the MIT researchers discovered a loop at the core of every habit — a cue, a routine and a reward. Understanding these three parts would mean cracking a habit.

James Clear, author of ‘Atomic Habits’, quotes Duke University researchers who note that habits account for nearly 40 per cent of our behaviours on any given day. At the crux of James Clear’s work on habit formation is the idea that one must focus on a system rather than a goal to help develop a habit. Breaking down habits to the atomic level that become part of a bigger system matters a great deal.

Now for the how-to

It was Clear’s principles that helped blogging coach Shailaja make her habits stick. She gave up having refined white sugar a year ago and started a daily fitness regimen recently where she decided to show up and work out every single day. Both these habits have firmly stayed in place, she notes.

For Ashdin Doctor, it is his morning routine that has turned into a sticky habit. He starts his day at 5.30 am, has water and apple cider vinegar, followed by writing in his ‘day template’. This template has a goal setting exercise followed by 10 minutes of reading every day. Some breathing exercises while the coffee brews, and then he is off to the gym. He says he started focusing on his habits five years ago, and they have stuck. “As a habit coach, I believe that if your intention to change is not clear, there is no point starting,” he adds.

Identifying what you want to change matters. For Karthik Srinivas, it was meditation and reading. So, he chained his new habits to an already established routine. “After my shower, I meditate for 20 minutes. Before I go to bed, I read an article,” he explains. He draws inspiration from BJ Fogg, Stanford University researcher, and author of ‘Tiny Habits — The Small Changes That Change Everything’ (see box).

Habits have preoccupied the human mind over the centuries. From philosopher Aristotle to big corporations launching new products to today’s app developers, human habits have occupied our mind space and will continue to do so, whether it is tracked online or offline.

Want to try a new habit?

Start with a really small habit. It has to be so easy that you won’t be able to turn it down. Say you want to go for a morning walk every day — don’t start with a 5 km walk right away, just wear your shoelaces and step out initially. You can build your habit in small incremental ways. Break up your habit into tiny, do-able chunks. Even 20 minutes of meditation can be broken down into two segments of 10 minutes each.

There’s an app for that!

Productive: This iOS app categorises goals into three categories: morning, afternoon or evening. You can focus on just the habits for the current time.

Habitica: This iOS and Android app lets you treat your life like a game. You can achieve your goals and build new habits with in-game rewards, punishments and a social network.

Loop: This Android app not only shows your current streak but also shows the strength of your habits. You can see detailed graphs and the complete history of the habits you have formed.

coach.me: This iOS and Android app has all the features of a habit tracker but what sets it apart is the feature of giving you a chance to hire a habit coach for an extra cost.

HabitBull: This iOS and Android app comes with exhaustive details of your progress. It’s an advanced habit tracker aimed at those who love lots of data.

Better: This app, available for both iOS and Android is an offering from Gretchen Rubin of 'The Happiness Project' fame. The app offers access to accountability discussion groups and lets you delve deep into topics related to habit formation.

Tiny is everything

BJ Fogg is a well-known name in the world of habits research. Fogg has been a Stanford University researcher studying human behaviour for over 20 years and is the founder of the Behaviour Design Lab at Stanford. He organises boot camps in behaviour design and leads the Tiny Habits Academy. He has also been tagged Fortune’s ’10 New Gurus You Should Know’.

Fogg’s experience in coaching over 60,000 people has been instrumental in his new book, 'Tiny Habits - The Small Changes That Change Everything'. According to his new book, 'tiny' is everything. He says, "with the Tiny Habits method, you focus on small actions that you can do in less than 30 seconds. You will quickly wire in new habits, and then they will grow naturally. Starting tiny means you can begin creating a big change without worrying about the time involved."

"No matter how much you want to cultivate a healthy habit, you won’t be able to do it reliably if you start big. When you go big, the new habit probably won’t stick," he explains. His website tinyhabits.com even offers a five-day free programme to help you build habits.