Understand These Two Neuroscience Concepts To Build Stronger Habits

“You’ve got to treat your brain like a dog you just got.”

Photo by Jesse Martini on Unsplash

When you read books like Atomic Habits, The Happiness Advantage or Deep Work — you’ll notice that when it comes to building a new habit, they all advise a variation of the following:

• Focus on one new habit at a time
• Start small
• Avoid multi-tasking
• Prioritise repetition over perfection

That all sounds sensible, yet it’s not how most of us approach new skills or habits.

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve created a detailed running schedule for myself, doing hours of online research about stretching, nutrition, the best running gear — only to quit two weeks later.

As James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, says:

It is so easy to overestimate the importance of one defining moment and underestimate the value of making small improvements on a daily basis. Too often, we convince ourselves that massive success requires massive action.

We’ve decided on learning or doing something new, and we’re feeling excited. It’s all-or-nothing. Quit all alcohol immediately. Go to the gym four times per week. Write every…