1: Last week, we explored how “triggers” can help us build new habits.
What is one of the best triggers to build new habits? Your existing habits.
In fact, when done right, you can create a habit chain, Tynan writes in Superhuman by Habit: A Guide to Becoming the Best Possible Version of Yourself, One Tiny Habit at a Time.
“A very good practice,” he notes, “is to think about all of the things that absolutely must get done in a day, and work them into chains.”
Every morning, Tynan starts his day by putting a pot of water on the stove.
“Putting the water on is a trigger to brush my teeth, so I do that while it boils,” Tynan explains. “Once it’s done, I make tea and sit down at my desk.
“That’s a trigger for me to read my email, check my calendar, and check various reports and stats that may affect how I plan my day.
“When I’m done with all that,” he writes, “I allow myself to browse my favorite sites, but finishing my tea is a trigger to get to work.”
The same principle applies throughout his day.
“If I feel tired while I work,” he observes, “that’s a trigger to drink some water, a trigger I reprogrammed from my previous default of lying on my bed and possibly taking a nap.”
2: Tynan points out that his whole day isn’t just one long chain. Instead, he has what he calls “core sequences,” like waking up, going to lunch, and winding down before bed.
He thinks it’s best to start with the easiest habits and save the harder ones for later in the sequence.
“This ensures that you maximize the benefit of momentum as you move through your chain,” Tynan observes. “If my chain started with four hours of work and then ended with tea and brushing my teeth, you can imagine how hard it would be to get started and how easy it would be to skip things like tea.”
Successfully navigating through your habit chain is “very satisfying,” he shares.
“You know that it will accomplish the major requirements of your day, yet it becomes so automatic that it feels effortless,” Tynan writes. “It’s through this process that habits give you freedom—chains take care of the necessities of life, and leave you with time and willpower to make forward progress.”
3: Getting better at getting better is what RiseWithDrew is all about. Monday through Thursday, we explore ideas from authors, thought leaders, and exemplary organizations.
At the end of each week, we’re exploring ideas from Tynan’s book Superhuman by Habit. Starting next week, we will look at his suggestions for building specific habits.
Like any system, however, habit chains can be disrupted.
One thing to watch out for? Disruptions in your schedule.
“I notice this the most when I’m traveling,” Tynan reflects. “I don’t travel with stuff to make tea, so often the first thing I do is browse the internet. Because I don’t have finishing my tea to serve as a trigger for getting to work, I can end up wasting too much time surfing online.
“I don’t have a perfect solution to this,” he adds. “I’ve experimented with alternative chains for traveling, which works well on long trips where you can actually establish a temporary set of habits, but doesn’t work for short travel or rapid travel through several locations.”
Being aware of possible disruptions is important.
“You can use that disruption as a trigger to be vigilant and remind yourself that the road ahead will be temporarily more difficult,” he notes.
One idea? Double down on what Tynan calls “loading” or new habits.
“You might let your diet slip because you’ve been on it for years,” he suggests, “but make a point of writing five-hundred words every day because that’s a new habit that hasn’t gotten a toehold yet.”
Why take this approach? Because long-term, ongoing habits will quickly fall back in place once you are back in your routine.
However, new habits can slip away quickly if you aren’t careful.
The big takeaway?
“Chains are a powerful tool to make organizing series of habits effortless,” Tynan writes. “Don’t allow a break in the chain to ruin all of its components. Allow chains to serve as shortcuts to habit-building, but don’t let them prevent you from executing on habits when they break.”
More next week!
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Reflection: Which daily habit could become the starting point for a chain of positive behaviors that moves your day in the right direction?
Action: Identify one routine you never miss, then attach one small habit immediately after it and practice the sequence every day this week.
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