Habits by Formula #1

Did you know you can put habits into a formula?

A couple of months ago, I made an agreement with one of the most amazing people I know (my wife) to take a Friday afternoon off and do something nice together.

It wasn’t anything grand or wild – just a late lunch, a visit to a museum, and then heading home early to watch X-Factor with our son.

To some, that might sound a bit uneventful. But for us, it was perfect – especially after many years where the focus had been on the kids rather than on us.

And perhaps it wasn’t all that surprising, because habits can actually be put into a formula:

(Trigger + Action + Reward) × Repetition = New Habit

In our case:

• Trigger: Friday afternoon, work is done

• Action: Doing something nice together

• Reward: Quality time, connection, and joy

• Repetition: The first time felt great. The second time felt natural. After that, it had become a habit.

Research shows it can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days to establish a new habit – but it can happen much faster if the reward is good enough.

So here’s the big question: What reward would be good enough for you to create a new habit?

And remember: be mindful of what you ask for and what you reward – habits form easily, both the good ones and the bad ones!