The 10 Steps to Live Better

By: Steve Logan

Narrated by: Kevin Tromp

(The 3 R's of Habit Change)

There is a simple 3-step pattern that every habit follows. I call this pattern the “3 R's of Habit Change” and it goes like this:

1. Reminder (the trigger that initiates the behavior)
2. Routine (the behavior itself; the action you take)
3. Reward (the benefit you gain from doing the behavior)

This sequence has been constantly demonstrated by behavioral psychologists. At the start, I learned about this cycle from Stanford Professor BJ Fogg.

More recently, Charles Duping in the best-selling book The Power of Habit. (The Duping book refers to the three steps as a cue, a routine, and a reward. Whatever it says, behind the habit formation technique there is a lot of knowledge, which means that we may be relatively confident that you will be in a similar way.)

(If you answer a telephone call)

Step one: Your phone rings (reminder). This is a reminder that triggers conduct. The ring acts as an indicator to tell you to reply to the telephone. It is the time that the behavior begins.

Step Two: You answer your phone (routine). This is the actual behavior. You have a habit of answering when your phone rings.

©2020 Steve Logan (P)2020 Steve Logan