Week Two
"Make it Obvious, Part 1"
September 28th
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The human brain is a prediction machine, constantly using past experience to recognize patterns and anticipate what comes next. A paramedic once noticed that her father-in-law did not look quite right, even though she could not immediately explain why. Her training and years of experience recognizing medical problems had taught her brain to detect subtle signs automatically, allowing her to recognize that he needed help and ultimately saving his life. The same process occurs with military analysts who can distinguish their own aircraft from enemy missiles on radar and museum curators who can recognize a counterfeit painting at a glance. Through repeated exposure, the brain becomes highly skilled at identifying patterns and making predictions. The more we do something, the faster our brains learn to recognize what is happening, often before we are consciously aware of it.
One way to make the cues of our habits more noticeable is through the βPoint and Callβ system used by train operators in Japan. Workers physically point to indicators and say aloud what they see, such as confirming a signal is clear before the train moves. This simple process brings their attention to details that might otherwise become automatic and easy to overlook. We can apply the same idea to our own habits by identifying the cues that trigger them and deliberately calling them out. By making the cue obvious, we become more aware of the behavior that follows and give ourselves a better opportunity to build good habits.
A useful way to make a new habit obvious is to decide exactly when and where it will happen before you begin. James Clear calls this an βimplementation intention,β using the formula, βI will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION].β Instead of saying, βI will exercise more,β you create a clear plan such as, βI will exercise for one hour at 5 p.m. at my local gym.β Clear also gives examples such as meditating for one minute at 7 a.m. in the kitchen or studying Spanish for twenty minutes at 6 p.m. in the bedroom. By deciding the time and place ahead of time, you remove uncertainty and create a clear cue for your brain to recognize when it is time to act.
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