The Loop That Runs You

03 · HABITS — THE LOOP THAT RUNS YOU ~40% of daily actions aren't decided — they're automatic. so changing your life is less about willpower (unreliable, depletes) and more about DESIGNING your loops. the habit loop — cue → routine → reward, welded by CRAVING CUE trigger ROUTINE the behaviour REWARD the payoff reinforces → craving = anticipation of the reward (what actually drives it) repeat enough → the loop moves to the basal ganglia and runs AUTOMATICALLY. that's why bad habits resist 'deciding' to stop — the deciding brain isn't even involved. the four laws — build one, break one (invert each) BUILD a good habit BREAK a bad one (invert) CUE make it OBVIOUS make it INVISIBLE (remove trigger) CRAVING make it ATTRACTIVE make it UNATTRACTIVE ROUTINE make it EASY (low friction) make it HARD (add friction) REWARD make it SATISFYING make it UNSATISFYING highest-leverage lever = the CUE: if the trigger never fires, the routine never runs & you spend no willpower. ('phone in another room' > 'resist checking'.) two reframes that do most of the work SYSTEMS > GOALS 'you don't rise to your goals, you FALL to your systems.' goal = direction; system = the repeatable process that produces it. ENVIRONMENT > WILLPOWER willpower depletes. shaping surroundings (obvious good cues, invisible bad ones + friction) changes what you're tempted by. make it stick STACK + FRICTION anchor new onto existing ('after coffee, I write'). cut friction for good, add for bad. IDENTITY — the deepest lever 'I AM a runner' > 'I want to run.' each action = a vote for who you are. COMPOUNDING 1%/day → ~37× a year. results LAG effort — trust past the plateau. THROUGHLINE most behaviour is automatic loops, not choice → change comes from designing habits + environment, not willpower. every habit = cue→routine→reward welded by craving; build by making it obvious/attractive/easy/satisfying, break by inverting (cue = top lever). systems > goals, environment > willpower. stack, cut friction, aim at IDENTITY, trust compounding through the lag. JARGON: habit loop · cue/routine/reward · craving · the 4 laws · friction · habit stacking · systems vs goals · identity-based habits · plateau of latent potential