Table of Contents
Introduction
James proposes a framework that can allow one to create new habits or break old (unwanted) ones called The 4 laws of behavior change (Which are linked to the 4 stages of habit discussed in this article). The original 4 laws help in the creation of habits, while the inverses of the 4 laws help break habits.
The 4 laws are as follows:
- Cue, The First Law: Make it obvious.
- Craving, The Second Law: Make it attractive.
- Response, The Third Law: Make it easy.
- Reward, The Fourth Law: Make it satisfying.
The inverses of the 4 laws are as follows:
- Cue, Inversion of the First Law: Make it invisible.
- Craving, Inversion of the Second Law: Make it unattractive.
- Response, Inversion of the Third Law: Make it difficult.
- Reward, Inversion of the Fourth Law: Make it unsatisfying.
The First Law: Make It Obvious
When was the last time you mindlessly used your phone just because it was in your vicinity? For a lot of us it’s probably within the past 5-10 mins. Many of our daily actions are driven by the most obvious option.
James provides an example in which just by rearranging the layout of a cafeteria and having water bottles at more conspicuous locations, the behavior of consumers changed, with the number of soda sales decreasing and the number of water bottle sales increasing. It is important to note that this was without any additional motivation.
We are more dependent on vision than any other sense, and visual cues are the greatest catalysts of our behavior. Hence, a small change in what we see can lead to a big change in what we do. I have a bass guitar for example, I have postponed learning how to play it for months now, partly because I have more important things to do, but mainly because it is in one of my cupboards, out of sight.
For every habit you want to build, determine what the cue of that habit is, and find a way to make that cue visible and in your environment. Make sure you can easily see it every day. You want to drink more water? Always have a bottle of water next to you (The bottle should have water of course, if empty, refill it). Want to do yoga more often? Keep that yoga mat where you can see it everyday. Want to snack healthily? Get rid of those Doritos and keep a fresh fruit basket where you can see it, etc.
These alone won’t make you stick to your habits, but they increase the chance of you doing the action when they are seen repeatedly. James touches on this rule from Chapter 4 to Chapter 7. He also provides several tools to help make your cues more obvious. These tools are as follows:
The Second Law: Make It Attractive
To increase the odds that a behavior will occur, you have to make it attractive. But what makes a behavior “attractive”? Understanding what a craving is and how it works will clarify this. Most of us have heard about dopamine and how it is released when we perform various actions. An interesting fact is that without dopamine, there is still pleasure, but no more desire, typically resulting in no action. Whenever we predict that an opportunity will be rewarding, our levels of dopamine increase in anticipation, resulting in our motivation to act. Hence, it is the anticipation of a reward, not the fulfilment of it that gets us to take action.
Anticipation of a reward leads to dopamine release, which is felt as craving/desire, and this is the engine that drives behavior. In James’ exact words “Every action takes place because of the anticipation that precedes it.” Hence, if your brain knows there will be an immediate reward after an action, you are more likely to feel motivated to do it (just ensure the reward you choose aligns with the person you want to become).
Understanding what makes habits attractive and how to make them attractive gives us the theoretical knowledge around this law. To be able to put that into practice, James provides the following tools (James touches on this law from Chapter 8 to Chapter 10):
The Third Law : Make It Easy
We hear a lot that if we are really motivated then we’ll do it, but actually, our real motivation is to spend energy only when we deem it necessary. Energy is precious, and the brain is wired to conserve it whenever possible. When deciding between 2 similar options, people will naturally gravitate towards the option that requires the least amount of work. The idea behind this law is to make doing the habit as easy as possible in the moment. We need to reduce the amount of friction surrounding any of our habits.
A simple example is to prime the environment. Priming the environment means organizing a space for its intended purpose, such that when you want to do the activity, the environment is set (there is no friction of having to go and prepare the space). Take 5 minutes to think about a habit you want to have, and how to reduce the friction around it.
At the moment I am writing this, I write every weekday from 19:30 to 20:30 (this reduces the friction of figuring out at what time to write during the day). I have a desk, my laptop, and an extra monitor always ready (no friction associated with setting my space). I have a playlist set for writing to prevent me from being distracted from external noise (this takes care of the friction of trying to concentrate due to external disturbances). The final friction I get rid of before writing is my phone, I switch it off and keep it more than an arm’s length away from me (It’ll take me time to get to it and even more time to switch it back on). With all these in place, it is quite easy for me to get into the mood of writing once I am seated with my earphones on.
Another excellent way to make a habit easy is to break it down into a simple version and do that. Once mastered, you can increase its “difficulty” till you reach the level you want to achieve.
Making a behavior easy or less difficult than required is a good step towards repeatedly doing it. James discusses this law from Chapter 11 to Chapter 14. Some tools he provides to help make a habit easy are:
The Fourth Law: Make It Satisfying
Our brains are wired for immediate gratification. Pleasure teaches the brain that a behavior is worth remembering and repeating. That is why scrolling on social media, snacking, drinking etc. are difficult habits to break. James has a general rule, which states that the more immediate pleasure you get from an action, the stronger you should question whether it aligns with your long-term goals. In this case I think he means those behaviors that have an addictive property (super stimulants) like scrolling on the phone, watching porn, smoking etc.
Most behaviors that will be rewarding in the long run are associated with delayed gratification. I touch on immediate gratification vs delayed gratification here. Even though we are not yet wired for delayed gratification, it is important to work with the grain of human nature, not against it. The best way to do this is to add a bit of pleasure to the habits that pay off in the long run and a bit of immediate pain to the ones that don’t. As the cardinal rule of behavior change goes, “What is immediately rewarded is repeated, what is immediately punished is avoided“. This ensures that the behavior is memorable and that the mind remembers that there is something good at the end of the behavior, hence creating a sense of craving.
Without making a habit satisfying, it is quite difficult to continue it over a long period. Personally, just completing a challenge is rewarding for me, hence I think we need to each understand what we consider as reward. Does the reward agree with who you are trying to be? If not, then maybe reconsider your reward. If you want to be an athlete and your reward after running 10km is drinking 5 cans of beer then maybe reconsider it, because that reward will just be a hurdle towards becoming an athlete.
James discusses this law from Chapter 15 to Chapter 17. Some tools he provides to help make a habit satisfying are as follows:
Conclusion
In summary, James provides 4 laws that can be used to create/form sustainable habits. Doing the inverse of those laws helps in breaking habits you don’t like.
Visit Jamesclear.com to see the great work James has put together. My advice is for you to also get Atomic Habits and pick ideas that might not have resonated with me but are relevant in your case. Let me know in the comment section what you think about this article.