Consistently Inconsistent?
How to Make a Habit
!
Kim Kensington, Psy.D Kim@kensingtoncoaching.com www.procrastinationdoctor.com CHADD Conference November 2014
We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, then, is not an act, but
a habit.
!Aristotle
!
Ever had this happen?
•
Spent a weekend cleaning up, vowed not to trash your
place ever again, trashed it again?
•
Got in great shape, stopped working out, lost all that
great muscle tone?
•
Finished your taxes and committed self to inputting info
into Quicken once a month next year?
•
Made to-‐do lists, found them helpful, lost them and the
will to make any more?
•
Caught up with a friend after much apologizing, swore
you wouldn’t fade out again, you know the rest.
Overview
ADHD and inconsistencyHabits seem sooo un-‐ADHD
Creating habits without relying on those pesky executive functions Setting up a new habit
Making it mindless
Taking willpower out of the equation Establishing a trigger
Habitus Interruptus
What makes consistent action so hard?
• Boredom
• Not rewarding enough
• Benefit of action too far into future/motivation • Discomfort with structure/ robot feeling • Urgent tasks take precedence and we lose
momentum
• We decide there must be a better (i.e. more efficient way) • Decisions • Supplies • Perfectionism • Life
Feel
Tired/low energy Ill Antsy Bored Overwhelmed ParalyzedMood (cranky, insecure, happy, discombobulated) Fear (success, failure, discoveries)
Anxious Shame
Futility/Hopelessness
Think
Decisions
Best use of my time? What to do first?
What do I need? (preparing) When?
Go a different way? Materials? Enough time? Want to? Where do I start What is the next step
Do
Move Activate Initiate Stay Return Transition away Transition to Prepare RestockManage impulsivity (respond/react/switch/rabbit holes)
What’s a girl/guy/ADDer to do?
Solution includes:!
Fewer decisions
Less affected by emotions/mood Less initiation needed
Less planning/organization/time management
!
What to do
Increase value of good habits (info – that matters)
!
Link habits to your core values
!
Reduce stress
!
Associate with social groups that value healthful living
!
Enrich our lives
!
Learn by observation
!
Practicing or running through a new behavior in our imagination can speed learning.
Reinforcing Health
Behaviors*
Contingency management
Setting up “artificial” immediate rewards can encourage behaviors whose benefits are more long-term.”
!
Programs that reward patients for completing target behaviors are effective for treating addictive disorders and other bad habits>
George F. Koob, PhD
Novel behaviors require focused attention
• To plan and complete a new behavior, we must engage our cortical systems to plan and consciously work us through the behavior
• With repetition, the behavior pattern gets encoded in the basal ganglia, where it can now be done without conscious attention
Habit
hab·∙it
1. A long, loose garment worn by a member of a religious order or congregation.
Habit
hab·∙it
1. an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary: the habit of looking both ways before crossing the street.
Avoidance habit
Aversive Task Feel bad/scared Run Away Feel better
Habits & Dopamine*
Dopamine neurotransmitters (DN) fire when near something that can provide benefit!
Higher the expected reward (benefit), more firing
!
Not firing when enjoying the pleasure – just in opportunity identification phase
!
Neurons alert the habit system (nucleus acumbens) which does cost/benefit analysis – level of effort vs. expected reward
!
EF system can modify estimates and can stall while considering options
!
Habit executed
!
*George F. Koob, PhD
The Hao (Long) of Habit
Lally, P., van Jaarsveld, C., Potts, H., and Wardle, J. (2010). How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real
Little
habits that can make a
BIG
difference
5 minutes quick tidying up session10 minutes meditation 5 minutes journaling, planning
5 minutes sit-‐ups, push-‐ups, tricep dips, etc 5 minutes checking bank balances on-‐line 5-‐10 minutes– dishes after a meal. !
Pick one: Keystone Habit
Consolidate the list
Self-‐care Environment/stuff Finances Admin/Paper People/correspondence Errands
The thing(s) that matter most to me Eat a frog
Rest/play!
Subtracting vs Adding
_ + !
Stop overeating at night Brush teeth after dinner Stop mindless eating Keep a food journal Stop overdrawing checking account Check balances daily Stop being late to work Turn off electronics by 10pm
When: Find an anchor
Premack Principle
!
More probable behaviors will reinforce less probably behaviors
Anchor
Action
together
Reminder where it matters
(Point of Performance)
Making your new behavior a habit
Repetition and reward are key!
!• You must practice the behavior to make it automatic – able to be done without conscious focus
!
• The amount of practice will depend on the complexity of the task
!
• Reward – you must reward the behavior to drive your habit system to perform it whenever possible
!
• Removing the rewards will make you do the behavior less, but you won’t forget how to do the behavior
Make a habit
Decide when (Anchor) Reminder at location Have a list of props Just a small bite (placeholde r) Reward immediately Repeat! Repeat! Repeat!If you plant the right seed in the right spot, it will grow without
further coaxing.!
I believe this is the best metaphor for creating habits.!
The “right seed” is the tiny behavior that you choose. The “right spot” is the sequencing — what it comes after. The “coaxing” part is amping up motivation, which I think has nothing to do with creating habits. In fact, focusing on motivation as the key
to habits is exactly wrong.!
Let me be more explicit: If you pick the right small behavior and sequence it right, then you won’t have to motivate yourself to have it grow. It will just happen naturally, like a good seed
planted in a good spot.!
—BJ Fogg, PhD
desensitization
Approachgingerly Short time Breathe Realize you are ok Get out Repeat
i.e. dealing with finances
Lessen the Pain/Anxiety
–
Music
–
Company
–
Cat on your lap
–
Aromatherapy
–
Keep it short
Initiation
•
An object in motion…
•
Escape from the couch
•
From here to there
Making it easier: Triggers
•
Pavlov
Rewiring: Learned industriousness
Productive
Aversive task (Dragon)
Get close to it Survive
Feel awesome and powerful
Reinforcing Health Behaviors*
Set up triggers and cues for healthful habits
!
Create advertising/cues for behaviors
!
Reminders – visual cues, prompts, mood cues, thought triggers
!
Plan time and opportunities
Associations – mindfullness – notice the pleasures associated with what you are doing
Create a physical space that facilitates desired choices
!
Don’t try to deprive yourself and expect it to work.
!
George F. Koob, PhD
Habitus Interruptus
Leave a trail of breadcrumbs!!
Don’t panic!
!
Keep the placeholder!
!
The pathway is still there! (even if it’s overgrown)!
! Back to basics! ! Add novelty! ! Start small!
Consistently Inconsistent?
How to Make a Habit
!
Kim Kensington Kim@kensingtoncoaching.com www.procrastinationdoctor.com CHADD Conference November 2014
