Another young person wants to give up junk food. He can start making this food invisible by putting chips and cookies in the top drawer, out of sight; just seeing Chips-A-Hoy is a sign to eat them. To make snacks less attractive, he can carefully consider the obstacles to filling the food created in industrial-sized containers, and consider the benefits of giving up processed confections. To make it difficult, he may remove the “conflict” between himself and the food by preventing it from leaving the house altogether, so that the only way to consent is to go to the store. And to make this habit less satisfying, he can conspire with a friend to report when he slips. The social costs of admitting weakness taint the practice further.
The four proposed concrete steps are based on the science of habit formation. A four-part feedback loop occurs subconsciously in the brain and drives many of our behaviors: it starts with a cue, which creates a craving, and then triggers a response, which provides a reward. The Sula system of creating new habits and breaking old ones controls the cue-craving-response-reward cycle to produce the desired behavior change.
Atomic Habits includes many tips that teens may find useful:
Be specific. If you’re trying to change behavior, start by writing the “purpose of use.” This is a short statement that asserts what you will do, when, and where to fix: “I will do it [BEHAVIOR] of [TIME] in the middle [LOCATION].” For example, “I’m going to run for ten minutes at 3:30 on the treadmill downstairs.” Vague and sweeping goals are easy to ignore; a precision system designed for human life, let alone.
Small changes add up over time. A high school freshman who decides he wants to exercise right after school doesn’t need to adjust his existence to improve his fitness. By making small changes in his daily habits, he can make big improvements over time. The key to strengthening habits is to do it over and over again, day after day; Consistency in carrying out the behavior is what matters, even if these changes seem small. Small, achievable goals—say, exercising for two minutes—can add up and lead to big changes.
Fix systems, not policies. When a teenager gives in to a craving for Doritos, they may be tempted to feel sorry for themselves and rethink the targeted junk food ban. Instead, he may adjust his schedule to encourage better eating. Have you downloaded a food delivery app that makes giving easy? Has he found a partner to report back on his progress? A better plan will prevent falling into bad habits.
Don’t miss two days in a row. It’s human to make mistakes, especially when you’re trying to change unconscious behavior. The important thing is to get back into shape the next day. After adjusting the system, return to the new routine immediately.
Thresholds are good times to change habits. Adolescence is defined by change, which gives children many opportunities to try to change their behavior. The start of the school year, the start of a new semester, or the transition to another athletic season are natural times for kids to start over.
Consider the social environment. Adopting new behavior is natural if peers reinforce it; taking a run will be easier if friends are not runners, too. Whether you’re trying to form new habits or break old ones, a large space can make or break a plan.
