Experimentation Is Not Optional

According to The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, habits follow a loop consisting of three parts: a cue, a routine, and a reward. To change a habit, you keep the reward but change the cue and routine.

In the years since I first read that book, I tried applying those ideas in my own life many times—and failed. I would change the cue or routine for a habit that I wanted to change, and inevitably fall back to old habits.

What I eventually realized was that you don’t just choose a new cue or routine. You discover it, through relentless experimentation, before you find one that clicks. The habit loop isn’t a formula you run once. It’s a framework for running experiments.

Most of those experiments will fail. That doesn’t mean you’re not making progess. Experimentation is not optional. It’s required for habit change.

Food for Thought

For a comprehensive guide to habits, check out James Clear’s guide on his website.