Theological Journal – January 10

I decided to add one more piece to these reflections on a rule of faith to the example of a recently crafted one I promised yesterday. It’s about habits and draws on Wendy Wood's book Good Habits, Bad Habits.

Habits, not feelings, grit, good intentions, or even prayer, are the key components in forming a durable rule of life. We for, our habits and, then, they form us. A well-known saying usually attributed to Aristotle captures this well: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

Wendy Wood’s research on decades of studies of highly effective people and neuroscience shows that it is not self-discipline, willpower, determination, or willpower that make them who they are, nor determination, intention, willpower, but habits, good habit.

What are some keys to forming good habits?

Friction: Our brains avoid things that are difficult or that cause too much friction. Find ways to make the habit you want to form easier, and the habit you want to stop harder (e.g. studies show that the closer the gym is your house, the more likely you will go regularly).

Rewards: Our brains are wired to respond to rewards. Give yourself a reward every time you do the thing you want to do (e.g. only watch your favorite TV show while you run on the treadmill, so you are rewarding yourself for doing exercise).

Cues: Our brains receive cues from our surroundings. Form associations between things in your life and the habits you want to form (e.g. your phone alarm goes off at 1pm every day and reminds you to pray, or the dog greets you in the morning and that's your cue to walk her for 30 minutes).

Piggy-backing: Our brains are wired to extend existing habits. Add a new, positive habit to an existing habit (e.g. if my existing habit is to brew a cup of coffee in the morning, associate/modify that habit with the new habit of sitting down with the coffee to read for 30 minutes).

Chaos: Our brains are often more open during times of change (or liminality). Habits are often more easily formed when life is going through change or upheaval. The conventional wisdom is not to change anything during such times, but the research suggests these are ideal times to form new habits (e.g. there may be great conflict at work and you find relief from this upheaval by joining a sporting club and forming new habits).

This may seem rather mundane, perhaps even unspiritual, but the integration of the dynamics of daily life into the warp and woof of our life is, in truth, the very thing God wants to see happen in us. Our rule of life will fail unless it is so woven into our regular patterns and practices.

Tomorrow, the promised example of a rule of life.