How to Form Habits That (Actually) Stick

[@braincraft]

So... How to actually form habits that stick? 🖇 1. Make things as easy as possible for yourself 2. Find a way to repeat your behaviours regularly for *at least* 2-3 months. Sometimes it takes more than a year to successfully form a habit. 3. Remember habits don’t necessarily form because of willpower 4. Look to how you can tweak your context to help you repeat the behaviour

[@nodelayfordays8083]

Hmm willpower vs motivation? You still need motivation to change the condition that could lead to different habits yes?

[@stevenutter3614]

Habits that stick?! I never in a million years expected you to be promoting intravenous drug use.

[@ala2hhh170]

The 2nd is actually will power or some external motivation that you can actually pay for ;)

[@SpeedOfTheEarth]

I love your sweater: It happens to be a "lesbian/wlw" sweater, as it's in the colour scheme of the (new, inclusive and prettier) lesbian pride flag! Is this a subtle attempt at coming out? I'm prob just wishful thinking at this point, lol Anyways, congrats to being awesome Vanessa Hill! xoxo

[@sharonrayneryoga]

Yes definitely need to make things easy, especially in the beginning of creating a habit.

[@pandorasgeekbox3504]

Watching your videos on a regular basis is a habit I wouldnt want to break.

[@braincraft]

HA thanks Adam ;)

[@PureAFM]

This totally makes sense! :D I formed a habit of eating more fruit by putting a fruit bowl on my desk :3

[@sharonrayneryoga]

That’s a great idea. 😊

[@ywenp]

I'm watching this video so I can procrastinate. ...dammit.

[@pranavflame]

And my favourite pastime is thinking about new ways I can save time :D

[@jamieoglethorpe]

For me, the hardest habits to break are ones where there is some time between cause and effect. I would put my glasses down somewhere, and spend an age trying to find them again. I decided always to put them next to my bed which seems the best place. I put them there most often, after all. Each time I realised I had put them somewhere else, I chastised myself and took them to the right place. A mental slap on the wrist quickly had me doing the right thing. So, I dealt with a major annoyance by turning it into a minor one that was more immediate.

[@Aima952]

Hands up if you've just come from a disconnected episode?

[@tuhmater2985]

Yep, and I’m happy to be here. Congrats on your win Vanessa!

[@emeraldplayer5635]

Damn.

[@Heather-vi7gy]

thanks for vindicating my insistence on putting things i need to get done in as available of a spot as possible. People get so irritated at me for leaving my drawing stuff on the table as often as possible and it's like..... but if i have it put away I draw literally half as much. having things as easily accessible as possible is SO important to my ability to actually do them. I've also found for like, quick small habits (like brushing your teeth, a habit i had years of trouble establishing just because i would forget constantly and didn't have a consistent schedule) i find the best way is to find a specific thing you already do every single day and wedge it in. I got in the habit of using the bathroom right before I went to bed every night, and now I've wedged brushing my teeth as another part of that habit.

[@-art3544]

Hey Vanessa, I actually closed my social media accounts as I noticed they were causing undo stress and/or wasting my time. I decided to replace the time I gained with learning. So now I am submerging myself in KZbin channels (such as yours) that help empower and/or educate. I am trying to learn something new every day. Thanks and Happy New Year!

[@Cassiearan]

Depending on what they are, our habits will either make us or break us. We become what we repeatedly do. Our character is basically a composite of our habits. Because they are consistent, often unconscious patterns, they constantly, daily, express our character. Successful people aren’t born that way. They become successful by establishing the habit of doing things unsuccessful people don’t like to do.

[@joe_bhop]

wait

[@thepowerofhelpingwithreube4407]

I really love building habits into a routine. So I know that I won't have a shower until I've done my meditation or something similar. Then there's no negotiating every day in my head of when I'm gonna do things or if I can be bothered.

[@deiversoncruz2492]

I always used KZbin to learn English, and your channel is one of MY FAVORITE channels. Your work is amazing,Keep it up! Love from Brazil🖤

[@braincraft]

I'm so happy to hear that! Obrigado :)

[@zorak964]

@@braincraft Also from Brazil here 😁

[@37047403]

Brazil here! it's amazing to see us consuming this kind of content for free in the KZbin! Excellent channel!

[@zorak964]

@@37047403 Realmente... O bom de saber inglês é que o número de canais de qualidade que podemos acompanhar aumenta bastante! Alguns canais fantásticos e de alto nível que recomendo pra vocês (sendo o primeiro que citarei o melhor da lista): Kurzgesagt, Veritasium, Physics Girl, Smarter Every Day, VSauce e os documentários da DW e da Vice.

[@ricardofigueiredo2567]

@@zorak964 Boas escolhas. Só acrescentava o Scishow. ❤️ de Portugal

[@edgarlee2802]

I'm starting to plan my New Year's resolutions so thank you for this timely video.

[@braincraft]

Happy to hear that, thanks for watching!

[@pietro4321]

Pro tip: what's important is not reaching your goal straight away, but actually performing the habit, no matter how small. For instance, if you want to hit the gym and you're currently a couch potato, start small: instead of working out one hour a day, 3 days a week, start by doing 5 pushups a day or something similar. This is called a "mini-habit". Once the habit is established, up the ante and do something a bit more complex and repeat the process. The fact that you already have a mini-habit established will work as a "scaffold" for the bigger habit to develop.

[@joe_bhop]

we love our host

[@taududeblobber221]

did you watch cgpgrey's themes video?

[@taududeblobber221]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hIeqpnmajZqaq6c

[@siceastwood2714]

I feel like absolute habits oftentimes are harder to learn. Like accepting that it is okay not to do something if it's too stressful on some days.

[@gurjodhsingh6216]

I watch your videos to learn something new. Never got disappointed . I learn something new every-time.

[@braincraft]

Thanks for watching!

[@beskamir5977]

Ikr. I technically covered all of the stuff this video was about in the motivation and emotion course I took last year yet despite that there was still stuff I didn't think or know about.

[@Pingwn]

Thanks to your videos I am not just understand better the way my brain works and my behavior but also how to understand myself more and stop feeling guilty for things that are normal and how to actually make a change in my life. Thank you very much for each and every video!

[@animeshrajput3891]

So good habits take time, and we realise their need when too little time is left. Simple, but troublesome nonetheless.

[@echoscience3922]

Tell myself I'm going to do my dissertation everyday. Then Slept until 12pm, eat 3h. Watch 2 famous celeb's lives for 4 hours. Then gets tired. Then eat. Then get tired. Then watch some funny youtube videos, then sleep. Then tell myself I'm going to do dissertation tomorrow.

[@neilscole]

Even as an adult living in the same apartment for the last 8 years, I habitually reach for kitchen items in drawers as if they are in the same place as when I was a kid. (Sort of an annoying habit. haha.)

[@rainbowfoxmagicgrrrl]

Why not put them back in those places?

[@pranavflame]

@@rainbowfoxmagicgrrrl Maybe they made a move to another house

[@zoeitzaify]

I had to pause your video to tell you that I absolutely love your jumper!!! Ok, now I can continue.

[@DaBlondDude]

I read that book 'The power of habit'; brilliant, insightful, well explained (easy to understand, follow and apply) and quite helpful

[@Eric_D_6]

I tend to have an easier time breaking bad habits when I want to than most people however I often struggle to form or even keep good habits.

[@ruskreeder2434]

I was so engrossed in this that I didn't think about the presentation, which was excellent.

[@hawkeyeplank]

Funny strategy I use is using drug addiction as a string around my finger. Basically I smoke heavy for months then stop and refocus the energy from the cravings and withdrawals into the habit that I want to form- basically swapping the response portion of the habit loop, I get the context clue, perform the behavior, then I get a dopamine release from the satisfaction of performing the habit switch successfully.

[@Mr_Penguins_Pet_Human]

Jan 1st, at 00:30am I closed my facebook and Twitter accounts and deleted the apps from my phone on the premise that I wanted meaningful conversations and interactions with people in place of the superficial contact made on FB and T. I also bought and started reading Atomic Habbits. I kept KZbin bit only watch informative channels like this and ones for my 2 hobbies, fitness and Starwars. My changes are not finished as I have several more lined up.Doing everything together wood be too much for me so I adjust to each new change then bring in the next one.

[@beskamir5977]

Damn the animations in this episode are amazing! Well done! The transition from real life to animated or cigarette to leg were really cool.

[@TheVisidor]

You won my visit here fair and square by keeping that signal strong 💪

[@pranavlimaye]

I couldn't really make resolutions this year but I will try to use this stuff in my daily life. Great video. Thanks!

[@tofolcano9639]

It would be cool if architects designed a house where the habits you want to break were in places with hard access and good habits had easy access. For example putting a button that's hard to reach that turns off a firewall that blocks Instagram for five minutes. Eventually it'd be easier to do something else instead. Or maybe make the bedroom door only open if you finished all your tasks so that if you didn't you'd have to sleep on the couch.

[@firstname405]

You've basically described a tool used by architects amd designers called 'nudging', if you want to dig into how people are using this idea

[@zorak964]

Informative and well edited video, thanks!

[@braincraft]

Thanks for watching!

[@RegebroRepairs]

This confirms what I suspected. You can't break bad habits. You can only form new habits to replace them. Contextual clue? Having to work. Response? KZbin. Reward: Not working. Yeah, that's a tough one.

[@timdouglas2011]

how'd it take so long for me to find you? I basically watch youtube ALL day! Love your content!

[@erikziak1249]

You are the first person I have seen tying your shoes the way I do it. Subtle difference but I see it. The rest of my family use the way more typical method. I honestly do not remember where, when and from who I learned it way back when I was a little boy.

[@braincraft]

Ha I’m really impressed you noticed!

[@peacewillow]

thank you. this is actually very helpful. 💗 but remember, you still need willpower to tweak those habits.

[@lcirocco]

Recently read Atomic Habits by James Clear, seems to have collated a bunch of things including what you covered here as well as some of the `compounding` that occurs initially slowly ... might be worth a look.

[@littlebiteveryday9878]

This video is wow.I just paused the video to subscribe 💗💗 FROM PAKISTAN

[@dmrc43]

Nah, thank you Vanessa. And have a happy New Year's, perfect video for it.

[@ayarzeev8237]

You're awesome, thank you for making so many useful videos for us

[@gabrielaceitunocabezas7559]

It’s unbelievable how Conductism always finds an answer for everything using only Conditioning

[@mohamednassar42]

Thank you Vanessa, and happy new year 😀

[@scbtripwire]

I came from Tom Scott's Disconnected video which you won! Congrats and I'm now subbed! Also, am Canadian and like you too! Though uh... when you said unconscious, you meant subconscious... :)

[@rainbowfoxmagicgrrrl]

Great video! Thanks Vanessa ♥️

[@TheRealWorlddd]

i always look forward to watching your vids keep up the good work

[@crezychameau]

Yay ! Stop motion animation is back ! :D

[@marcusrosales3344]

Liked the tips, but I think will power shouldn't be completely disregarded. I replaced my waking KZbin with yoga and abdominal workouts even though it was hard every morning! Took discipline, but now the latter is my habit.

[@levelUpmarketing0]

I really like this. I started forming more habits after reading atomic habits by James clear. I started programming, forex trading and creating KZbin videos. I’ve been at it for five months but it’s been hard especially with the quarantine and isolation. Things are getting better because I feel happier. The news habits kept me grounded and gave me an identity.

[@therebel1375]

That gave me alot to think about I was making things way difficult when I should be making it way easier!

[@Videaprojaekt]

I wanted to move more in the new year, but I always hated gyms. So I bought a VR headset and do it that way.

[@thisaccountisdead9060]

(Disclaimer - I am not an expert in anything I'm discussing below... ...Or did I just come to the realisation about the stuff below quite quickly?) I actually think a much needed and worthwhile video for anyone to make would be one on fixes to philosophy using up-to-date knowledge. Over the past year (actually longer, but really more this year) I have gotten more into philosophy and politics. But before that I really looked into the sciences (indeed, I have done my whole life). It just depresses me to no end how people can take ideas straight out of philosophy without thinking about anything scientific to back it up or ways in-which science can offer a better interpretation or, actually perhaps help people understand the original message of that philosophy. For example. Existentialism: instead of thinking about everything as 'choices' maybe instead consider our 'Working Memory' (in the Dorsal part of our brains) that only us human beings and higher primates have - also relevant to Hiedegger's 'ready to hand' concept. We can also consider the difference between our 'amygdala' and 'extended amygdala' with regards 'contextual fear' and 'noncontextual anxiety' rather than say fear in terms of Heidegger's 'present and hand' and anxeity in terms of 'the nothing'. Also 'materialism' and 'idealism': maybe think about this in terms of our perceptions through either the 'dorsal stream' (working memory, motor-sensory cortex, and movement and position perception) for 'materialism; and our perceptions through the 'ventral stream' (social interactions and emotional control, long term memory, and object recognition and colour perception) for 'idealism'. i.e. I think it is better - and much more honest - to think of 'existentialism', 'essentialism' (counter 'existentialism'), 'materialism' and 'idealism' as ATTITUDES about the world rather than facts about the world. And there seems to be evidence (which are facts I guess) based on our perceptions and neuroscience to support this view. I don't want to take anything away from these movements in philosophy - I actually think more scientific awareness would contribute rather than detract from them... ...I think this way there is less of a risk of erasing LGBT people for example (for example, which Existentialism can easily do by focusing too much on 'choices' - i.e. the misguided idea that being LGBT could be a choice - rather than thinking of 'choices' in terms of our higher level 'Working Memory' for example). And maybe there would be less extremism as well? I'm being really simplistic with the scientific interpretations of the philosophy above to just keep the message easy to understand (I guess the reality would be more complex).

[@Pizaerable]

Wow I have never though about the idea of linking science and philosophy together in that manner. But again what benefit does this bring? I assume you are trying to understand the philosophical arguments (and possibly political aspect) of humans by understanding the psychological and neurological of the brain. I mean dats some deep meta argument, and I think that would be extremely interesting as I have never thought about it like that. I always think scientifically and philosophically separately, however I do sometimes read upon evolutionary psychology, which tries to link evolution and psychology, and the psychology giving rise to philosophical ideas of human, e.g. evolution developed depression as a way for an animal to surrender or conceive energy, however, given that we are self-aware, such emotional state will give rise to 'negative thinking' about the world, such as meaningless life, thus developing philosophical ideas such as nihilism. This is just an example of how I think science and philosophy could be linked. But idk if its possibly beneficial??

[@thisaccountisdead9060]

@@Pizaerable Well, I don't think people have any problem separating 'materialism' from 'idealism'. But I don't think 'materialism' is the same as an understanding of what the physical world is - i.e. I am saying that materialism is just as separate from the physical world as idealism is, because both materialism and idealism (at least I am arguing) are perceptions of our brains and so are just as subjective. Quite a claim I guess. But I base this on the Dorsal Ventral Brain Hypothesis (though I could equally have gone the philosophical route of someone like Martin Heidegger with his 'Being and Time'). Where Dorsal activity deals with material actions, and Ventral activity deals with Ideals about reality (for example colour perception - where we create colours in our own mind that don't exist in the real world). So I am basically arguing that we should see the physical sciences and the physical world separately to 'materialism' in just the same way most of us do with 'idealism' these days. This way material reality is just an attitude of our minds and not factual reality. So my hope there is that materialists don't completely disregard 'idealism' because they would have less a of a basis to do so if the material was not true physical reality either. It is kind of ironic that I am being post-modern here I guess. When I am drawing on modern science for my argument - but this is just how science has changed our view of reality, and I think it is time politics (philosophy has already made the journey) caught up. Also, evidence suggests that depression is a result of too much ventral activity and too little dorsal activity. Though, on the other hand, chronic pain may be the result of too much dorsal activity and too little ventral activity.

[@gurjodhsingh6216]

I’ll just say that habit is habit not good or bad . Its u who has the will to make a habit or remove a habit .

[@CallMeWilsar]

I found that replacing old habits with new helpful💫

[@elasteroidedepapel]

ilusion de introspeccion, señales contextuales

[@sourabh_kolhe]

Please make a video on The science of how we talk to ourselves in our heads.

[@hamzamaamar1559]

good job👌🏽

[@mysteryyoshi4917]

So... you’re telling me that mister Rogers’ introduction on his show was his habit 🤔

[@by9917]

Willpower works for me

[@dscrive]

not sure if it's ironic or not, but I've been working to build the habit of scrolling on my phone in the morning to help me wake up. up till recently all I did/do with my phone in the morning is turn off the alarm, which does not help me get up haha.

[@kimYeonyuu]

4:23-4:40 (Six-Nine Months)

[@travelling3969]

대박!

[@nickdiamond7595]

Habit to hobby. Can playing guitar be habit to curb another habit? Smoking. I structured practicing as I would to smoke. Like after meals or even out at a pub (most likely a gig anyway) but that didn't help for times such as that habitual drive time cig. Or am I way off?🤔

[@sakshamdhanda9835]

Your voice is so awesome 😍😍

[@HatemAlShimy]

Loved that book titled "Bob Dylan" lying there

[@paulocoelho558]

Yes I started doing sport at home and now I do it almost every day! Now I will think to change another behavior I want to draw more in my free time and watch less KZbin... I do like KZbin so many ideas and nice videos such as this one... but watching Vanessa is a good habit, right? I will do a video about it and why she always has that book about Bob Dylan or something under the computer... How she mixes America pop culture and Apple technologies on her desk is simply... fascinating! 🤪😎🐰👀

[@travelling3969]

4:23-4:40 (Olav Schewe style!! for Six-Nine Months)

[@Donar23]

3:02 Why are you tying your laces with one arm behind your leg? I thought it looked weird and tried it; definitely feels like my leg is in the way :D

[@braincraft]

LOL I agree it looks weird, but it took me a LOT of tries to get that shot :)

[@sogerc1]

Interesting, this sounds like an experiment to me. Let's see if I can form a habit to do a few push ups, I just need a good contextual cue... hmmm, not so easy.

[@shubhamtalks9718]

You should take a look at BJ Fogg's work 'Tiny Habits'.

[@scarletsphere]

Duolingo now penalizes me for getting an answer wrong and makes me wait hours to learn again :(

[@SalsadArte]

I miss your weekly video...

[@Nixontheman]

Good Tube

[@1337asader]

I really want to know how a habit can >consciously< be formed without focusing willpower lol

[@malcolmrains2426]

repeat it every day whilst you are awake

[@1337asader]

@@malcolmrains2426 how do I repeat it without the will to do so? If it is not a habit and I am unwilling to do so why would I do it?!!

[@mrman5517]

i once broke a habit, but then the nuns banned me from the convent

[@jacobb8397]

THANK YOU! /Master procrastinator

[@braincraft]

Ha, you’re welcome!

[@srinir8799]

Great video! Another book that is definitely worth the read if you're making new Habits is "Atomic Habits" by James Clear. He does a great job breaking down what's required to make a long lasting habit.

[@Train35711]

wow did you get a new make up artist ❤

[@Thunder-Sky]

Well, that doesn't bode well for any nose-pickers who have the state of discomfort in the nose as their trigger.

[@Divert486]

I dont think smoking is as much of a habit as it is an addiction. The issue isn't unconsciously lighting a smoke than it is resisting the urge.

[@GeneWaddle]

As a smoker for 42 years (sometimes as much as 4 packs a day) and a non-smoker now for almost 5 years, I'd say it's very much both. For me, the habit came in in certain situations such as any time I got on the phone or after a meal or waking up and any number of other times. I quit cold turkey and had very few physical cravings afterward, mostly getting around the habitual usage was the hardest part. I realize everyone is different and that I was able to quit mostly because it was the right time for me. The fact that I was able to quit the way I was pointed to the fact that, for me, it was mostly habitual.

[@themacocko6311]

Awe, she looks so pretty in this vid.

[@damianoropeza126]

Muchas gracias por la información, me pareció muy interesante y muy bien explicada, dada para buenas acciones y para una mejora personal

[@XæJex]

... anyone else get FilthyFrank flashbacks? Love the video 🖤

[@celsorosajunior]

Stop using your phone, but use brilliant on your phone! 😂

[@gordonwho]

Also check out Atomic Habits by James Clear

[@SpeedOfTheEarth]

I love your sweater: It happens to be a "lesbian/wlw" sweater, as it's in the colour scheme of the (new, inclusive and prettier) lesbian pride flag! Is this a subtle attempt at coming out? I'm prob just wishful thinking at this point, lol Anyways, congrats to being awesome Vanessa Hill! xoxo

[@Vedrajrm]

It's funny how you assume we have friends

[@joeyouyang]

I wanna share this verse for those who are Christians: "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh." Galatians 5:16

[@broomemike1]

I will share some Latin: non sequiter... Unless your habit is sharing Bible verses on the internet.

[@arzoo_singh]

Metacognition .

[@stevenutter3614]

Habits that stick?! I never in a million years expected you to be promoting intravenous drug use.

[@joe_bhop]

wait

[@lobeoteu4713]

Machine learning

[@terrortara6994]

✌🏼❤️

[@curiousuranus810]

You're have the habit of talking too much.