How to Make a New Year’s Resolution, According to Neurologists (With a Flowchart!)

DuhiggHere is an article posted by Charles Duhigg at LinkedIn Pulse. To check out the wealth of other resources and sign up for email alerts, please click here.

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It’s 2014! Congratulations on making it through another year!

If you’re anything like me, New Years is a great time to take stock and determine how you want to completely transform every aspect of your life. (Or, at least, figure out how to exercise every day. Or once a month.)

Luckily, we’ve got a flowchart that tells you how to design New Year’s resolutions according to the science of habit formation.

The key is to take advantage of the 3-step neurological process that creates a habit. First, choose a cue, like leaving your running shoes by the door, then pick a reward — say, a piece of chocolate when you get home from the gym. Eventually, when you see the shoes, your brain will start craving the reward, which will make it easier to work out day after day.

Duhigg chart

For a larger, downloadable version of this flowchart, please click here.

Post it on your desk, send it to friends – do whatever you want with it. And, if you think it’s helpful, might I recommend checking out The Power of Habit, now out in paperback. To do so, please click here.

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To learn more about Charles Duhigg, please click here.

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