Habit loop · also called cue · routine · reward
how habits actually work
A habit loop is the three-part structure underneath automatic behaviour: a cue that triggers it, a routine that runs, and a reward that reinforces the association. Habits are changed most reliably by keeping the cue and the reward and replacing only the routine.
What to do about it
Identify your cue precisely. Most people are wrong about theirs.
Books that work on this
Each is a 90-day programme. Start with the first — later books assume the work in the earlier ones.
No One Cares$6.99
The Iron Routine$6.99
Crushing Soft Habits$6.99
The 5AM Tax$6.99
The Legacy Routine$6.99
The Discipline Blueprint$6.99
Discipline Over Motivation$6.99
Standards Beat Goals$6.99Part of the Discipline series.
How people say it
Nobody looks this up by its clinical name. These are the ways it actually gets said.
- how habits actually work
- breaking a bad habit
- why do I do it automatically
- cue routine reward explained
- I do it without thinking
- how long to build a habit
- replacing a bad habit with a good one
- what triggers my bad habits
- habit stacking
Written by Brian Spiker, who has run Spiker Carpet and Tile Care since 2013 — the receipts. More terms in the encyclopedia.