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1 Artical
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2 Notes on&nbs...
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3 Exercises
1 Here’s a secret to getting fit and staying on a consistent exercise routine. Make it a habit.
2 If you’re trying to avoid junk food, get into the habit of taking healthy food with you on your daily travels.
3 A habit is a choice that we deliberately(故意地) make at some point, says New York Times reporter Charles Duhigg in his bestselling book, The Power of Habit.
4 Eventually, when a habit becomes automatic(自动的，不假思索的), we stop thinking about it, but continue doing it.
5 In his book, he looks at scientific research and sets out a framework(框架) for adopting good habits and losing the bad habits you acquire.
6 "Change might not be fast and it isn’t always easy," he writes. “But with time and effort, almost any habit can be reshaped.”
7 He mentions “a willpower(意志力) workout,” designed by Australian researchers. They found that when people strengthened(加强) their willpower muscles(力量) in one part of their lives — in the gym or a money management program —the strength spilled over into what they ate or how hard they worked.
8 Willpower research is now a hot topic, starting to trickle(滴，淌) into corporations. Starbucks, for example, turned self-discipline into an organizational habit.
9 Employees were given clear instructions on how to respond to specific cues(暗示，信号) (such as a screaming customer). The company also identified rewards (such as praise from a manager) as evidence(证明) of a job well done.
10 Before starting his book, Duhigg had a habit of visiting the cafeteria to buy a chocolate chip cookie every day. He had gained eight pounds and his wife was making pointed comments.
11 He put a Post-it note on his computer that said, “No more cookies.” But the old habit kept taking hold(占上风).
12 Then, he used a discoveryby Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers. There’s a simple neurological loop (神经环) at the core of every habit, which consists of three parts: a cue, a routine and a reward.
13 First, he identified the behavior he wanted to change and the cravings(渴望) that were driving it.
14 Did he want the cookie itself? Did he want a break from work? Did he want an excuse to socialize(社交)?
15 He tried adjusting his routine and experimenting with different rewards, such as walking around the block, buying an apple from the cafeteria to eat at his desk and going to a colleague’s desk to gossip for a few minutes.
16 To identify the cue, he wrote down five things about the moment when the urge hit him to buy a cookie. Where was he? What time was it? What was his emotional(情绪的) state? Who else was around? What action preceded(在…之前) the urge?
17 Within a few days, he figured out that hunger wasn’t driving his behaviour. His urge to get a snack came from 3 to 4 p.m. and the reward he was seeking was a temporary distraction from work and a chance to socialize.
18 So, he wrote a plan: “At 3:30, every day, I will walk to a friend’s desk and talk for 10 minutes.” He set an alarm on his watch to remember to do this.
19 It didn’t work right away. But when he abided by(遵守) his plan, he felt better and ended the day with a sense of accomplishment(成就).
20 "Eventually, it got to be automatic," he writes.
21 "After a few weeks, I hardlythought about the routine any more.And when I couldn’t find anyone tochat with, I went to the cafeteria andbought tea and drank it with friends."
22 Changing habits can be difficult. But this framework can be a place to start.
23 "Once you understand how a habit operates(运作) — once you diagnose the cue, the routine and the reward — you gain power over it," he concludes.
