Whether it is a skillful endeavor like reading or playing the guitar or merely brushing your teeth and getting up in the morning, habits hold the power to dictate your life. 

The habits you develop now will determine the person you will be tomorrow as they consume so much of your cumulative time. Some practices are deliberate, whereas others are acquired unintentionally through observation. 

Have you ever caught yourself using the same slang your friend would use daily? How crazy is it that your brain tends to learn stuff without you commanding it to do so. If only our minds entered autopilot when revising the syllabus for the finals. 

Wait, is there a way to do that?

Gohar Yasin Chaudhary’s comprehensive book, Program Your Mind, dives deep into “the habit loop” of the mind and dissects it so we know its potential.

Here’s a list of what we’re looking at. 

The Habit Loop 

The habit loop is a neurological loop that consists of three components:

Triggers

Every so often, a casual cigarette with pals can turn into an addiction. Viola, there is your trigger. Anything that initiates a habit is what can be deemed a catalyst.

Behavior

The act itself is what is known as behavior. The nature of behavior will determine how easy it will be for you to develop it into a habit. Enjoying specific behaviors provide you with a dopamine frenzy. Fueled by awareness, your body executes the task for our next component. 

Reward

This is the outcome of the latter two components. The product of your behavior gives you a sense of gratification, which causes the brain to revert to it. This is why a cool glass of water tastes so good when one is most thirsty. 

Now that we’ve realized the chemistry of the habit loop, how can one use it to their advantage? 

The advantage

Harnessing your mind and thought process is key to unlocking your potential. This can only be done when you develop a third person’s perspective on your mind. Observing how your mind and body respond to specific activities and current habits can help you trick your mind into creating new ones. 

To get a good quality revision done, the idea is not to exhaust your mind by having an all-out five-hour study session. The process could be more rewarding. Instead, after studying for 30 minutes, give yourself a five-minute break where you watch your favorite YouTube video or listen to a song you like. 

The idea is to reward your mind for doing something it usually does not like. 

The trigger is your decision to study, behavior is your attitude towards it, and the reward? You rocking out to some Taylor Swift.  Loop away to success. For more life hacks like these, pick up Gohar Yasin Chaudhary’s prolific book, Program Your Mind and get the best out of yourself. Click on the link for cheat codes to the mind now!