This is optimal living daily episode 2997 triggers for automated habits by

tying in of tying in and I'm Justin Molick and we're gonna get right to it today

and start optimizing your life.

Triggers for Automated Habits by Tynd of Tynan.

I've had a few friends who've gone through quitting smoking.

The hard part they say is that certain things trigger wanting to smoke. Stressful situation, time to smoke.

Driving a car, time to smoke, drinking at a bar, time to smoke. The reason that bad habits are so hard to quit is that we have these many triggers

that start us down that path almost automatically. A compulsive eater might get into a stressful situation and have a hamburger halfway

into their face before they even consciously think about whether or not they should be eating.

The silver lining of this nuance of human nature is that we can also harness triggers to create

positive habits.

Just as bad habits are so hard to break because of our triggers, good habits can be made resilient

using the same mechanism. And just as bad habits are built slowly and incrementally,

so are good habits. I meditate for five minutes every day.

As soon as I wake up, I grab my phone and press the start button on a five minute meditation timer.

Waking up is my trigger. button on a five minute meditation timer.

Waking up is my trigger.

At first, I had to remind myself to do the meditation every morning,

but now I do it almost automatically.

It would feel strange not to meditate. Just as a veteran smoker is likely

to have a harder time quitting than a new smoker, the longer I keep my

meditation habit the easier it becomes to maintain.

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