Using Environmental Cues to Build New Habits

Helps with building and maintaining new habits

Can be helpful for: individuals who struggle with organisation, establishing and maintaining routines, or individuals who easily forget to do recurring tasks. These tips are particularly useful as neurodiversity-friendly strategies for creating sustainable habits.

How to Become More Organised

It’s easier to remember to do something if there are cues in our environment. If there’s a new habit you’re trying to build, try and leave out visual cues in your environment to remind you to perform those tasks, for example:

• If you forget to take your medication, put your meds on your bedside table.
• If you want to drink more water, fill up water bottles and put them around the house.
• If you want to read more, place your book in the bag you go out with, or on your bed so you have to move it to get in at night.

What’s the Science?

The most persistent behaviours have multiple cues. We are much more likely to remember to do a task if we are visually triggered to do so—this is why it is more difficult to give up a bad habit if it’s being constantly reinforced in your environment by triggers (e.g., if you work in a bar and you’re trying to stop drinking). Using this approach can help you become more organised and build positive routines that stick.

References

Clear, J. (2018). Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. Penguin.