The Four Laws of Breaking Habits: Strategies for Lasting Change

Who Can Benefit?

These principles are particularly useful for individuals looking to break negative habits, overcome addiction, or maintain healthier behaviours. By following these four laws, you can set yourself up for success in breaking unwanted habits.

How to Break Bad Habits Using the Four Laws

  1. Make It Invisible: Reduce exposure to the cues that trigger your habit. For example, if you’re trying to drink less alcohol, avoid keeping alcohol in the house. The less you see the trigger, the less likely you are to engage in the habit.
  2. Make It Unattractive: Change how you perceive the habit by focusing on its negative aspects. If you’re trying to quit smoking, educate yourself on the health risks. Pair the habit with something unpleasant—every time you smoke, commit to doing a chore you dislike, such as deep cleaning the bathroom.
  3. Make It Difficult: Add obstacles between you and the habit. For instance, if you want to use your phone less at night, place it in another room, or lock it away and give the key to someone else. The more effort it takes to engage in the habit, the less likely you are to follow through.
  4. Make It Unsatisfying: Introduce consequences for indulging in the habit, and agree on them with someone who will hold you accountable. For example, if you smoke a cigarette, you might have to cook dinner and clean up afterward. If you drink alcohol, you could commit to waking up two hours earlier the next morning.

The Science Behind Breaking Habits

Human behaviour often follows the loop of cue, craving, response, and reward. For example, waking up might trigger a craving for alertness (cue), leading you to drink coffee (response), which then satisfies your craving (reward). Over time, this pattern reinforces the habit. These four laws are designed to disrupt this cycle by making the cues less visible, the cravings less appealing, the response more challenging, and the reward less satisfying. By altering these elements, you can effectively weaken and eventually break the habit.

Reference

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

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