Domino effects and simple ways to build good habits

Usually, human behavior is related.

For example, consider the following case. Jennifer Lee Dukes is a woman who has been in her life for more than 25 years - ever since she graduated from college until the age of 40, never cleared her bed unless her mother visited or had a guest house.

One day, Jennifer wanted to change and tried to make a habit of cleaning the bed once every 4 days - a "feat" of nothing special. However, on the morning of the fourth day, when she finished folding the curtain, she decided to pick up all the socks and clothes lying around the bed and put it in the closet. Next, she went into the kitchen, put all the dirty bowls in the sink, turned on the faucet, washed them and put them neatly into the bowl. What's more surprising is that Jennifer also put her saving pig on the dining table as a decoration.

Jennifer said, "My act of folding the curtain after waking up started a series of errands afterwards. I felt like I was growing up, happier with the task of cleaning the bed, cleaning the sink. bowl, rearrange the bowl to bowl and redecorate your dining table " . She also joked that "the woman" knew to push herself out of the mess and live more neatly than before.

Jennifer Lee Dukes is typical of Domino Effect - the Domino effect or chain reaction.

What is the Domino effect?

The Domino effect asserts that when you change any behavior, it triggers a series of other reactions and creates a transition in related behaviors.

For example, a study conducted in 2012 by Northwestern University scientists found that when people reduce the amount of idle time they do nothing every day, they will also reduce the amount of fat. absorbed into the body. Study participants were not told to eat less fat, but their eating habits improved as a very natural side effect, because they spent less time sitting on chairs. , watch TV and eat unconsciously. A habit that has followed another habit like a domino army will knock another army when impacted by a moderate force.

You may notice the same pattern in your own life. Like me, if I create a habit of going to the gym, then naturally I will find myself focusing more on work and sleeping better at night even though I have never planned for it specifically. improving other behaviors.

However, I emphasize the Domino effect will also make you maintain bad habits. The habit of checking the phone will entail the habit of touching social network notifications like Facebook, Twitter and then it will stimulate you to access these applications to surf the News Feed unconsciously. Deeper, you make a habit of delaying about 20 minutes instead of ignoring those announcements and focusing on work.

According to Professor BJ Fogg from Stanford University, "you can never change just one behavior. All of our behaviors are interlinked, so when you change a behavior, Other behaviors will also be changed ".

Get a deeper understanding of the Domino effect

As far as I know, the Domino effect happens for two reasons:

First , many of the daily routines and activities that occur in our lives are related. It is an incredible connection between systems in people's lives and behaviors is no exception. This inherent association is the core reason why choices in a "region" in life can lead to unexpected results in other "regions", regardless of your plan. What is it?

Second , the Domino effect takes advantage of one of the core principles of human behavior: commitment and consistency. This phenomenon is explained in the classic book about human behavior called "Influence" by Robert Cialdini. The core idea that the transmission work is that if people are wholeheartedly committed to an idea or goal, even if they are very small, they are more likely to commit more because they see that idea or goal That fits the image of themselves.

Going back to the story mentioned at the beginning of the article, when Jennifer Lee Dukes started cleaning the bed every day, she made a small commitment that "I am the type to keep the house clean and tidy. " . After a few days, she began to expand this "self-image" commitment by cleaning up other areas of the house.

This is a very interesting "by-product" of the Domino effect. Not only does it create new chains of behavior, it also changes personal beliefs. When "every domino falls", you will start believing in new things about yourself and building habits based on that new identity.

The rules of Domino effect

The Domino effect is not just a phenomenon that happens to you, but something you can create. It will be triggered by your power to create a series of good habits by building new behaviors that can naturally pull the next positive actions.

Here are 3 important rules for you to apply the Domino effect in your daily life:

1. Start with what you have the motivation to do the most, such as a small behavior and make it consistent, consistent.This not only makes you satisfied but also shows that you absolutely can become the person you want.It doesn't matter which domino troops poured first, as long as there's a fallen army.
2. Maintain that momentum and immediately move on to the next behavior that you have the motivation to do.Let the lever complete a task that directly impacts you, pushing you to the ability to complete the next task.With each iteration, you will be more committed to your new image.
3. If there is doubt, break things down into smaller pieces.When you test new habits, focus on small and manageable pieces.The Domino effect is the process, not the result.Simply maintain the original "lever", then, let the process repeat as if a pouring domino will automatically spill the troops placed next to it.

If a habit does not lead to the formation of a new behavior it is usually because the behavior does not comply with these three rules. There are many ways to make a domino army fall. Therefore, focus on the behavior that interests you and let them affect your life.