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automaticity

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    Habit Loops Entry #0302

    The reason a habit survives the loss of its reward

    The reward that started the habit can vanish entirely, and the habit continues. What was once a means to an end has become the end itself.

    Adept
    The hidden part #0302

    Repetition outlives reinforcement. The habit that was built by a reward no longer needs it, and no longer checks.

    Open file
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    Habit Loops Entry #0304

    The reason it takes different lengths of time for different habits

    The often-quoted single figure for forming a habit does not survive measurement. Observed times range from weeks to most of a year depending on the behaviour.

    Adept
    The hidden part #0304

    There is no single formation period. Complexity sets the curve, and the widely quoted figure is a median with its range removed.

    Open file
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    Habit Loops Entry #0305

    Why a missed day matters less than a missed week

    A single lapse leaves the developing routine largely intact. What predicts collapse is not the lapse but how the person interprets it.

    Master
    The hidden part #0305

    A lapse damages the record, not the routine. Collapse follows the interpretation of the lapse, not the lapse itself.

    Open file
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    Habit Loops Entry #0301

    Why the cue matters more than the motivation

    Habits are triggered by stable context rather than renewed intention, which is why identical resolve produces different behaviour in different rooms.

    Novice
    The hidden part #0301

    Behaviour that repeats is usually cued rather than chosen. Change the cue and the choice reappears.

    Open file
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    Habit Loops Entry #0315

    Why the same trigger can start two competing habits

    One cue can hold associations to several responses. Which one fires is decided by recency and context, not by which was learned first or intended.

    Master
    The hidden part #0315

    A cue does not trigger the habit you intended. It triggers whichever associate is most recently and reliably reinforced.

    Open file
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    Habit Loops Entry #0314

    The reason a two-minute version beats the full version

    Frequency is set by the cost of starting, not by the value of finishing. A version small enough to start is performed often enough to become automatic.

    Adept
    The hidden part #0314

    The size of a habit does not decide how much it produces. The cost of starting decides how often it happens.

    Open file