As my obsession with magical habit formation continues, I find myself spending a lot of time just contemplating the information I’ve been absorbing and trying to identify connections. At the same time, I’ve been experimenting with habit formation in my own life. Some of the habits I’ve created have stuck well (my dentist will be so happy) while others not so much. Some last only until some shake up (my life has cooperated with lots of those lately — thanks, life!). Part of the experimentation is looking at the intersection of forming magical habits as well as using magic to form habits.
The point is that it’s all habits obsession all the time in my world and I suspect the results will be both interesting and useful. It was the same with the Lunation Rite — I was completely obsessed with the intersection of the Hygromanteia lunar days and Orphic hymns and I just couldn’t let it drop until I’d figured it out.
Recently I had a major revelation about keystone habits that I think is really important. Now, I will be honest with you. The goal of all this habit stuff is to eventually put out some kind of course on magical habits. But at the same time, I want to openly share the more mundane elements of what I’m figuring out. Because I think that habit formation is the key to sustainable success in life and the better we all are at it, the better off the world will be. So take this information and run with it. And if you are interested in the magical side of all this, stay tuned.
So, let’s talk about keystone habits. This is an idea that Duhigg brings up in his book The Power of Habit but it’s referenced in lots of places. The idea is that certain habits have this cascading or force-multiplying effect in your life. So unlike my newly formed devotion to flossing, these are habits that directly foment the addition of other habits. This means that identifying these habits can be a very powerful way of changing your life. But how do you do that?
According to Duhigg, “Keystone habits offer what is known within academic literature as “small wins.” They help other habits to flourish by creating new structures, and they establish cultures where change becomes contagious.“
~Duhigg, Charles. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, Random House Publishing Group.
Duhigg stressed that figuring out keystone habits is hugely valuable for creating lasting change. But I’m not sure his description of these habits really resonates with me. His examples through the book include making your bed, creating a culture of safety at a corporation, and quitting smoking — and I’m not sure I’m seeing the connection to his description.
So how do you know which habits will be key for you? After some analysis, I think I have a definition that works for me.
First, keystone habits have concrete scope. There are a lot of habits that are really good, but mushy. Like “be more positive” or “stop complaining so much.” Good ideas, but how do you know if you are actually doing it? If I decide to meditate for 15 minutes every evening, then either I sit quietly (or rather with that soothing British Headspace guy – I love that guy) or I don’t. If I want to get out for a walk then either I leash up the dogs and go, or I don’t. It’s black or white. This is what I think of as Duhigg’s small wins. You decide to do the thing and you do it and you get the feeling of accomplishment from doing it again and again. So yes, I think that keystone habit change is made up of concrete tasks. Of course, lots of habits are concrete and I don’t think all of them are keystone. So what else defines a keystone habit?
I think that keystone habits have one — or more — of the following characteristics:
- Multiple spheres of influence. Flossing is going to make my teeth healthier and maybe even avoid bacteria linked to Alzheimers. But it’s not going to make me happier or smarter. Keystone habits are those that have a positive impact on multiple areas of your life. Exercise is the perfect example of this. Exercise will improve your physical health, yes. But it’s also linked to improved cognitive and emotional health… there are even potential spiritual benefits (especially if it’s out in nature). So one activity improves multiple areas of your life and is therefore a force multiplier.
- Positive energy output. Getting your dirty clothes in the hamper every night as opposed to on the floor is a good thing and can make your space look, feel, and smell better… but it’s not going to magically increase your energy for other changes. Dietary changes like increasing vegetables and avoiding soda absolutely will though. If I eat better or get more regular sleep, then I have more energy for other habit changes, hence the cascade effect.
- Required discipline. Quitting smoking is described in the book as a keystone habit change that helped a woman change the whole rest of her life. But quitting smoking is one of the hardest habit changes that most people ever attempt. When I quit a decade-long pack-a-day habit (almost 20 years ago now), it was the most difficult thing I’d ever done. And certainly I’m healthier for it. But the bigger benefit was that the act of quitting taught me that I could muster the discipline to do hard things and succeed — a powerful lesson that applies to other areas of my life.
As I said, I’ve been treating my own life as a bit of a habits laboratory, examining how I form habits and what blocks I experience. And I’ve been doing this with reasonably small-scope habits. But as I come up with magical techniques that help, I know that I’m going to have to work a keystone habit in my own life to see how it works. Only then will I have the authority to share my techniques with others.
