Habits and Routines are regular and repeated actions, but habits happen with little or no Conscious thought
We have all read like many, Atomic Habits by James Clear, as well as the original The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. In the end, it boils down to the classic habit loop.
The difference between a routine and a ritual is the attitude behind the action. While routines can be actions that just need to be done—such as making your bed or taking a shower—rituals are viewed as more meaningful practices which have a real sense of purpose.
Cue: choose a trigger to tell your brain to start the routine you want to turn into a habit.
Routine: execute the routine, ideally starting with a small, actionable chunk. Don’t go for an overly ambitious new routine from the get go.
Reward: do something enjoyable, which will tell your brain that this particular habit loop is worth remembering for the future.
The hardest part is obviously to execute the routine right after the cue. As we discussed, habits are automatically triggered by cues, whereas routines require a conscious effort on your part.
Rituals do not have to be spiritual or religious. What matters is your subjective experience. With rituals, you are fully engaged with a focus on the experience of the task, rather than its mere completion.
As much as we wish for each day to be different, the cycle of repeating the same actions day after day is pretty common. Habits and routines are an important part of our lives. Making your bed in the morning, that first cup of coffee, grabbing a croissant on your way to work, listening to your favourite podcast on the train.
Paying attention to the present moment—to the world around you, to your thoughts and feelings—requires to observe what’s going on inside and outside ourselves, but it doesn’t necessarily mean stopping everything we’re doing. Mindfulness is about clearly seeing the present moment; not literally pressing the pause button.
With the use of PNEI -
