The Importance of Practice in Habit Formation
In the process of change, we often spend a long time searching for the best plan, which ultimately leads to action. We think that choosing the ideal strategy is important, but overthinking about it can become an obstacle because activity and action are different. Activity involves planning, learning, and developing a strategy, which are necessary, but the result is only an action step. For example, writing down ideas while working on an article is an activity, while actually writing it is an action step.
A new habit is formed as a result of frequent repetition. With each repetition, the neural connections in the brain are strengthened, which makes the habit automatic. George Lewis notes that mastering new skills is initially difficult because the corresponding pathways in the brain have not yet been formed. However, when we repeat an action often enough, it moves to an instinctive level and becomes much easier.
We often wonder how long it takes to form a habit, but the more interesting question is how many times do we have to repeat it for it to become automatic? Time itself doesn’t change anything, the frequency of repetition is what matters. Our current habits were formed as a result of hundreds of repetitions in the past, and the same principle applies to establishing new habits.
Humans naturally choose the path that requires less effort. That is why, in order to establish a new habit, we need to make it easier to perform. The more accessible an action is, the more likely it is to be performed regularly. Habit formation is easier when we organize the environment in such a way that the desired behavior becomes the most convenient choice. Ultimately, the main principle is that planning is not enough to achieve success – actual action and practice are necessary.