The Habit Loop
A simple mechanism for automatic behaviour: a cue triggers a routine to obtain a reward. Change the loop by keeping the cue and reward but swapping the routine.
author
Popularised by Charles Duhigg; roots in behaviourism (Pavlov, Skinner)
Model type
About
The model distils decades of learning theory. Duhigg’s framing adds craving/anticipation as the motivational glue that binds cue to routine.
How it works – what to map
Cue – time, place, emotion, preceding action, or people that start the loop.
Routine – the behaviour (mental, physical, or social).
Reward – the state change you seek (relief, stimulation, progress, social tick).
Craving – learned anticipation of the reward that drives repetition.
Routine – the behaviour (mental, physical, or social).
Reward – the state change you seek (relief, stimulation, progress, social tick).
Craving – learned anticipation of the reward that drives repetition.
Use cases
Personal change – replace a routine (snack → walk) while keeping the same cue and reward.
Team operations – engineer reliable rituals (stand-ups, pre-mortems, checklists) around fixed cues.
Product design – align notifications and UX with meaningful rewards, not noise.
Compliance & safety – standard cues (handover, checklist prompt) to trigger critical routines.
Customer engagement – predictable cues and immediate, felt rewards to build usage streaks.where signals compound.
Team operations – engineer reliable rituals (stand-ups, pre-mortems, checklists) around fixed cues.
Product design – align notifications and UX with meaningful rewards, not noise.
Compliance & safety – standard cues (handover, checklist prompt) to trigger critical routines.
Customer engagement – predictable cues and immediate, felt rewards to build usage streaks.where signals compound.
How to apply
Log the loop for a week: time, place, emotion, preceding action, people; note the suspected reward.
Run A/B routines that deliver the same reward; keep the cue constant.
Make it explicit: an “If cue, then routine, because reward” implementation intention.
Stack on an existing cue (“After I make coffee, I …”) and reduce friction to <2 minutes.
Reinforce: immediate feedback, visible streaks/progress, and environment design that makes the routine the easy path.
Run A/B routines that deliver the same reward; keep the cue constant.
Make it explicit: an “If cue, then routine, because reward” implementation intention.
Stack on an existing cue (“After I make coffee, I …”) and reduce friction to <2 minutes.
Reinforce: immediate feedback, visible streaks/progress, and environment design that makes the routine the easy path.
pitfalls and cautions
Vague cues – ambiguous triggers don’t fire reliably; choose specific, observable cues.
Wrong reward – if the routine doesn’t satisfy the actual craving, the old habit returns.
Friction – even small obstacles kill new routines; redesign the environment first.
Overreliance on willpower – habits are context-driven; change context, not just motivation.
Wrong reward – if the routine doesn’t satisfy the actual craving, the old habit returns.
Friction – even small obstacles kill new routines; redesign the environment first.
Overreliance on willpower – habits are context-driven; change context, not just motivation.