Habit Learning Lite

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HabitLearning Lite
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Habit

• We all have habits.
• Some good and some bad.
• Its the way we have learned to do things based
  on repeating a task, or sequence of tasks.
• Think about driving for a moment if youve been
  driving for a while it probably feels like
  Second Nature. The individual tasks needed to
  drive a car have become habits.
• More about that later!

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Why is it important?

• Understanding how our habits are formed and the
  relationship between this and Alpha State helps
  us make better decisions and commit to forming
  good habits in the first place.
• Good habits help keep us safe, however the
  changing environment in which we work means that
  this second nature working can lead to
  injuries.
• To put another wayIf we were operating in a
  never changing environment, without any external
  influence, on our own and in full control of all
  the outcomes its fine!
• BUT we dont work that way, which is why we look
  at building good habits in the first place.

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Why is this a principle of Behaviour Based Safety?

• Our behaviours are everything we do and
  everything we say.
• If we build good, useful habits we can avoid rude
  awakenings and reduce the number of mistakes we
  make.
• If we understand whats happening in our brains
  when we are doing a familiar task that has become
  second nature we can keep an eye out for these
  sorts of tasks and look after eachother better.

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How are Habits formed?

• Simply put, by repeating a task an average of 21
  times.
• The actual number depends on how complicated the
  task is, how interested or engaged we are with it
  and what the benefit of getting good or familiar
  at it is.
• Each time you do something a pathway in the brain
  is written.
• Repeating the task the same way over and over
  (around 21 times) strengthens that pathway.

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How are Habits formed?

• Once that pathway has been written we become able
  to do things almost without thinking.
• We dont need to pay 100 conscious attention to
  the task anymore. Which is where Alpha State
  comes in.
• Once a habit is formed the task feels like second
  nature. You might find yourself doing something
  automatically.
• Habits include how you make your tea or coffee,
  drive, work or how you think and feel.

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How are Habits formed?

• Lets use that driving example again
• Think about learning to drive. At first each
  distinct action every clutch press, mirror
  check, acceleration, gear change probably felt
  clunky or clumsy.
• You probably had to concentrate very hard on each
  task at first.
• Now that you drive regularly, you do it without
  thinking.
• How many times did you have to check your mirror
  this morning on the drive to work?

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How are Habits formed?

• So.we have a well defined good habit, what
  happens in our brains?
• Well, now that we dont need to concentrate on
  that task, we can unconsciously perform it. Our
  unconscious minds have it nailed.
• We can think of other things as well as the task
  we are performing.
• In our driving example, thats why we have eye
  level brake lights. Seeing that flash of red
  when we drive brings us back to 100 awareness to
  take evasive action.
• So what happens if we are tired, or stressed, or
  under pressure or if a safe walking route has
  been changed and we did not understand a briefing
  about it or have anyone around us looking out for
  us?
• We will keep behaving according to our habit and
  potentially put ourselves or others at risk of
  harm.

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How are Habits changed?

• If it takes around 21 times to build a habit, it
  takes around 100 times to change a habit.
• Just think about that for a moment. Its just
  under 5 times the effort!
• Thats because that pathway we have built in our
  brains needs to be overwritten with a different
  way of doing things.
• Its much harder work.
• And why do we change the way we do things?
  Either as a result of a rule change, a change in
  site layout, a briefing or a rude awakening like
  a close call or an actual injury, or maybe
  because we just decide to

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What can you do?

• Its understanding this relationship between
  Habit and Habit that can help us look at how we
  brief changes to work plans, site layout and
  walking routes.
• If its a change to something thats been in
  place for a while, set up a buddy system and let
  your people know its ok to challenge each other
  if it looks like the old method / route is being
  done or taken.
• Remember that other people will be following your
  example they will be building habits as a
  result.
• Think about the habits you have, do you need to
  change anything?
• If a loved one was doing something the same way
  you do, would you stop them or would you say
  well done?

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Remember

• We can make the choice to build a good habit.
• We need to be aware of the habits of others
• We need to respect other peoples ideas and
  beliefs when we challenge what people are doing
  and suggesting a different way of doing things
• We can always ask questions and check
  understanding.
• Be patient when people have to change the way
  things are done they arent being slow, their
  brains are re-writing those pathways!

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So what have we learnt?

• Building habits are a completely natural thing
  and it happens when we are learning or repeating
  a particular activity
• It takes 21 times to make a habit
• And a whopping 100 times to change a habit
• Its hard work to change a bad habit and replace
  it with a good habit and that decision to change
  may be as a result of a rule change, site change
  or even an injury
• We need to respect other peoples ideas and
  beliefs when we challenge what people are doing
  and suggesting a different way of doing things
• If we build good, useful habits we can avoid rude
  awakenings and reduce the number of mistakes we
  make