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The theory and science
behind Nanohabits®
The power of repetitive, nanoscale behaviours
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”
- WILL DURRANT
Almost 50 % of everything which we do on a daily basis is driven by our habits. Typically, habitual actions are formed and repeated subconsciously. The aim of Nanohabits is to take control of these behaviours.
A commitment as small as 5-10 minutes per day is sufficient enough to produce significant results in the long run. Consider moving a ships’ rudder by just 0.5 degrees. Over a short distance you would barely notice the tiny difference, but after travelling hundreds of kilometres the change in direction becomes vast.
Definitions
Nanohabits®
What are Nanohabits?
Nanohabits are small, yet incredibly impactful behaviours that propel you from average to exceptional. They are easy-to-repeat daily habits and decisions, which guide you through complex environments, such as your professional life. They are carefully crafted and cleverly coded into the flow of your everyday life.
What purpose do they serve?
Nanohabits help you on your way to performing strongly at work. They are for the professionals who need help and for those who demand continuous development in their own skills and performance. Outside of work, the theories and methods related to Nanohabits still apply. Whilst the personal goals which you set are down to you, Nanohabits provide you with an effective toolset for reaching them.
Nanohabits Libraries
Nanohabits Libraries are large collections of carefully researched and tested habits that help users to perform well in specific domains. These domains include communication, leadership, customer service, sales and other professional capabilities. You can read more about the libraries and see concrete examples here.
Habit loop
In a sense, you are the sum of your habits. The habit loop is the most elementary but practical model describing how habits work. Most habits, if not all, tend to follow the same pattern which can be divided into three steps:
1. Cue - the trigger which starts the habit.
2. Action - the behaviour that you perform.
3. Reward - the benefit associated with the behaviour.
Dual Processing Model
The Dual Processing Model is a very useful framework in understanding how habits work. According to the model, there are two systems people use when processing information: system one and system two.
System one: “The Habit system”
Established/frequent behaviours, habits
Guided by cues or triggers
Less conscious, more automatic
Energy efficient
System two: “The Goal-oriented system”
New or infrequent behaviours
Guided by attitudes/goals/values
Conscious, deliberative
Energy intensive
Our articles
about the Nanohabits
Theory
Habits and their impact on human nature is a fascinating topic. Read our articles about the theories behind Nanohabits. And learn about how habits can help you, your team and your organisation.
Do you have questions about habits in your organisation?
Request a free consultation with our expert. A 30 mins consultation session offers you the possibility to ask anything about habit theories and practises in increasing performance and happiness of your employees.
Books and scientific articles
related to behaviour change and habits
Habits are studied in cognitive sciences, psychology, behavioural economics and other interesting areas. We have collected some books and scientific articles from different perspectives for you to get started.
Books
Eyal, N. (2014) Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products. New York: The Penguing Group.
Rubin, G (2015). Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives. New York: Random House.
Young, S (2017). Stick with It: A Scientifically Proven Process for Changing Your Life-for Good. New York: HarperCollins
Scientific articles
Berns G. S., McClure S. M. , Pagnoni G. and Montague P.R. (2001) . Predictability Modulates Human Brain Response to Reward. Journal of Neuroscience 21(8), pp. 2793-98.
Danner, U. N., Aarts, H., and Vries, N. K. (2008). Habit vs. intention in the prediction of future behaviour: The role of frequency, context stability and mental accessibility of past behaviour. British Journal of Social Psychology, 47(2), pp. 245-265.
Graybiel, A. M. (1998). The basal ganglia and chunking of action repertoires. Neurobiology of Learningand Memory, 70(1), pp. 119-136.
Labrecque, J. S., Wood, W., Neal, D. T., and Harrington, N. (2015). Product slips: habit cuing can be friend or foe to new product use. University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA.
Lally, P., van Jaarsveld, C., Potts, H. and Wardle, J. (2009). How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. European Journal of Social Psychology, 40(6), pp.998-1009.
Lewicki, P., Hill, T., and Bizot, E. (1988). Acquisition of procedural knowledge about a pattern of stimuli that cannot be articulated. Cognitive Psychology, 20(1), pp. 24-37.
Murray, K. and Häubl, G. (2007). Explaining Cognitive Lock- In: The Role of Skill-Based Habits of Use in Consumer Choice. Journal of Consumer Research, 34(1), pp.77-88.
Olson, J. M. and Stone, J. (2005). The influence of behavior on attitudes. In: D. Albarracín, B. T. Johnson, & M. P. Zanna (Eds.), The handbook of attitudes (pp. 223–271). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Wood, W. and Neal, D. T. (2009). The habitual consumer. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 19(4), pp. 579-592.
References and sources
Research data and background material for the homepage.
“According to studies, around 70 % of organisational changes fail.” References 1, 2, 3.
1. Kotter, John P. (1996). Leading Change, Harvard Business School Press.
2. Keller, Scott and Aiken, Carolyn (2008). "The Inconvenient Truth about Change", McKinsey & Company. Retrieved from: http://www.mckinsey.com/App_Media/Reports/Financial_Services/The_Inconvenient_Truth_About_Change_Management.pdf
3. Blanchard, Ken (2010). "Mastering the Art of Change", Training Journal, January 2010. Retrieved from: http://www.kenblanchard.com/img/pub/Blanchard_Mastering_the_Art_of_Change.pdf
“It’s estimated that just 8 % of learning and development investments result in genuine business impact, and only 4 % see a return on investment.” Reference 4.
4. LinkedIn Learning (2017). 2017 Workplace Learning Report.
“With Nanohabits, the success rate of anchoring new habits is closer to 80 %.” Reference 5.
5. See examples of results: https://www.nanohabits.com/case-studies/