Creatures of Habit

As I was enjoying the first mow of the season , I noticed several of these paths that our three dogs have made around the yard. It's not just that their muddy, grass less trails are around the perimeter (as protective canines do)- it's the fact that while I was mowing - they stayed the course (stuck to their path) instead of just taking a short cut across the grass to get out of my way.

 

Just like humans -they have their particular spots/seats. This is Ozzie's - the horizontal deck beam is the perfect height to rest his chin as he surveys the yard activities. Jack stays close to the door so he can be the first one in (he prefers the company of humans), and Ben, well he is the outlier - probably chasing shadows or running the path at the sight of a bird. Ozzie (brown lab above) will actually stand in front of "his" bed and bark until one of the other two retreat to a less worthy bed or heaven forbid - the floor. He has tried this with me when he wants 'his' spot on the couch - and well he loses that battle, much to his disbelief.

My husband dislikes routines of all kinds. I grew up on a schedule - not only with a menu plan (Fish on Fridays, hot dogs on Saturdays, soda and chocolate Saturday night only ) but also of chores. I'm sure you can see the benefit of this, and as a parent of 3 boys (one of the way) - I thrive on a schedule. Each boy has their set day to do laundry, we have designated house chores for the week.... etc. Brian on the other hand, on a whim, will convert the living room into a study, or build a new deck, or put the master bed on the opposite wall. We have learned to live in harmony with his 'in the moment' attitude - and my need for routine.

Aren't we all creatures of habit?

We sit in the same seats in the movie theaters, at staff meetings, in the lunch room, on the couch. I bet you could tell me the order of your morning routine (and it doesn't deviate much).\

My husband and I purposefully change the seating arrangements at the dinner table every other night so that we don't get too ingrained in a routine - a monotony - a habit that becomes hard to break. We like to keep things fresh and have our perspectives challenged.... but that's not for everyone. 

As difficult as it is to create a healthy habit (exercise, eating clean), it's equally as challenging to break one.

How Long it Really Takes to Build a New Habit?

Phillippa Lally is a health psychology researcher at University College London. In a study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology, Lally and her research team decided to figure out just how long it actually takes to form a habit.
The study examined the habits of 96 people over a 12-week period. Each person chose one new habit for the 12 weeks and reported each day on whether or not they did the behavior and how automatic the behavior felt.
Some people chose simple habits like "drinking a bottle of water with lunch." Others chose more difficult tasks like "running for 15 minutes before dinner." At the end of the 12 weeks, the researchers analyzed the data to determine how long it took each person to go from starting a new behavior to automatically doing it.
The answer?
On average, it takes more than two months before a new behavior becomes automatic -- 66 days to be exact. And how long it takes a new habit to form can vary widely depending on the behavior, the person, and the circumstances. In Lally's study, it took anywhere from 18 days to 254 days for people to form a new habit. [1]
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-clear/forming-new-habits_b_5104807.html

So let's think about what that means to students and staff.

The first two months of school are about setting procedures in place and creating healthy study and behavior habits. Learning routines and procedures for EL students are paramount to their initial comfort , and enables them to focus on learning and language development. My middle school son switches classes every 6 weeks - which creates quite a disruption in his day. This will happen again on Monday for all my middle school students - and for those squirmy teenagers - I wonder what this change does to their habit forming? What about the influx of newcomers who join school after we have introduced all our procedures? We usually don't do reminders of expectations until after long breaks or when we have a whole new set of students. Are they then expected to just 'watch and learn'?

When staff come together to hear a guest speaker/consultant - and they don't use the same format as what they are familiar with - it takes them a few minutes to settle down and focus on the message. If you think I'm wrong there - call an impromptu meeting - and then start it late - in reverse order and watch the circus unfold!

Pro's of habits

• Increases our sense of comfort
• Allows us to focus on other things
• Encourages a sense of accomplishment (when sticking to healthy habit)
• Inspires us to begin new habits (add to our toolbox)

Con's of habits

• We get stuck in patterns (healthy or not)
• We limit our view/perception 
• Increased feeling of defeat when we continue to stick to unhealthy habits (think New Year Resolutions or weight loss plans)

I would love to hear your thoughts to add to this list!