When we say ‘habits’, it’s likely you think of the bad kind. I’ve got into a bad habit of hitting the snooze button, for example. There are so many self-help books that focus on eradicating bad habits, from smoking to impulsive spending. 

There’s been a slight shift to focusing on the power of building good habits in recent years (see all the chatter on social media about habit stacking, plus the myriad recommendations of James Clear’s Atomic Habits), but what about super habits?

Dr Jon Finn is the author of the bestselling book The Habit Mechanic and he’s keen to sing the praises of what he calls super habits: core behaviours that have the power to change your life for the better. 

“Through my work helping over 10,000 people, I’ve repeatedly seen a set of core habits (super habits) that seem to be more powerful than other habits in helping people be healthier, happier and at their best,” Dr Finn tells Stylist. “When you develop super habits, many other aspects of your life become easier because these habits trigger other helpful behaviour. They enable you to manage unhelpful emotions and make the type of personal progress that is essential for feeling happy and fulfilled.”

Dr Finn explains that building super habits is vital because a huge majority of our behaviour is mindless, automatic. “Many of people I work with are startled to realise the fundamental truth that almost all of what our brains drive us to think and do is habit-based,” he notes. “Our brain runs us, and our brain usually runs on automatic.

“Why is this insight so important to helping us thrive? Because left to its own devices, your brain builds habits that prioritise survival: staying alive, maintaining social status and saving energy. In fact, it’s your brain’s propensity to save energy that drives it to rely on habits, which are the most energy-efficient way of thinking and doing.

“The problem is that the brain’s focus on survival leads to some problematic habits: beating ourselves up (which is related to social status), procrastination (saving energy), getting stressed (staying alive), and so on.”

The way to tackle these unhelpful habits? Replace them with beneficial ones. Even better? Replace negative habits with good habits that trigger even more good habits, to set you up on an automatic cycle of great stuff. These are super habits. 

“When you develop super habits, many other aspects of your life becomes easier because these habits trigger other helpful behaviour,” Dr Finn says. “Finding your super habits will help you unlock your potential.”

But which super habits are the ones to try? Dr Finn recommends five ahead. 

Going on a morning jog or stroll a great way to rack up some movement first thing in the morning and get a good dose of natural sunlight. Try making this a priority each morning for a week and see how you get on. 

On a Sunday evening, it’s well worth taking some time to look back on the past week. What went well? What didn’t? What changes might you make in the next few days? Then, plan out the week ahead – the commitments in your diary, meetings and other priorities. 

“Weekly reflection and planning for the week ahead improves my motivation, productivity and confidence and helps activate my daily super habits,” Dr Finn tells us. 

In addition to your weekly review, carve out a bigger window of time for a monthly assessment. This is where you can really reflect on your long-term goals and check if you’re moving closer towards achieving them. 

“Every day, I go on a five-minute lunchtime walk where I deliberately focus on my breathing,” Dr Finn reveals. “It helps me manage stress, be productive in the afternoon, finish work on time, better manage work-life balance and sleep better.”

Dedicate 10 minutes at the end of your work day to mapping out what you need and want to do tomorrow. You can also use this time to reflect on the day that’s just happened, assessing how much of your to-do list got done and what you might need to do that evening to manage the stress of the past few hours. 

“End-of-day planning for the next day combined with a written reflection on the current day helps me to see progress, build confidence and activates my evening routine,” Dr Finn adds. 

Dr Jon Finn is the author of the bestselling book The Habit Mechanic, and the founder of the Habit Mechanic University app and Tougher Minds – an award-winning leadership and performance psychology consultancy. 

Images: Getty