Habits for Wellbeing and Productivity in Law

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1 Wellness for Law Forum 2014 Habits for Wellbeing and Productivity in Law Dr Colin James Solicitor - UNLC Senior Lecturer Newcastle Law School

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4 We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, it is a habit. Archimides - Nicomachean Ethics, Book II, 4; Book I, 7

5 Habit simplifies our movements, makes them accurate, and diminishes fatigue. - William James Habit 1887 (1914) p.26; per Robert Richardson The Heart of William James 2010 (1975) p.105

6 Classical Conditioning

7 Operant conditioning..a learning process by which the effect, or consequence, of a response influences the future rate of production of that response B.F. Skinner -..behavior modification through cultural engineering will lead to a happier and more humane society.

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9 7 Habits of Highly Effective People 1. Be proactive 2. Begin with the end in mind 3. Put first things first 4. Think win-win 5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood 6. Synergise 7. Sharpen the saw 8. Find your voice and inspire others to find theirs

10 Research question Can a focus on habits be useful in 1 - addressing the causes of anxiety and 2 - in responding to anxiety when it happens? If so, 3 - what can legal academics and law schools do in discouraging bad habits and promoting good habits among law students?

11 We are not Our brain Our mind Our ego Our unconscious

12 3 Strategies 1. Self - Focus on our own habits 2. Classes 3. Individuals

13 What do we know so far? 1. We all have habits of thought, of the body, of the emotions 2. We are usually unaware of habituated behaviour 3. Habits are usually emotionless

14 We depend on habits The human brain runs many processes simultaneously; two are - System 1 thinking - habitual reflexive BG and Striatum fast - intuitive, associative and forever on - System 2 thinking - goal directed reflective choice PFC slow high use of cognitive effort - Daniel Kahneman (2013) Thinking Fast and Slow

15 Emotions Thoughts Behaviours Combinations Pathologies: Addictions OCD & OCPD Autism spectrum Tourette syndrome Habits in the Brain

16 Stop or Change? Habit change better than stopping Cold turkey Habits come from repeated experience (not good ideas, or decisions) Implementation Intention Goal is either to shift management from PFC to BG, or the reverse. Willpower (Grit) beats motivation Some habits are keystone, and sustain other habits.

17 Motivation is not enough Stephen Guise Mini-Habits: Smaller Habits Bigger Results (2013) p.36 Willpower gets better with practice. It s like a muscle. -Roy Baumeister

18 Common bad habits Procrastination fear of happiness Multitasking frenzied underachievers Overworking perfectionism rumination Nicotine, cannabis, alcohol, other drugs Junk food Not exercising Fixed mindset (performance not mastery goals, and psychological inflexibility) Negativity When you re going through hell... keep going. - Winston Churchill

19 12 Wellbeing Habits Mindfulness Sleep Wake early Exercise Meditation Self-compassion Strength awareness De-clutter Growth mindset Gratitude Productivity Emotional intelligence Acceptance

20 Duhigg s Change-a-habit in 4 steps 1. Awareness notice the 3 steps: trigger (cue), the behaviour (routine) and the reward. 2. Experiment with different rewards. 3. Isolate the cue/trigger. 4. Implement the plan upon cue, use different routine for similar reward. NB Write plan down: When I..(cue), I will..(routine), because it provides me with (reward). (Charles Duhigg, The Power of Habit, 2012)

21 Jeffrey Schwartz s 4-Step model Relabel identify deceptive brain messages (Negativity: I m going to mess up this presentation) and call them for what they really are Reframe change your perception of these messages (It s not me, it s just my inner critic) Refocus direct your attention to a positive alternative (my presentation could be fun) Revalue clearly see the brain s initial message as unhelpful (false, misleading or silly, etc) Jeffrey Schwartz (2012) You Are Not Your Brain: The 4-Step Solution for Changing Bad Habits, Ending Unhealthy Thinking, and Taking Control

22 How to change, start or stop a habit Start today Pareto Focus on Starting One Habit at a Time A Tiny step first Make it clear and specific Once a Day Don t Miss Two Straight Days Enjoy Doing It Watch Your Thoughts Be accountable Have an accountability partner Set rewards for achievements Set fines for slip-ups days

23 Baby steps Try The One Push-up Challenge Stephen Guise Mini Habits Always attainable target Minimise ego depletion (willpower cost) Baumeister 1996 Or adopt growth mindset Job and Dweck 2010 Field and Duffy 2011

24 Habit awareness for Classes Prepare 12 wellbeing habit mini-presentations: - the rationale - the practice - a link for further research. Use 5mins at start of every class to give a minipresentation on a wellbeing habit. Post them on Blackboard for late comers. Set a quiz on the last day with a chocolate prize. Invite students to contact you and tell you their progress, and respond to each message.

25 Promoting wellbeing habits with individual students Check-in with each student Ask the big 3: sleep, diet, exercise. Ask what is their top strength Ask why they want to be a lawyer Ask what they need to work on Get them to set a minihabit or SMART goal and you progress in a week

26 Biggest tip identify keystone habits Develop and teach Growth mindset It s about developing hope Field & Duffy 2011 Incremental learning with mastery (not performance) goals Feedback and praise students for effort, actions, strategies and improvements, not traits or ability. Practice mindfulness Any action can be a mindfulness practice. Start tiny. Meditation aim for 20 mins per day; start with 1 minute. Don t do first thing in the day; set two times each day to scan, delete, file or answer. Do a job list each day and stick to it Mindfulness is the remarkably simple process of noticing things - Ellen Langer

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