🧠 Cue → Trigger → Reward: The Habit Loop That’s Basically Your Brain’s Favorite Soap Opera

Let’s talk about your brain.

Not the poetic, “your mind is a garden” version.

I mean the gremlin in your skull that’s just trying to get its next dopamine hit like it’s queueing for a Greggs sausage roll at 8am.

Welcome to the Habit Loop:

Cue → Routine → Reward.

It’s the psychological equivalent of “I saw the red flag, ignored it, and now I’m emotionally hungover.”

But what if we hijacked that loop?

What if we made it work for us—like a loyal but slightly chaotic intern who brings oat milk lattes and emotional breakthroughs?

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🎬 Act I: The Cue (aka The Trigger That Starts It All)

This is the moment your brain perks up like, “Ooh! Time to do the thing!”

Cues can be:

• Emotional (feeling stressed, bored, or like your ex just posted a thirst trap)

• Environmental (entering your kitchen, hearing your phone ping, smelling your neighbor’s suspicious incense)

• Ritualistic (waking up, brushing teeth, finishing work, crying in the shower—just me?)

Pro tip: Choose a cue that already exists. Don’t invent a new one. Your brain is lazy. Respect that.

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🧘‍♀️ Act II: The Routine (aka What You Actually Do)

This is the behavior. The action. The “I’m trying to be better” moment.

It can be:

• Stretching for 2 minutes like a cat who’s just discovered yoga

• Lighting your Zenify candle and whispering “I am the vibe”

• Journaling one sentence before doomscrolling (progress, not perfection)

Make it easy, satisfying, and aligned with your inner icon.

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🍭 Act III: The Reward (aka Why Your Brain Will Do It Again)

Here’s the juicy bit.

Your brain wants a treat.

Not a metaphorical one. A real one. Dopamine. Pleasure. Validation. A sticker. A smug smile.

So give it:

• A playlist that makes you feel like the main character in a revenge drama

• A square of dark chocolate that whispers “you’re doing amazing, sweetie”

• A moment of smug silence where you just sit and feel proud

No reward = no repeat.

Your brain is not a charity. It wants ROI.

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🧠 Bonus Round: Habit Stacking (aka Sneaky Brilliance)

Attach your new habit to something you already do.

Example:

“After I brush my teeth, I say one thing I’m proud of.”

Cue = brushing

Routine = affirmation

Reward = Beyoncé-level self-esteem

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💅 Final Thoughts: Make It Sexy, Make It Yours

You’re not building habits.

You’re building rituals.

Tiny acts of rebellion against chaos.

Little love notes to your future self.

So next time your brain tries to sabotage you with “let’s scroll for 3 hours and call it research,”

just whisper:

Cue. Routine. Reward.

And then do something that makes you feel like the CEO of your own nervous system .