How Habits and Motivation Really Work

Personal & Social Development · Self-Regulation & Resilience · ages 12-13

Name ______________________ Date ____________

Procrastination happens mainly because someone is bad at managing their time.
Circle one: True False
What are the three parts of the habit loop, in order?
- Cue, routine, reward
- Goal, plan, prize
- Start, pause, finish
The habit loop is made of cue, routine, and reward. How many parts is that in total?
Answer: ______________
Maria wants to stop snacking on chips at night. What is the best way to reduce friction against that habit?
- Put the chips in a bowl on the coffee table
- Buy a bigger bag of chips
- Keep the chips in a cabinet that is hard to reach
Diego trains hard because winning the race would earn him a trophy. What kind of motivation is this?
- Intrinsic motivation
- Extrinsic motivation
- Self-determination
A coach lets Sam choose which drill to practice first instead of assigning it. Which part of self-determination theory does this build?
- Autonomy
- Competence
- Relatedness
Elena keeps forgetting to floss. Using the habit loop, which change would most help her build the habit?
- Buy a bigger pack of floss and hope she remembers
- Wait until she feels like flossing
- Put the floss right next to her toothbrush, so seeing the toothbrush cues her to floss
Ben thinks a better planner app will finally stop him from putting off his essay. Based on what causes procrastination, what is he most likely missing?
- He needs an app that reminds him every five minutes
- The real problem is the uncomfortable feeling he wants to avoid, not his scheduling tool
- He should wait until he feels motivated before starting

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

How Habits and Motivation Really Work W1-mt_0ewYhTSHtP-s1

False · Procrastination is usually about avoiding an uncomfortable feeling, like anxiety or boredom, not about scheduling skills.
Cue, routine, reward · A cue triggers the habit, the routine is the action, and the reward makes your brain want to repeat it.
3 · Cue, routine, and reward together make up the three-part loop that runs every habit.
Keep the chips in a cabinet that is hard to reach · Making the unwanted habit harder to start, like hiding the chips, is a friction-based environment change.
Extrinsic motivation · Diego is training for an outside reward, the trophy, which makes this extrinsic motivation.
Autonomy · Letting Sam choose gives him control over the decision, which is what autonomy means.
Put the floss right next to her toothbrush, so seeing the toothbrush cues her to floss · Placing the floss where she will see it creates a clear cue, which is the first step in building a new habit on purpose.
The real problem is the uncomfortable feeling he wants to avoid, not his scheduling tool · A planner cannot fix the discomfort that makes Ben want to avoid starting. He needs a way to make starting feel less uncomfortable.