The Neuroscience of Habit Formation 1. Understand the Mechanism, Not Just the Checklist As Dr. Andrew Huberman puts it, when you understand why something works, you gain flexibility to customize it for yourself [Source 1]. There are endless "top 10 habit" lists online, but understanding the brain science behind them is what makes them stick. It gives you the ability to adapt when life throws curveballs, rather than rigidly following a script. 2. Dopamine Is the Currency Your brain runs on dopamine, and it doesn't distinguish between "good" and "bad" sources. When you grab a burger, scroll TikTok, or hit snooze, you get a quick dopamine hit that lasts about five minutes, followed by a crash and shame. That's a dopamine deficit [Source 7]. The reframe: train yourself to recognize that the "bad" option gives ~5 minutes of pleasure, while the "good" option builds something lasting. Over time, healthy habits generate their own dopamine through a sense of accomplishment and momentum. 3. Your Breaks Matter as Much as Your Work This is a huge one. Huberman highlights that if you struggle to focus or start a task, there's a very good chance your breaks were too stimulating [Source 5]. He advocates for "boring breaks" and silence before and after bouts of focused work. If you're doom-scrolling between tasks, you're essentially flooding your dopamine system and making the next task feel impossible by comparison. 4. The 1% Rule and Habit Stacking Improving just 1% daily makes you 37 times better in one year. The ADHD Harmony framework recommends habit stacking: chain habits together so they flow automatically [Source 3]. Example: Wake → one liter of water → five minutes of movement → deep work. Attach new habits to existing anchors. Write the stack on your mirror. Externalize everything. 5. Systems Over Willpower This is the core truth for ADHD brains: willpower is not the answer [Source 4]. It might work for a week or two because you can force it, but long-term success comes from:

Just wrote my Commitment Letter and something clicked. My Big Rocks: anchoring my worth in my daily relationship with God, and stepping into my identity as a women's coach. I've spent too long looking for my worth in other people's opinions. I'm done outsourcing it. I'm building from the inside out now — Bible, meditation, prayer every morning before the world gets a vote. I will wobble. And I will keep coming back. 🙏

Completed the 3 deep questions on AI platform for Day 2 and it made me cry. I have been an overachiever, people pleaser and care taker. It made me realise I have such a beautiful artistic soul ❤️💕

Just arriving in my usual fashion. I'll keep it brief (Hmmm... let's see...). I'm not loving the perimenopause / ADHD combo (not officially diagnosed but let's just say I have a VIP pass to the Neurospicy lounge...) BUT I do love learning, new stuff, performing, community, connection, having fun and meeting new people. So I look forward to meeting some of you! :-) Oh, and I'm in Cambridgeshire, UK. :-)

Did the challenge of NO screen at bedtime.Slept at 10pm and managedto be up at 5am before my alarm goes off at 6am. I have been trying be able to get up early w/out feeling tired in the past few weeks,so I can havr more FOCUS ON ME Time in the morning. Completed this morning: Read Bible, meditate and pray. More exercise: 35 mins.of Pilates 1 minute Cold shower Put away the folded clothes Not rushing on putting my make up on Put more stuff in the bag to donate to Charity shop Open Loop comleted: Dropped a bag of clothes and shoes to the Charity shop