How Do Habits Work?

There are three elements to any "habit".  The cue, the routine and the reward.

Hummm...

The cue for a habit can be anything that triggers the habit. Cues generally fall under the following categories: a location, a time of day, other people, an emotional state, or an immediately preceding action. For example, every day at 2:30pm, you might crave chocolate from the vending machine, or the smell from the coffee house downstairs compels you to get a latte. As another example, the music from roving ice cream trucks is a very powerful cue. The cue tells the brain to go into automatic processing mode, and it takes effort to resist the cue, versus deriving satisfaction from following the cue.

The Routine A habit's routine is the most obvious element: it's the behavior you wish to change (e.g. smoking or biting your nails) or reinforce (e.g. taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or drinking water instead of snacking).

The Reward The reward is the reason the brain decides the previous steps are worth remembering for the future. The reward provides positive reinforcement for the desired behavior, making it more likely that you will produce that behavior again in the future. The reward can be anything, from something tangible (e.g. chocolate, salty crunch), something intangible (e.g. a half hour of television, or a visit with your pals at the vending machine.)

Yeah...I might need some help with this...

AND HELP IS ON THE WAY!!