Think about your activities today before answering...

Answer: 45%

Questions: 

• Reflect on your day so far. What are some examples of habits that have become part of your daily routine?
• What are some money habits you have? What might you classify as good habits?
• Do you find it easy or difficult to change money habits? Provide an example in your answer.
  

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Behind the numbers (Chris Sparks: Why Habits Are More Important Than We Can Imagine)

Humans are, by our nature, creatures of habit. ~45% of our reported activities in a given day are habitual, performed automatically without much thought...Because habits occur outside the spectrum of thought, we are inherently incapable of knowing how prevalent and influential they really are. My own suspicion is that habits are not only more important than we imagine, but more important than we can imagine.

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For more on behavioral economics, be sure to check out the NEW! Behavioral Economics unit.

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 Want to dive more into habits, how they form and how to change them? The #1 NGPF On-Demand is, yes, you guessed it, The Power of Habit. Give it a try and earn 1 NGPF Academy credit! 

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.