Instead of relying on willpower to push through unpleasant tasks, find ways to make pursuing your goals enjoyable (e.g., pick Zumba for workouts, drink smoothies instead of only kale). This increases persistence and helps you get farther because you won’t dread the activity.
Design your choices and build habits so that good behaviors are on autopilot and don’t require constant exertion of willpower. Willpower is an unreliable and unpleasant inner resource, so minimizing its use is more effective for long-term change.
Create formal structures that restrict your future choices and impose costs (e.g., forfeiting money, public shame) if you fail to achieve a goal. This ‘stick’ approach changes the incentive structure, making it costly not to follow through.
Initiate personal changes or encourage others to start new habits around ‘fresh start’ dates like New Year’s, birthdays, new weeks, or new jobs. These moments feel like new beginnings, making individuals more motivated to set and pursue goals.
Acknowledge that setbacks are an inevitable part of any change journey and plan to be resilient by getting back on track when they occur. This prevents discouragement and giving up, which often happens after a slip-up.
When pursuing ambitious goals, give yourself a limited number of ’emergency reserves’ or ‘mulligans’ (like in golf) that you can use for slip-ups. This allows you to acknowledge a mistake without feeling completely off track or giving up entirely.
While routines are important, build flexibility into your habits by having fallback plans for when your primary routine doesn’t work out (e.g., if you miss your morning workout, have a plan for later in the day). This leads to more robust and lasting habits compared to rigid ones.
Link an activity you dread but is good for you (e.g., exercise, homework) with an indulgent entertainment you enjoy (e.g., audio novels, favorite music). This makes the beneficial activity more alluring and helps you persist.
To easily build a new habit, attach it directly onto an existing, well-established routine that you never miss (e.g., doing a workout between brushing teeth and showering). This leverages existing triggers and makes the new habit almost immediately automatic.
If you are struggling with a goal, put yourself in the position of giving advice to others who are trying to achieve similar goals. This boosts your self-efficacy, encourages deeper introspection, and creates a desire to avoid hypocrisy by following your own counsel.
Interpret failures and setbacks as feedback and opportunities to learn and grow, rather than as a diagnostic of your inherent capabilities. This mindset helps you accomplish more by fostering persistence and development.
Think of yourself as a ‘good-ish’ person, acknowledging that you are a work in progress rather than a fixed ‘good’ or ‘bad’ entity. This perspective provides more opportunity for personal development and faster progress towards goals.
Avoid trying to pursue too many behavior change goals simultaneously, as this can be overwhelming and demotivating. Instead, be strategic and focus on one or two clear goals at a time, checking in before moving to new ones.
To encourage positive change in loved ones, strategically expose them to social interactions or peer groups that role model the desired behavior. This provides information, demonstrates feasibility, and creates positive peer pressure.
To address culturally injected biases, focus on advocating for and implementing changes in systems and processes (e.g., hiring, promotion) to make them more fair, and act as a mentor or champion for underrepresented groups. Changing behavior and systems is often more effective than solely trying to change attitudes.
When using commitment devices, put specific financial stakes on the line that you will forfeit if you fail to achieve your goal, ideally with a referee. This creates a higher cost penalty and is more effective than vague internal anxieties.
For saving money, consider using a commitment account where funds cannot be withdrawn until a predetermined date or goal is reached. This prevents you from dipping into savings when tempted, leading to significantly higher savings.
For maximum effectiveness in achieving long-term goals, employ both positive incentives (‘carrots’ like making it fun) and negative incentives (‘sticks’ like commitment devices). This aligns all forces towards your goal, leaving nothing to tug you in the wrong direction.
When forming a new habit, such as meditation, aim for a ‘daily-ish’ approach rather than strict daily adherence. This flexibility reduces the likelihood of self-judgment and giving up if you miss a day, making the habit more sustainable.
If using gamification to make a new habit fun, ensure it’s a game you genuinely want to play and opt into, rather than something imposed by others. Gamification is most effective when it clicks with your personal preferences and feels enjoyable.
Before attempting to change your own or others’ behavior, accurately identify the specific barrier standing in the way (e.g., lack of willpower, confidence, memory, or established habit). Tailor your solutions to address that particular obstacle for greater effectiveness.
While fresh starts provide powerful motivation to begin new goals, recognize that they primarily get you started. To achieve success, combine this initial motivation with additional strategies (e.g., making it fun, building resilient habits) to overcome subsequent obstacles and ensure follow-through.
Use streak tracking (e.g., in apps) as a reward mechanism to reinforce repeated positive behaviors, but incorporate safeguards like ’emergency reserves’ or flexibility. This prevents demotivation and the ‘what the hell effect’ if a streak is broken.
After a successful behavior change or positive interaction, mentally or verbally rehearse what went well. This process helps you understand the successful elements better, reconsolidate the memory, boost confidence, and create detailed, cue-based plans for future execution.