Why You Always Want More, And How To Fix It | Michael Easter

1. Rewire Life for Positive Stimulation

Instead of directly fighting bad habits, focus on adding more meaningful and life-giving activities and stimulation to your life. This approach often causes bad habits to naturally fall away by addressing the underlying human need for stimulation.

2. Embrace Short-Term Discomfort

Actively choose short-term discomforts to gain long-term benefits in health, growth, and happiness. This strategy counters the modern tendency to prioritize immediate comfort at the expense of overall well-being.

3. Understand Scarcity Loop Mechanics

Learn that behaviors become addictive when they offer opportunity, unpredictable rewards, and quick repeatability. This understanding allows you to identify and strategically alter these elements in your own habits to reduce their hold.

4. Nix Worst Habits First

Prioritize eliminating your most detrimental habits, as these act like a ‘foot on the brake’ and are more impactful to remove than merely adding new good habits. Removing these significant blockers can create more momentum for positive change.

5. Change Scarcity Loop Elements

To reduce the frequency of an unwanted behavior, modify any of the three parts of the scarcity loop: opportunity, unpredictable rewards, or quick repeatability. By disrupting even one element, you can weaken the habit’s grip.

6. Reduce Opportunity for Bad Habits

Remove temptations from your immediate environment to reduce the opportunity to engage in unwanted behaviors. For example, if you have an Oreo-eating problem, avoid keeping Oreos in your house.

7. Introduce Pause to Behaviors

Reduce the speed at which you can repeat a behavior by introducing a pause, as faster repetition increases the likelihood of habit formation. This can be done through conscious delays or using apps that prompt intentionality.

8. Delay Online Purchases

When shopping online, commit to only buying items in person or by adding them to your cart and waiting 72 hours before completing the purchase. This reduces compulsive, quick buying and allows for reflection.

9. Engage in Meaningful Hobbies

Actively pursue hobbies and fun activities that provide positive stimulation and meaning. This can reduce reliance on food or other less productive behaviors for enjoyment, as you have alternative sources of fulfillment.

10. Practice Intuitive Eating

Learn to listen to your body’s hunger and fullness cues rather than external food rules. This allows you to eat when genuinely hungry and stop when truly full, promoting a healthier relationship with food.

11. Seek Annual Backcountry Stint

Aim to spend at least three days annually in backcountry nature, completely off the grid without a cell phone. This duration has been shown to significantly calm the mind and lead to a meditative state, offering a mental reset.

12. Increase Daily Physical Movement

Incorporate more movement throughout your day by taking stairs, parking farther away, or pacing during phone calls. These small, consistent actions accumulate to significant calorie burn and overall health benefits.

13. Lean Into Boredom

When boredom arises, resist the immediate urge to reach for a device and instead allow your mind to wander. This can be an opportunity for ideas, creative thought, and a break from constant stimulation.

14. Walk Without Electronic Devices

Take walks without your phone or other electronic devices to allow your mind to freely wander and to experience the environment more fully. This simple act can enhance creativity and reduce mental clutter.

15. Actively Embrace Silence

Seek out periods of silence, as the modern world’s constant noise is a stressor that can impair focus and overall well-being. Spending time in quiet environments can lead to reduced stress and improved concentration.

16. Be Willing to Have Hard Conversations

Don’t let difficult issues fester; be willing to engage in tough conversations with loved ones. Addressing these directly can prevent long-term stress and significantly improve relationships.

17. Engage in Self-Introspection

Regularly engage in self-introspection to better understand your thoughts, feelings, and motivations. This is a worthy effort that contributes to personal growth and self-awareness.

18. Undertake a Big Epic Challenge

Consider attempting a significant, challenging endeavor (like an expedition or a long retreat) about once a year. Overcoming such challenges can profoundly change your self-perception and behavior, fostering psychic change.

19. Adopt the ‘2%er’ Mindset

Consciously choose the slightly harder, more beneficial option (like taking the stairs instead of the escalator) in small daily decisions. This mindset helps accumulate long-term gains in health and well-being.

20. Approach Meditation Without Desire

When meditating, avoid looking for specific rewards or outcomes, as desire can hinder the experience. Instead, simply be present and cool with whatever arises, allowing the benefits to unfold naturally.

21. Avoid Shame, Titrate Discomfort

When encouraging yourself or others to embrace discomfort, avoid shame, as the wiring to choose comfort is natural. Instead, focus on small, gradual increases in your comfort zone over time.

22. Recognize Innate Human Capability

Understand that humans are often more capable than they perceive themselves to be, having evolved to be underconfident yet overcapable. Taking the first hard step often reveals hidden strengths and resilience.