Consistently do things in advance to put yourself in the best possible position for success, avoiding situations where you are forced by circumstances or in a bad position. This approach helps achieve consistently better results with less effort.
Devise specific, black-and-white rules for yourself to circumvent choice and turn desired behaviors into default behaviors without conscious processing or willpower. This is effective because we are instinctively taught to follow rules.
Use rules to avoid relying on willpower, which eventually runs out, especially later in the day or in social situations. Rules allow you to bypass conscious choice, making desired actions automatic.
Actively invest in relationships with family and partners, as strong connections make it inevitably easier to overcome challenges when they arise.
Create physical or software rules to manage device use, such as leaving your phone outside the bedroom or setting app restrictions with a partner-set password, to avoid late-night stimulation and improve sleep.
Introduce small bits of friction (e.g., charging your phone downstairs) to make undesirable behaviors infinitely less likely. This leverages the environment to dictate behavior rather than relying on willpower.
Establish a consistent morning routine to avoid using cognitive reserve on choices early in the day. This reduces mental load and ensures important actions are completed without negotiation.
Identify your goals and then work backward to establish rules that will put you in the best position to achieve them, making the process easier and more automatic.
Ensure your calendar reflects your true priorities; if something is important, it should be built into your day and have dedicated time, rather than being something you struggle to find time for.
Use diet rules (e.g., low carb, vegan, ‘healthiest thing on menu, no dessert’) to restrict choices and eliminate temptation, making it easier to stick to eating goals without constant willpower.
Adopt a rule like ‘I never say yes on the phone; I’ll get back to you tomorrow’ to avoid disappointing people or making commitments you later regret. This dissipates the situation and allows for considered responses, significantly reducing unwanted commitments.
Create a rule to engage in physical activity that makes you sweat daily, even if the duration or scope varies. This eliminates the negotiation of whether to work out and shifts it to what the workout will look like.
Commit to an hour of physical activity every day, even if it varies in intensity (e.g., walking/running intervals), to transform your relationship with exercise and achieve long-term goals like marathon training.
Approach important daily habits, like exercise, with the same non-negotiable consistency as toothbrushing. A little bit each day, without debate or conscious choice, maintains long-term health and well-being.
Reflect in a journal to identify recurring patterns of unwanted behavior, as memory alone can distort things. Once patterns are recognized, rules can be created to avoid those problems.
If you break a rule or miss a habit one day, commit to not missing the next day. This strategy, ’never miss twice,’ helps you get back on track quickly and prevents a complete derailment.
When a negative inner loop (e.g., ‘I can’t do this’) starts, hit pause and tell yourself, ‘Not this time,’ recognizing that this loop hasn’t led to desired outcomes and a new internal narrative is needed.