Link habits to a larger identity (e.g., ‘a fit person,’ ‘an athlete’) rather than just immediate goals. This provides a larger overarching theme and goal, making the habit more robust and easier to maintain.
Identify and prioritize certain habits you enjoy doing (e.g., resistance training, running) that, when performed, make it easier to execute many other desired habits. Place these enjoyable linchpin habits typically early in the day to leverage their positive impact on subsequent behaviors.
Set out to perform six new habits per day for 21 days, with the expectation of completing four to five of them each day. This system focuses on building the habit of performing habits, rather than just specific ones, allowing for flexibility and preventing burnout.
Schedule habits with the highest limbic friction (hardest to engage in, requiring the most activation energy) during the first 0-8 hours after waking. This phase naturally elevates norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine, making it easier to overcome resistance and perform challenging new habits.
Schedule habits that require very little override of limbic friction (e.g., journaling, practicing music, learning a language) during the 9-15 hours after waking. This phase, characterized by rising serotonin, lends itself to a more relaxed state, making these ‘mellower’ activities easier to consolidate.
During the 16-24 hours after waking (Phase 3, sleep), ensure your environment has very low to no light and keep the room temperature low. This supports deep sleep, which is crucial for neuroplasticity and the consolidation of habits triggered during waking hours.
To break a bad habit, immediately after its execution, engage in a replacement positive habit that is easy to execute. This re-maps neural circuits by linking the bad behavior to a good one, removing the need for constant conscious awareness before the bad habit.
Mentally step through the entire procedure of a new habit from start to finish (e.g., walking into the kitchen, turning on the espresso machine, drawing espresso). This simple mental exercise, done once or twice, sets in motion the necessary neurons and lowers the threshold for actual execution.
Once a habit feels effortless and requires little limbic friction, test its strength by moving it around somewhat randomly to different times of day or circumstances. If you can still perform it, it has achieved true context independence, indicating it’s deeply formed in your nervous system.
Understand that the time it takes to form a habit varies widely among individuals and habits, ranging from 18 to 254 days. Don’t be discouraged if a habit takes longer to form for you, as variability is normal.
Within the 21-day habit system, if you miss a day and don’t perform four to five habits, do not try to compensate by doing more the next day. This built-in permission to ‘fail’ makes the system more adaptable and sustainable.
After completing the 21-day deliberate habit schedule, stop and assess how many of the six habits are automatically incorporated into your routine. Only add more new habits once the previous set has become reflexive.
Drink electrolyte mixes (containing sodium, magnesium, and potassium, without sugar) dissolved in water, especially first thing in the morning and during physical exercise. This supports optimal brain and body function and prevents cognitive and physical performance diminishment from dehydration.
Regulate your sleeping environment’s temperature, as your body temperature needs to drop 1-3 degrees to fall and stay asleep, and increase 1-3 degrees to wake refreshed. Tools like smart mattress covers can automate this process.
If you wake up in the middle of the night, use the minimum amount of light necessary to navigate your surroundings safely. Bright light inhibits melatonin, making it very difficult to fall back asleep.
In the second half of the day (Phase 2), try to start tapering the amount of really bright light you’re getting, unless it’s sunlight at a low solar angle. This supports the natural rise of serotonin and a more relaxed state.
Engage in heat exposure activities like sauna, hot baths, or hot showers in the second half of the day (Phase 2). These activities tend to support a high-serotonin, calm, and relaxed state, beneficial for habit consolidation.
Consider putting a gap of two to four hours between your final bite of food and when you go to sleep at night. This practice can be beneficial for falling and staying in deep sleep, though individual tolerance varies.
To improve the quality and depth of your sleep, consider taking a comprehensive sleep supplement (e.g., AGZ, containing magnesium threonate, theanine, chamomile extract, glycine, saffron, valerian root) 30-60 minutes before sleep.