Understand how habits work to consciously shape them, rather than feeling they happen to you. This empowers you to take control of your behaviors.
Concentrate your efforts on factors within your influence, as randomness is uncontrollable. Over long time horizons, your results tend to align with your habits.
Ask ‘Who is the type of person I wish to be?’ and let that desired identity inform your habits. This creates a more powerful and sustainable behavior change.
Your daily habits (your system) are what drive results, not just your desired outcomes (your goals). If there’s a gap, your daily habits will always win.
Behaviors that are immediately rewarded get repeated, while behaviors that are immediately punished get avoided. Seek meaningful and quick feedback for effective behavior change.
Recognize that bad habits often provide immediate favorable outcomes but negative ultimate outcomes, while good habits have upfront costs but positive ultimate outcomes. This explains why bad habits are easy to fall into.
Build a desired identity by performing small, consistent actions that provide evidence for that identity. This is a more reliable way to change than waiting for an epiphany.
Scale down any new habit to something that takes two minutes or less to do (e.g., ‘read one page,’ ’take out my yoga mat’). This masters the art of showing up and establishes the habit before improvement.
Design your environment so that the cues for good habits are visible, available, and easy to notice. This makes them the path of least resistance.
Reduce friction and simplify habits to increase the likelihood of performance. This involves scaling down habits and making them convenient.
Increase the appeal or excitement of a habit to boost motivation. Strategies like social accountability or temptation bundling can make habits more desirable.
Ensure habits are pleasurable or enjoyable enough that you want to return to them. Align short-term rewards with your desired long-term identity.
To break bad habits, make the cue invisible, the habit unattractive, difficult (increase friction), and unsatisfying (add immediate consequence).
To make behavior change last, join groups where your desired behavior is the normal behavior. This leverages social norms and the desire to belong.
Focus on optimizing habits in your primary environment (your home) first, as you have the most control there. This builds momentum before tackling ‘away court’ situations.
Significant life changes (e.g., having a child, moving, changing jobs) can lead to rapid and sticky behavior changes. These are especially effective if they are hard to reverse.
Often, introducing new good behaviors can naturally displace old bad ones, as there are only 24 hours in a day. Focus on continually upgrading behaviors rather than solely on eliminating bad ones.
If you slip up on a habit, ensure you get back on track immediately. It’s the spiral of repeated mistakes, not the first one, that causes the most damage.
Divide your day into four quarters (morning, afternoon, dinner, night). If you make a mistake, keep it contained to that quarter and get back on track in the next one.
Life is dynamic and your preferences evolve, so the ability to assess your current state, understand your ultimate goal, and quickly correct your course is a crucial life skill.
Know your A (current reality), your B (next step), and your Z (ultimate goal). Work backward from Z, be honest about A, and ensure B is directionally correct.
When brainstorming, start by imagining the magical or ideal outcome (Z) without immediately dismissing it as unrealistic. Be clear about the destination but flexible about the path.
To strategically change behavior, use exercises like the ‘habit scorecard’ to list daily habits and identify specific cues (who, what, when, where, why) for desired or undesired behaviors.
Technologies and simple tools (like habit trackers or continuous glucose monitors) that allow you to visualize your progress can radically change behavior. What gets measured, gets managed.
When trying to influence others’ behavior (or even your own), focus on praising and reinforcing positive actions, rather than constantly pointing out mistakes. This builds momentum and encourages desired behaviors.
Recognize that modern society often rewards patience and long-term investments (e.g., saving for retirement, studying for a degree) over immediate returns.
Regardless of philosophical debates, choose to act in ways that best serve you. This practical approach allows for intentional behavior change.
Increase perseverance and discipline by finding areas or skills you are highly interested in. It’s hard to beat someone who is having fun, as they will work longer and harder.
To achieve great results, maintain high standards and be bothered if something is not as good as it could possibly be. This drive for perfection leads to better outcomes.
The more you take pride in certain elements of your identity, the more strongly behaviors aligned with that identity will stick. You’ll fight to maintain what you’re proud of.
Instead of viewing a bad habit as a single entity, break it down into the specific instances and contexts in which it occurs. This allows for targeted intervention for each instance.
Involve others to increase commitment. Consider coaches or situations where there’s a meaningful social or financial cost for not following through.