Focus on building consistent daily habits (systems) rather than just desired outcomes (goals), as your results are a lagging measure of your habits. This approach ensures sustained success, not just one-time wins.
Define the type of person you wish to be, then let that identity inform your habits. Ask ‘What would a healthy person do?’ to guide your choices and make actions align with who you genuinely believe yourself to be.
Use every small action as a ‘vote’ for the type of person you wish to become. Even a single pushup or written sentence provides evidence to yourself, gradually shifting your self-perception and making desired behaviors feel natural.
Design your environment so that the cues for good habits are visible, available, and easy to notice. The more obvious the cue, the more likely you are to act on the desired behavior.
Increase your motivation to perform good habits by making them appealing or exciting. One strategy is to use social accountability, like arranging to meet a friend for a run, to make the habit more compelling.
Scale down any new habit to something that takes two minutes or less to do, like ‘read one page’ or ’take out my yoga mat.’ This ‘Two-Minute Rule’ helps you master the art of showing up and establish the habit before trying to improve or scale it up.
Ensure that good habits provide immediate pleasure or enjoyment to increase the likelihood of repetition. Align short-term rewards (e.g., a bubble bath after a workout) with your desired long-term identity.
Reduce your exposure to the cues that trigger bad habits. Unsubscribe from tempting emails, unfollow social media accounts that promote unhealthy choices, or physically remove tempting items from your environment.
Reframe or associate negative feelings with bad habits to reduce their appeal. This involves consciously making the undesirable behavior seem less desirable.
Increase the friction or number of steps between yourself and a bad habit. For example, freeze cookie dough to add time and effort to baking, making it less convenient to overeat.
Layer an immediate consequence or cost onto a bad habit to make it less pleasurable. This creates a quick punishment that discourages repetition.
Instead of solely focusing on breaking bad habits, prioritize establishing new, positive behaviors. These new habits will naturally consume time and energy, crowding out the old, undesirable ones.
Design your immediate surroundings, especially your home, to make good choices the path of least resistance. This ‘home court advantage’ allows you to build momentum and handle the majority of your daily behaviors.
Recognize that significant life events (e.g., having a child, changing jobs, moving) create opportunities for rapid and lasting behavior change. These often irreversible shifts can reset your environment and routines.
When you slip up on a habit, be self-forgiving and avoid self-judgment. Apply the ‘Never Miss Twice’ rule: if you miss one day, ensure you get back on track immediately the next day to prevent a spiral of repeated mistakes.
If you make a mistake, try to contain it to a specific part of the day (e.g., morning, afternoon, evening). This prevents one slip-up from derailing your entire day, allowing you to get back on track quickly.
To effectively change behavior, first understand your existing habits and their triggers. Use tools like a ‘habit scorecard’ or ask ‘who, what, when, where, why’ questions to identify cues.
The act of observing or measuring a behavior often changes it. Visualize your progress using habit trackers, spreadsheets, or other tools, as seeing your improvement can motivate continued action.
When trying to encourage desired behaviors in others (or yourself), praise the good actions and largely ignore the bad. Positive reinforcement makes people naturally gravitate towards rewarded behaviors.
Instead of viewing a bad habit as a single entity, identify the specific instances and contexts in which it occurs. Address each ‘mini-habit’ individually with tailored interventions.
When helping others change behavior, simplify the plan to focus on just one small, manageable action. Build momentum with this single change before introducing additional steps.
Clearly define your ultimate desired outcome (Z), then honestly assess your current situation (A). From there, identify the very next, directionally correct step (B) without needing to plan every detail in between.
Maintain a very clear vision of where you want to go, but remain flexible about the specific methods or paths to get there. This allows you to adapt to new opportunities and challenges.
Increase your perseverance and discipline by finding areas or skills that genuinely interest you. It’s easier to work hard and build habits when you enjoy the process, as ‘grit is fit’.
Direct your energy and attention only towards aspects of life and behavior that are within your control, rather than external factors like luck or randomness.
Learn how habits form and operate (cue, craving, response, reward) to become the architect of your own behaviors rather than a victim of them.