The fundamentals: Why tiny changes make a big difference
How your habits shape your identity
Your behaviours are usually a reflection of your identity. What you do is an indication of the type of person you believe that you are — either consciously or non-consciously. The most effective way to change your habits is to focus on not what you want to achieve, but who you wish to become.
The goal is not to read a book, the goal is to become a reader.
How to build better habits in 4 simple steps
(1) Make it obvious
(2) Make it attractive
(3) Make it easy
(4) Make it satisfying
The 1st law: Make it obvious
The man who didn’t look right
The process of behaviour change always starts with awareness. You need to be aware of your habits before you can change them. Verbalising approach is useful as it raises your level of awareness from a non-conscious habit to a more conscious level.
The best way to start a new habit
(a). I will [BEHAVIOUR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION]
I will meditate for one minute at 7 am, in my kitchen.
The goal is to make the time and location so obvious that, with enough repetition, you get an urge to do the thing at the right time, even if you can’t say why.
(b). After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].
After I pour my cup of coffee each morning, I will meditate for one minute.
The secret to creating a successful habit stack is selecting the right cue to kick things off. Don’t ask yourself to do a habit when you’re likely to be occupied with something else. Your cue should also have the same frequency as your desired habit. You can create a list of habits you do each day without fail and you can link them to your new habits.
Motivation is overrated; Environment often matters more
Habits can be easier to change in a new environment. Go to a new place- a different coffee shop, a bench in the park, a corner of your room you seldom use- and create a new routine there.
“One space, one use.”
When you start mixing contexts, you’ll start mixing habits and the easier ones will usually win out.
The secret to self-control
One of the most practical ways to eliminate a bad habit is to reduce exposure to the cue that causes it.
The 2nd law: Make it attractive
How to make a habit irresistible
Dopamine is released not only when you experience pleasure, but also when you anticipate it. It is the anticipation of a reward — not the reward itself — that gets us to take action.
Temptation bundling works by linking an action you want to do with an action you need to do.
After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [HABIT I NEED]
After [HABIT I NEED], I will [HABIT I WANT]
After I pull out my phone, I will do ten bur-pee , then I will check Facebook.
The role of family and friends in shaping your habits
Join a culture where your desired behaviour is the normal behaviour.
How to find and fix the causes of your bad habits
You simply practice associating your habits with something you enjoy, then you can use that cue whenever you need a bit of motivation.
The 3rd law: Make it easy
Walk slowly, but never backward
“The best is the enemy of the good.”
If you want to master a habit, the key is to start with repetition, not perfection.
The law of least effort
Rather than trying to overcome the friction in your life, you reduce it.
Want to exercise? Set out your workout clothes, shoes, and bottle ahead of time.
Want to eat healthy? Chop up healthy vegetables on weekends and make ready-to-eat options.
How to stop procrastinating by using the two-minute rule
“When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.”
Do thirty minutes of yoga → Take out my yoga mat.
Run three miles → Tie my running shoes.
How to make good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible
A commitment device is a choice you make in the present that controls your actions in the future. Using technology to automate your habits is the most reliable and effective way to guarantee the right behaviour.
The 4th law: Make it satisfying
The cardinal rule of behaviour change
Open a savings account and label it for something you want — “Ordinary skincare”. Whenever you pass on a purchase of cake, put the same amount of money in the account. The immediate reward of seeing yourself save money toward something you want feels a lot better than being deprived.
Incentive can start a habit. Identity sustains a habit.
How to stick with good habits every day
Never miss twice. If you miss one day, try to get back on track as quickly as possible.
“When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good target.”
How an accountability partner can change everything
The best way I know to overcome this predicament is to increase the speed of the punishment associated with the behaviour.
Advanced tactics: How to go from being merely good to being truly great
The goldilocks rule: How to stay motivated in life and work
The goldilocks rule state that humans experience peak motivation when working on tasks that are right on the edge of their current abilities. Not too hard. Not too easy. Just right. Scientists found that to achieve a state of flow, a task must be roughly 4 percent beyond your current ability.
The greatest threat to success is not failure but boredom.
The downside of creating good habits
Men are born soft and supple; dead, they are stiff and hard.
Plants are born tender and pliant; dead, they are brittle and dry.
Thus whoever is stiff and inflexible is a disciple of death.
Whoever is soft and yielding is a disciple of life.
The hard and stiff will be broken. The soft and supple will prevail.
Lao Tzu.
