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NotefromJamesClear:
IwroteTransformYourHabitstocreateafreeguidethatwouldhelppeoplelikeyoumake
progressinhealth,business,andlife.Youarewelcometoshareitwithanyoneyouthinkit
wouldbenefit.ThelatestversionofTransformYourHabitscanalwaysbedownloadedat
jamesclear.com/habits
Formoreideasonhowtomasteryourhabits,improveyourperformance,andboostyourmental
andphysicalhealth,youcanvisitJamesClear.comorjoinmyfreenewsletterat
jamesclear.com/newsletter
Asalways,thanksforreading.
James
JamesClear.com
1. Howtoreverseyourbadhabitsandsticktogoodones.
2. Thescienceofhowyourbrainprocesseshabits.
3. Thecommonmistakesmostpeoplemake(andhowtoavoidthem).
4. Howtoovercomealackofmotivationandwillpower.
5. Howtodevelopastrongeridentityandbelieveinyourself.
6. Howtomaketimefornewhabits(evenwhenyourlifegetscrazy).
7. Howtodesignyourenvironmenttomakesuccesseasier.
8. Howtomakebigchangesinyourlifewithoutoverwhelmingyourself.
9. Howtogetbackontrackwhenyougetoffcoursewithyourgoals.
10. Andmostimportantly,howtoputtheseideasintopracticeinreallife.
JamesClear.com
Table of Contents
WhyIsItsoHardtoSticktoGoodHabits?
TheCommonMistakeYouWanttoAvoid
TheScienceofHowYourHabitsWork
IdentityBasedHabits:HowtoActuallySticktoYourGoals
17
TheBestWaytoStartaNewHabit
23
HowtoFitNewHabitsintoYourLife
26
HowtoMakeBigChangesWithoutOverwhelmingYourself
31
HowtoGetBackonTrackAfterSlippingup
34
HowtoBreakaBadHabit(andReplaceItWithaGoodOne)
39
HowtoSlowlyEliminateBadHabits
45
TheNextStep:WheretoGoFromHere
48
JamesClear.com
Itseemstoberemarkablyeasytofallintounhealthyroutines.
Eatingjunkfood.
WatchingTVinsteadofgoingtothegym.
Showinguptoajobyouhateeveryday.
Bitingyournails.
Smoking.
Theresnoshortageofunhealthyandunproductivebehaviors.Andweallstrugglewiththem
fromtimetotime.
Butwhy?Youwanttoliveahealthy,fulfilling,andremarkablelife.Andeverynowandthenyou
probablygetreallymotivatedandinspiredtomakeachange.Sohowcomeitismorelikelythat
thistimenextyearyou'llbedoingthesamethingratherthansomethingbetter?Whyisitso
hardtosticktogoodhabits?
Ibelievethatitisbecauseweusuallytrytomakechangesinthewrongway.Andinthisguide,
I'mgoingtoshareablendofscienceandrealworldexperiencesthatshareabetterstrategyfor
makinglongtermchangesinyourlife.
Let'sgetstarted.
JamesClear.com
Youraudaciouslifegoalsarefabulous.Wereproudofyouforhavingthem.Butits
possiblethatthosegoalsaredesignedtodistractyoufromthethingthatsreally
frighteningyoutheshiftindailyhabitsthatwouldmeanareinventionofhowyou
seeyourself.
SethGodin
Transformationsandovernightsuccessesgetalotofhype.(Forgoodreason,whowouldn'twant
tobemoresuccessfulinlesstime?)
Buthere'stheproblem:whenyouhearaboutadramatictransformation(likesomeonelosing
100pounds)oraincrediblesuccessstory(likesomeonebuildingamilliondollarbusinessin1
year),theonlythingyouknowistheeventthatpeoplearetalkingabout.Youdon'thear
anythingabouttheprocessthatcamebeforeitoraboutthehabitsthatledtotheeventualresult.
It'seasytolettheseincrediblestoriestrickyouintodoingtoomuch,toosoon.IknowI'vedone
it.Whenyougetmotivatedandinspiredtotakeyourlifetothenextlevel,it'ssoeasytoget
obsessedwiththeresult.Ineedtolose20pounds(or40or60or100).Ineedtosquat300
pounds(or400or500).Ineedtomeditate3daysperweek(or5or7).
Orthousandsofothervariationsofyourlifegoals.
It'snaturaltothinkthatweneedtheresult,thetransformation,theovernightsuccess.Butthat's
notwhatyouneed.Youneedbetterhabits.
JamesClear.com
Itssoeasytooverestimatetheimportanceofonedefiningmomentandunderestimatethevalue
ofmakingbetterdecisionsonadailybasis.
Almosteveryhabitthatyouhavegoodorbadistheresultofmanysmalldecisionsover
time.Andifthisistrue,iftheproblemsyourefacingnowaretheresultofthousandsofsmall
decisionsmadeoverthecourseofyears,thenwouldntitmakesensethatpathtosuccess,
health,strength,joy,fulfillment,meaning,andvitalitywouldalsobethroughthousandsofdaily
decisions?
Andyet,howeasilyweforgetthiswhenwewanttomakeachange.
Whenyoubecomeobsessedwithachievingaresultquickly,theonlythingyouthinkaboutis
howtogettoyourgoal,andyouforgettorealizethatourprocessforachievinggoalsisjustas
importantaswhetherornotyouachievethematall.Thedesiretoachieveresultsquicklyfools
youintothinkingthattheresultistheprize.
Buthere'sthetruth
Becomingthetypeofpersonyouwanttobecomesomeonewholivesbyastrongerstandard,
someonewhobelievesinthemselves,someonewhocanbecountedonbythepeoplethatmatter
tothemisaboutthedailyprocessyoufollowandnottheultimateproductyouachieve.
Whyisthistrue?Becauseyourlifetodayisessentiallythesumofyourhabits.
Howinshapeoroutofshapeyouare?Aresultofyourhabits.
Howhappyorunhappyyouare?Aresultofyourhabits.
Howsuccessfulorunsuccessfulyouare?Aresultofyourhabits.
JamesClear.com
Whatyourepeatedlydo(i.e.whatyouspendtimethinkingaboutanddoingeachday)ultimately
formsthepersonyouare,thethingsyoubelieve,andthepersonalitythatyouportray.
Themostcommonmistakethatpeoplemakeissettingtheirsightsonanevent,a
transformation,anovernightsuccesstheywanttoachieveratherthanfocusingontheirhabits
androutines.
I'vebeenguiltyofthisjustlikeeveryoneelse.Andeventoday,I'mstilllearninghowtomaster
myhabitsjustlikeyou.
Butovertime,I'vediscoveredahelpfulblendofacademicresearchandrealworldexperiences
thathaveallowedmetomakeprogressinmanyareasoflife.Inthisguide,Iwanttosharethat
progresswithyousothatyoucanavoidchasinganotherovernightsuccessandactuallystickto
yourgoalsforthelongterm.
Let'sgetstartedbytalkingaboutthescienceofstickingtogoodhabits.
JamesClear.com
Thereisasimple3steppatternthateveryhabitfollows.Icallthispatternthe3R'sofHabit
Changeanditgoeslikethis...
1.Reminder(thetriggerthatinitiatesthebehavior)
2.Routine(thebehavioritselftheactionyoutake)
3.Reward(thebenefityougainfromdoingthebehavior)
Thissequencehasbeenprovenoverandoveragainbybehavioralpsychologyresearchers.I
originallylearnedofthiscyclefromStanfordprofessor,BJFogg.Andmorerecently,Iread
aboutitinCharlesDuhiggsbestsellingbook,ThePowerofHabit.
(Duhiggsbookreferstothethreestepsascue,routine,reward.Regardlessofhowit'sphrased,
thepointisthatthereisalotofsciencebehindtheprocessofhabitformation,andsowecanbe
relativelyconfidentthatyourhabitsfollowthesamecycle.)
Letmeshowyouwhatthe3R'slooklikeinreallifebyapplyingtheframeworktoatypicalhabit.
(Inthiscase,answeringaphonecall.)
StepOne:
Yourphonerings(reminder).Thisisthereminderthatinitiatesthebehavior.The
ringactsasatriggerorcuetotellyoutoanswerthephone.Itisthepromptthatstartsthe
behavior.
JamesClear.com
StepTwo:
Youansweryourphone(routine).Thisistheactualbehavior.Whenyourphone
rings,youhaveahabitofansweringit.
StepThree:
Youfindoutwhoiscalling(reward).Therewardisthebenefitgainedfromdoing
thebehavior.Inthiscase,therewardforcompletingthehabitwassatisfyingyourcuriosityto
findoutwhytheotherpersonwascallingyou.
Result:
Iftherewardispositive,thenthecycleformsapositivefeedbackloopthattellsyour
brain,Nexttimethisreminderhappens,dothesamething.(i.e.Whenthephoneringsagain,
answerit.)
Followthissamecycleenoughtimesandyou'llstopthinkingaboutit.Yourbehaviorwilljust
becomeahabit.
All habits form by the same 3step process. (Graphic based on Charles Duhiggs Habit Loop in
The Power of Habit. Created by James Clear.)
JamesClear.com
Howcanyouusethisstructuretocreatenewhabitsandactuallysticktothem?
Hereshow
Ifyoutalktoyourfriendsaboutstartinganewhabit,theymighttellyouthatyouneedto
exerciseselfcontrolorthatyouneedtofindanewdoseofwillpower.
Idisagree.
Gettingmotivatedandtryingtoremembertodoanewbehavioristheexactwrongwaytogo
aboutit.Ifyouthinkaboutthis,itmakessense.Sometimesyoufeelmotivatedandsometimes
youdon't,right?Sowhywouldyouwanttorelyonmotivation(somethingthatchanges)to
createanewhabit(somethingthatyouwanttobeconsistent)?
Thisiswhythereminderthetriggerforyournewbehaviorissuchacriticalpartofforming
newhabits.Agoodremindermakesiteasierforyoutostartyourhabitbyencodingyournew
behaviorinsomethingthatyoualreadydo,ratherthanrelyingongettingmotivated.
Forexample,Icreatedanewhabitofflossingeachdaybyalwaysdoingitafterbrushingmy
teeth.TheactofbrushingmyteethwassomethingthatIalreadydidanditactedasthetrigger
orcuetodomynewbehavior.
JamesClear.com
10
Tomakethingseveneasierandpreventmyselffromhavingtoremembertofloss,Iboughta
bowl,placeditnexttomytoothbrush,andputahandfulofpremadeflossersinit.NowIsee
theflosseverytimeIreachformytoothbrush.
Settingupavisiblereminderandlinkingmynewhabitwithacurrentbehaviormadeitmuch
easiertochange.Noneedtobemotivated.Noneedtoremember.
Itdoesntmatterifitsworkingoutoreatinghealthyorcreatingart,youcantexpectyourselfto
magicallysticktoanewhabitwithoutsettingupasystemthatmakesiteasiertostart.Andfor
thatreason,pickingthecorrectreminderforyournewhabitisthefirststeptomakingchange
easier.
Thereminderthatyouchoosetoinitiateyournewbehaviorisspecifictoyourlifeandthehabit
thatyou'retryingtocreate.
ThebestwayIknowtodiscoveragoodreminderforyournewhabitistowritedowntwolists.
Inthefirstlist,writedownthethingsthatyoudoeachdaywithoutfail.
Forexample
Getintheshower.
Putyourshoeson.
Brushyourteeth.
Flushthetoilet.
Sitdownfordinner.
Turnthelightsoff.
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Getintobed.
Youlloftenfindthatmanyoftheseitemsaredailyhealthhabitslikewashingyourface,drinking
morningtea,brushingyourteeth,andsoon.Thoseactionscanactasremindersfornewhealth
habits.Forexample,
AfterIdrinkmy
morningtea,Imeditatefor60seconds.
Inthesecondlist,writedownthethingsthathappentoyoueachday...
Youstopataredlight.
Yougetatextmessage.
AcommercialcomesonTV.
Asongends.
Thesunsets.
Theseeventscanalsoactastriggersforyournewhabit.Forexample,ifyouwantedto
Whena
commercialcomesonTV,Idofivepushups.
Withthesetwolists,youllhaveawiderangeofthingsthatyoualreadydoandalreadyrespond
toeachday.Thosearetheperfectremindersfornewhabits.
Forexample,letssayyouwanttofeelhappier.Expressinggratitudeisoneprovenwaytoboost
happiness.Usingthelistabove,youcouldpicktheremindersitdownfordinneranduseitasa
cuetosayonethingthatyouregratefulfortoday.
WhenIsitdownfordinner,IsayonethingthatImgratefulfortoday.
Thatsthetypeofsmallbehaviorthatcouldblossomintoamoregratefuloutlookonlifein
general.
JamesClear.com
12
Makeitsoeasyyoucantsayno.
LeoBabauta
AsImentionedinthebeginningofthisguide,itsincrediblyeasytogetcaughtupinthedesire
tomakemassivechangesinyourlife.Wewatchincredibleweightlosstransformationsand
thinkthatweneedtolose30poundsinthenext4weeks.WeseeeliteathletesonTVandwish
thatwecouldrunfasterandjumphighertomorrow.Wewanttoearnmore,domore,andbe
morerightnow.
Ivefeltthosethingstoo,soIgetit.Andingeneral,Iapplaudtheenthusiasm.Imgladthatyou
wantgreatthingsforyourlifeandIwanttodowhatIcantohelpyouachievethem.Butits
importanttorememberthatlastingchangeisaproductofdailyhabits,notonceinalifetime
transformations.
Ifyouwanttostartanewhabitandbeginlivinghealthierandhappier,thenIhaveone
suggestionthatIcannotemphasizeenough:startsmall.InthewordsofLeoBabauta,makeit
soeasythatyoucantsayno.
Howsmall?StanfordprofessorBJFoggsuggeststhatpeoplewhowanttostartflossingbeginby
flossingonlyonetooth.Justone.
Inthebeginning,performancedoesntmatter.Whatdoesmatterisbecomingthetypeofperson
whoalwaysstickstoyournewhabitnomatterhowsmallorinsignificantitseems.Youcan
builduptothelevelofperformancethatyouwantoncethebehaviorbecomesconsistent.
JamesClear.com
13
Yourhomework:
Pickanewhabityouwanttostart.Nowaskyourself,HowcanImakethis
newbehaviorsoeasytodothatIcantsayno?
Itsimportanttocelebrate.(Ithinkthatsjustastrueinlifeasitiswithhabits.)
Whenitcomestostickingtobetterhabits,thereisanimportantreasontoalwaysreward
yourself:wewanttocontinuedoingthingsthatmakeusfeelgood.
Andthatiswhyitsespeciallyimportantthatyourewardyourselfeachtimeyoupracticeyour
newhabit.
Forexample,ifImworkingtowardsanewfitnessgoal,thenIlloftentellmyselfattheendofa
workout,Thatwasagoodday.Or,Goodjob.Youmadeprogresstoday.
Ifyoufeellikeit,youcouldeventellyourselfVictory!orSuccess!eachtimeyoudoyournew
habit.
Ihaventdonethismyself,butsomepeopleswearbyit.
Flossonetooth.Victory!
Eatahealthymeal.Success!
Dofivepushups.Goodwork!
JamesClear.com
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Rewardingyourselfwithpositiveselftalkcantakesomegettingusedtoifyourenotsomeone
whotypicallydoesthat.Butevenifitsoundssilly,researchhasproventhattherewardisan
importantpartofthehabitprocess.Giveyourselfsomecreditandenjoyeachsmallsuccess.
Relatednote:Makesurethatthehabitsyouaretryingtobuildareactuallyimportanttoyou.
Itstoughtofindarewardinsomethingwhenyoureonlydoingitbecauseyouthinkother
peopleexpectitorwouldapproveofit.It'syourlife,somakesureyou'respendingyourtime
onthingsthatareimportanttoyou.
Nowthatwe'vecoveredthescienceofhabitformation,let'stalkabouthowtouseitinreallife.
JamesClear.com
15
We'vecoveredthescienceofhabitformation.Butintherealworld,thereisoftenadifference
betweentheoryandpractice.
WheneverIwrite,Idomybesttonotmerelyshareideasbackedbyscience,butalsotohighlight
realworldlessonsthatmakeiteasierforyoutoputthoseideasintopractice.
Thisisespeciallyimportantwhenitcomestobuildingbetterhabits.Weallwanttobecome
betterpeoplestrongerandhealthier,morecreativeandmoreskilled,abetterfriendorfamily
member.Butevenifwegetreallyinspiredandstartdoingthingsbetter,itstoughtoactually
sticktonewbehaviors.Itsmorelikelythatthistimenextyearyoullbedoingthesamething
thanperforminganewhabitwithease.
Luckily,youcanuseastrategythatIcallidentitybasedhabitstomakechangeeasierandstick
toyourgoalsoverthelongterm.
Here'showitworks...
Mygirlfriendisgreatatrememberingpeoplesnames.
JamesClear.com
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Recently,shetoldmeastorythathappenedwhenshewasinhighschool.Shewenttoalarge
highschoolanditwasthefirstdayofclass.Manyofthestudentshadnevermetbeforethatday.
Theteacherwentaroundtheroomandaskedeachpersontointroducethemselves.Attheend,
theteacheraskedifanyonecouldremembereveryonesname.
Mygirlfriendraisedherhandandproceededtogoaroundtheroomandaccuratelynameall30
orsopeople.Therestoftheroomwasstunned.Theguynexttoherlookedoverandsaid,I
couldntevenrememberyourname.
Shesaidthatmomentwasanaffirmingexperienceforher.Afterthathappenedshefeltlike,Im
thetypeofpersonwhoisgoodatrememberingpeoplesnames.
Eventoday,sheisgreatatrememberingthenamesofanyonewecomeacross.
HereswhatIlearnedfromthatstory:Inordertobelieveinanewidentity,wehavetoproveitto
ourselves.
Thekeytobuildinglastinghabitsisfocusingoncreatinganewidentityfirst.Yourcurrent
behaviorsaresimplyareflectionofyourcurrentidentity.Whatyoudonowisamirrorimageof
thetypeofpersonyoubelievethatyouare(eitherconsciouslyorsubconsciously).
Tochangeyourbehaviorforgood,youneedtostartbelievingnewthingsaboutyourself.
Imaginehowwetypicallysetgoals.WemightstartbysayingIwanttoloseweightorIwant
togetstronger.Ifyourelucky,someonemightsay,Thatsgreat,butyoushouldbemore
specific.Sothenyousay,Iwanttolose20poundsorIwanttosquat300pounds.
JamesClear.com
17
Thesegoalsarecenteredaroundourperformanceorourappearance.
Performanceandappearancegoalsaregreat,buttheyarentthesameashabits.Ifyourealready
doingabehavior,thenthesetypesofgoalscanhelpdriveyouforward.
Butifyouretryingto
startanewbehavior,thenIthinkitwouldbefarbettertostartwithan
identitybasedgoal.
Theimagebelowshowsthedifferencebetweenidentitybasedgoalsandperformanceand
appearancebasedgoals.
JamesClear.com
18
Theinteriorofbehaviorchangeandbuildingbetterhabitsisyouridentity.Eachactionyou
performisdrivenbythefundamentalbeliefthatitispossible.Soifyouchangeyouridentity(the
typeofpersonthatyoubelievethatyouare),thenitseasiertochangeyouractions.
Thereasonwhyitssohardtosticktonewhabitsisthatweoftentrytoachieveaperformanceor
appearancebasedgoalwithoutchangingouridentity.Mostofthetimewetrytoachieveresults
beforeprovingtoourselvesthatwehavetheidentityofthetypeofpersonwewanttobecome.
Itshouldbetheotherwayaround.
Changingyourbeliefsisntnearlyashardasyoumightthink.Therearetwosteps.
1.Decidethetypeofpersonyouwanttobe.
2.Proveittoyourselfwithsmallwins.
Note:
Icannotemphasizeenoughhowimportantitistostartwithincrediblysmallsteps.The
goalisnottoachieveresultsatfirst,thegoalistobecomethetypeofpersonwhocanachieve
thosethings.
Forexample,apersonwhoworksoutconsistentlyisthetypeofpersonwhocanbecomestrong.
Developtheidentityofsomeonewhoworksoutfirst,andthenmoveontoperformanceand
appearancelater.Startsmallandtrustthattheresultswillcomeasyoudevelopanewidentity.
Onthenextpage,you'llfindfiveexamplesofhowyoucanuseidentitybasedhabitsinreallife.
Example1:Wanttoloseweight?
JamesClear.com
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Identity:Becomethetypeofpersonwhomovesmoreeveryday.
Smallwin:Buyapedometer.Walk50stepswhenyougethomefromwork.Tomorrow,walk100
steps.Thedayafterthat,150steps.Ifyoudothis5daysperweekandadd50stepseachday,
thenbytheendoftheyear,youllbewalkingover10,000stepsperday.
Example2:Wanttobecomeabetterwriter?
Identity:Becomethetypeofpersonwhowrites1,000wordseveryday.
Smallwin:Writeoneparagrapheachdaythisweek.
Example3:Wanttobecomestrong?
Identity:Becomethetypeofpersonwhonevermissesaworkout.
Smallwin:DopushupseveryMonday,Wednesday,andFriday.
Example4:Wanttobeabetterfriend?
Identity:Becomethetypeofpersonwhoalwaysstaysintouch.
Smallwin:CallonefriendeverySaturday.Ifyourepeatthesamepeopleevery3months,youll
stayclosewith12oldfriendsthroughouttheyear.
Example5:Wanttobetakenseriouslyatwork?
Identity:becomethetypeofpersonwhoisalwaysontime.
JamesClear.com
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Smallwin:Schedulemeetingswithanadditional15minutegapbetweenthemsothatyoucan
gofrommeetingtomeetingandalwaysshowupearly.
Inmyexperience,whenyouwanttobecomebetteratsomething,provingyouridentityto
yourselfisfarmoreimportantthangettingamazingresults.Thisisespeciallytrueatfirst.
Ifyouwanttogetmotivatedandinspired,thenfeelfreetowatchaYouTubevideo,listentoyour
favoritesong,ortryP90X.Butdontbesurprisedifyouburnoutafteraweek.Youcantrelyon
beingmotivatedtomakelastingchangesinyourlife.Youhavetobecomethetypeofpersonyou
wanttobe,andthatstartswithprovingyournewidentitytoyourself.
Ifyourelookingtomakeachange,thenIsaystopworryingaboutresultsandstartworrying
aboutyouridentity.Becomethetypeofpersonwhocanachievethethingsyouwanttoachieve.
Buildthehabitnow.Theresultscancomelater.
Identitybasedhabitsofferaframeworkthroughwhichtoviewyourgoals.The3R'sofhabit
changeprovideaplanforachievingyournewidentity.Combiningbothoftheseideascanmake
changeeasierforyouoverall.
Inotherwords,identitybasedhabitskeepyoufocusedontherightthings:likestartingsmall,
buildingyouridentity,andnotworryingaboutresults.Meanwhile,the3R'sofhabitchange
JamesClear.com
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makesurethatyoudothingsintherightway:likelinkingyournewhabittoacurrentbehavior
andrewardingyourselfforajobwelldone.
JamesClear.com
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Ifyoureseriousaboutdoingthingsbetterthanyouarenowinotherwords,ifyou'reserious
aboutstickingtogoodhabitsthenyouhavetostartsmall.
Imaginethetypicalhabits,goodorbad:Brushingyourteeth.Puttingyourseatbelton.Biting
yournails.
Theseactionsaresmallenoughthatyoudonteventhinkaboutthem.Yousimplydothem
automatically.Theyaretinyactionsthatbecomeconsistentpatterns.
Wouldntitmakesensethatifwewantedtoformnewhabits,thebestwaytostartwouldbeto
maketinychangesthatourbraincouldquicklylearnandautomaticallyrepeat?
Whatifyoustartedthinkingofyourlifegoals,notasbig,audaciousthingsthatyoucanonly
achievewhenthetimeisrightorwhenyouhavebetterresourcesorwhenyoufinallycatchyour
bigbreakbutinsteadastiny,dailybehaviorsthatarerepeateduntilsuccessbecomes
inevitable?
Whatiflosing50poundswasntdependentonaresearcherdiscoveringtheperfectdietoryou
findingasuperhumandoseofwillpower,buthingedonaseriesoftinyhabitsthatyoucould
alwayscontrol?Habitslikewalkingfor20minutesperday,drinking8glassesofwaterperday,
eatingtwomealsinsteadofthree.
Toooftenwegetobsessedwithmakinglifechangingtransformations.Ibelieveyouwouldmake
moreprogressbyfocusingonlifestylebehaviors.
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Losing50poundswouldbelifechanging,drinking8glassesofwaterperdayisanew
typeoflifestyle.
Publishingyourfirstbookwouldbelifechanging,emailinganewbookagenteachdayis
anewtypeoflifestyle.
Runningamarathonwouldbelifechanging,running3daysperweekisanewtypeof
lifestyle.
Earninganextra$20,000eachyearwouldbelifechanging,workinganextra5hours
perweekasafreelancerisanewtypeoflifestyle.
Squatting100morepoundswouldbelifechanging,squatting3daysperweekisanew
typeoflifestyle.
Doyouseethedifference?
IthinkthefollowingquotefromBJFogg,aprofessoratStanfordUniversity,sumsthisideaup
nicely.
Ifyouplanttherightseedintherightspot,itwillgrowwithoutfurthercoaxing.I
believethisisthebestmetaphorforcreatinghabits.
Therightseedisthetinybehaviorthatyouchoose.Therightspotisthesequencing
whatitcomesafter.Thecoaxingpartisampingupmotivation,whichIthinkhas
nothingtodowithcreatinghabits.Infact,focusingonmotivationasthekeytohabits
isexactlywrong.
Letmebemoreexplicit:Ifyoupicktherightsmallbehaviorandsequenceitright,then
youwonthavetomotivateyourselftohaveitgrow.Itwilljusthappennaturally,likea
goodseedplantedinagoodspot.
BJFogg
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Howgreatisthat?
Thetypicalapproachistodiveintothedeependassoonasyougetadoseofmotivation,onlyto
failquicklyandwishyouhadmorewillpowerasyournewhabitdrowns.Thenewapproachisto
wadeintotheshallowwater,slowlygoingdeeperuntilyoureachthepointwhereyoucanswim
whetheryouremotivatedornot.
Dailyhabitstinyroutinesthatarerepeatablearewhatmakebigdreamsareality.Dream
big,butstartsmall.
JamesClear.com
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Knowinghowtomakechangesisonething,butfittingnewgoalsintoyourlifeis
somethingelseentirely.
Makingchangesistough.Wheneveryourschedulegetscrazy,theinertiaoflifecanpullyou
awayfromyourgoalsandrightbackintoyouroldhabits.
Howcanyouovercomethistendencytofalloffcourseandmaketimefornewgoalsinyour
schedule?
Usingthestrategiesalreadymentionedinthisguidelikethe3R'sofhabitchangeand
identitybasedhabitswillhelpkeepyouontrack.
Butthosestrategiesaren'ttheonlytoolsatyourdisposal.Inthissection,I'llshareanotherway
tosticktogoodhabitsthatdoesn'trequireincredibledosesofwillpowerorremarkable
motivation.I'llalsosharetwoexamplesofhowI'veusedthisstrategysuccessfullyinmyown
life.
Ifyoureanythinglikethetypicalhuman,thenyouhavedreamsandgoalsinyourlife.Infact,
thereareprobablymanythingslargeandsmallthatyouwouldliketoaccomplish.
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Thatsgreat,butthereisonecommonmistakeweoftenmakewhenitcomesto
settinggoals.(IknowIvecommittedthiserrormanytimesmyself.)
Theproblemisthis:wesetadeadline,butnotaschedule.
Wefocusontheendgoalthatwewanttoachieveandthedeadlinewewanttodoitby.Wesay
thingslike,Iwanttolose20poundsbythesummerorIwanttoadd50poundstomybench
pressinthenext12weeks.
Theproblemwiththisstrategyisthatifwedontachievethearbitrarytimelinethatwesetinthe
beginning,thenwefeellikeafailureevenifwearebetteroffthanwewereatthestart.The
endresult,sadly,isthatweoftengiveupifwedontreachourgoalbytheinitialdeadline.
Heresthegoodnews:theresabetterwayanditssimple.
Inmyexperience,abetterwaytoapproachyourgoalsandbuildgoodhabitsistosetaschedule
tooperatebyratherthanadeadlinetoperformby.
Insteadofgivingyourselfadeadlinetoaccomplishaparticulargoalby(andthenfeelinglikea
failureifyoudontachieveit),youshouldchooseagoalthatisimportanttoyouandthenseta
scheduletoworktowardsitconsistently.
Thatmightnotsoundlikeabigshift,butitis.
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Mostofthetime,Itrytobeapractitionerofmyideasandnotjustsomeonewhosharestheir
opinion,soallowmetoexplainthisstrategybyusingtworealexamplesfrommyownlife.
Example 1: Writing
IpublishanewarticleeveryMondayandThursday.SincemyfirstarticleonNovember12,2012,
Ivebeendeliveringtwoarticlesperweek,everyweek.Sometimesthearticleisshorterthan
expected,sometimesitsnotascompellingasIhadhoped,andsometimesitsnotasusefulasit
couldbebutitgetsouttotheworldnonetheless.
Ofcourse,Ididn'talwaysoperateonaMondayThursdayschedule.Infact,Icameupwith
reasonsforactivelyavoidingaschedule.Itoldmyself,IdomybestwritingwhenI'minspired,
soI'lljustwaituntilIgettheurgetowrite.
IassumedthatifIwasn'tdoingmybestwork,thenIshouldn'tbedoingitatall.Theproblem
withthatstrategyisthatmyoutputwaserraticatbest.
Ittookmeawhiletorealizeit,butit'snotaboutalwaysdoingyourbestwork,it'saboutdoingthe
bestyoucanonaconsistentbasis.
OnceIstoppedfocusingonresultsandsimplyheldmyselftoaconsistentschedule,mywork
andmyoutputimproved.Inthefirst6monthsafterIstartedwritingtwotimesperweek,I
wrotemoreinquantityandbetterinqualitythanintheprevioustwoyears.
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Itdoesn'tmatterwhatyou'redoing,ifyouonlyworkwhenyoufeelmotivated,thenyou'llnever
beconsistentenoughtomakesignificantimpactonyourlife.
Example 2: Exercise
InAugust2012,IdecidedthatIwantedtodo100pushupsinarowwithstrictform.WhenI
trieditthefirsttime,Ionlygot36.
Inthepast,Imighthavesetadeadlineformyself:Do100pushupsbyDecember31st.
Thistime,Idecidedtosetascheduleformyworkouts.Istarteddoingpushupworkoutsevery
Monday,Wednesday,andFriday.Therewasnototalpushupgoalforanysingleworkout.The
goalissimplytodotheworkout.(JustlikethereisnosinglegoalforanyonearticleIwrite.The
goalissimplytowritethearticle.)
I'mstillonmywayto100consecutivepushups(mycurrentbestis80inarow),butinthe9
monthsthathavefollowedsinceIbegan,IhavekeptmyMonday,Wednesday,Fridayschedule
andcompletedover100pushupworkouts.
Inbothcases(writingandexercise),Imadeconsistentprogresstowardsmygoalsnotbysetting
adeadlineformyperformance,butbystickingtoaschedule.Thefocusisondoingtheaction,
notonachievingXgoalbyacertaindate.
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Ifyouwanttobethetypeofpersonwhoaccomplishesthingsonaconsistentbasis,thengive
yourselfascheduletofollow,notadeadlinetoracetowards.
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I'mabigproponentofdoingonethingatatime.Thereisamountainofscientificresearch
showingthatmultitaskinganddividingyourattentionislessproductivethanstayingfocused
onasinglegoal.
Butwhatifyouwanttochangemultiplethingsinyourlife?Whatifyouwanttogetbetterat
morethanonethingandyouwanttodoitrightnow?
Well,I'vegotgoodnews.Thankstokeystonehabitsyoucanactuallyfocusonasinglething
andimproveyourlifeinmultipleareasatthesametime.
Let'stalkaboutwhatkeystonehabitsareandhowyoucanusetheminyourlife.
Akeystonehabitisabehaviororroutinethatnaturallypullstherestofyourlifeinorder.
IfirstheardaboutthisideainCharlesDuhiggsbook,ThePowerofHabit.WhenIstarted
lookingatmyownlife,Ibegantonoticeafewroutinesthatledtobetterbehaviorselsewhere.
Forexample,afunnythinghappenswhenIliftweights...
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WhenIworkout,Iwanttoeatbetter.EventhoughIcouldrewardmyselfwithchocolatebars
andicecream,Ifeellikeeatinghealthy,unprocessedfoods.
WhenIstartworkingafterexercising,Iseemtobemoreproductive.Mymindisclearerandmy
writingiscrisper.Thoughtsfloweasily.
Andattheendoftheday,Ifallasleepquickly.ItendtosleepmoreandfeelfreshwhenIwake
up.
AndwhenIdon'texercise,Iseetheoppositeeffect.I'mmorepronetoeatingjunkfood.Istayup
later,getdistractedmoreeasily,andIwastetimeonunimportanttasks.StressbuildsandIstart
tofeeltensioninmyback.
Inotherwords,fitnessisthekeystonehabitthatputstherestofmylifeinplace.Idonthaveto
thinkabouteatingbetter.Idonthavetoforcemyselftofocusongettingthingsdone.
Imnotalwaysontopofmygame,butonthedaysItraineverythingseemstocomealittlebit
easier.Exercisenaturallypushesmetowardsmybestself.
Improvingyourlifestyleandbecomingthetypeofpersonwhohastheiracttogetherisnt
nearlyashardasyoumightthink.Infact,youmightneedjustonekeystonehabitbeforethe
dominoesstartfallingeverywhere.
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Ifyouhavemultiplethingsthatyouwouldliketoimprove,imaginehowmucheasieritwouldbe
foryoutodoifyoudiscoveredoneortwokeystonehabitsthatnaturallyputyouonthepathto
success.
Thegoodnews?Youprobablyalreadyknowwhatthesebehaviorsareforyou.
Whatistheonethingthatwhenyoudoityourdayseemstogomoresmoothly?
Forme,itisworkingout.Meanwhile,otherpeopleswearbyamorningrun.Andyou'llfind
dozensofCEOswhoclaimtheirdailymeditationhabitisthekeytotheirsuccess.
Nomatterwhatyourkeystonehabitis,itisworthyourtimetofocusonitanddomoreofit.The
righthabit,whendoneconsistently,canimpactyourlifeinmanyways
.
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Habitformationhingesonyourabilitytobounceback.Therewillalwaysbeinstanceswhen
followingyourregularroutineisbasicallyimpossible.
Butsmallhiccupsdontmakeyouafailure,theymakeyouhuman.Themostsuccessfulpeople
intheworldslipupontheirhabitstoo.Whatseparatesthemisnttheirabilitytoavoidmistakes,
itstheirabilitytogetbackontrackquickly.
Theimportantthingtorealizeisthatthebeststrategyisn'ttoavoidfailure,it'stoplanforit.
Usingthe4strategiesbelow,youcanplanforchaosanddevelopastrategyforgettingbackon
trackbeforeyougetoffcourse.
Claimingthatyouwanttoaccomplishvaguegoals(i.e.
Iwanttoeathealthier
)doesn'tgive
yourmindaclearscheduletooperateby.
Yourhabitsneedatimeandplacetoliveinyourlife.
Wanttogetbackontrackwithyourwritingschedule?9amonMondaymorning.Buttinchair.
Handsonkeyboard.Thatswhenthisishappening.
Wanttoexercise?Giveyourselfatimeandplacethatitneedstohappen.6pmeveryMonday,
Wednesday,andFriday.Illseeyouinthegym.
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Thebottomlineisthis:itmightbenicetotellyourselfthatyouregoingtochange,butgetting
specificmakesitrealandgivesyouareasonandaremindertogetbackontrackwheneveryou
slipup.
Soonisnotatimeandsomeisnotanumber.Whenandwhere,exactly,areyougoingtodothis?
Doyouhaveasysteminplacetoautomaticallyremindyoutodoyournewhabit?
Note:Anotherwaytoautomaticallyremindyourselfisbytyingyournewhabittoacurrent
behavior.Formoreonthis,gobackandreadChapter2.
Itsnottheindividualimpactofslippingupthatisabigdeal.Itsthecumulativeimpactofnever
gettingbackontrack.(i.e.Ifyoumissoneworkout,youwon'tsuddenlybeoutofshape,but
missing3weekswillmakeadifference.)
Forthatreason,itscriticaltosticktoyourschedule,evenifitsonlyinaverysmallway.
Donthaveenoughtimetodoafullworkout?Justsquat.
Donthaveenoughtimetowriteanarticle?Writeaparagraph.
Donthaveenoughtimetodoyoga?Taketensecondstobreathe.
Donthaveenoughtimetogoonvacation?Giveyourselfaminibreakanddrivetothe
neighboringtown.
Findawaytosticktotheschedule,nomatterhowsmallitis.Here'sanotherexample...
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Letssayyouwokeuptodaywiththeintentionofrunning3milesthisafternoon.Duringtheday,
yourschedulegotcrazyandtimestartedtogetawayfromyou.Whenyoulookupattheclock,
youonlyhave20minutestoworkout.
Atthispoint,youhavetwooptions.
Thefirstoption
istosay,Twentyminutesisn'tenoughtimetochangemyclothes,putonmy
runningshoes,andworkout.Atthispoint,you'llprobablyconvinceyourselfthatyourtimeis
betterspentgettingcaughtuponemailsormakingaphonecallyou'vebeenputtingoffora
thousandotheralternatives.
ThisiswhatIwouldusuallyhavedoneinthepastgetpressedfortimeandcomeupwitha
goodreasonfornotworkingoutatall.
Thesecondoption
istoreducethescope,butsticktotheschedule.Youcouldtellyourself,
Twentyminutesisn'tenoughtimetogetchangedandrun3miles,butitisenoughtimetoput
onmyshoesandrun5sprints.
Onadailybasis,theimpactofdoingfivesprintsisntthatsignificant,especiallywhenyouhad
plannedtorun3miles.Butthecumulativeimpactofalwaysstayingonscheduleishuge.
Furthermore,thisstrategyallowsyoutoprovetoyourselfthatyoucangetsomethingdoneeven
whenthesituationisn'tideal.Itsthecumulativeimpactofalwaysstickingtoyourschedulethat
willcarryyoutolongtermsuccess.Thatshowlittlegoalsbecomelifetimehabits.
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Ivebeenonmanyteamsthroughoutmyathleticcareer.Youknowwhathappenswhen
youhavefriends,teammates,andcoachesexpectingyoutobeatpractice?Youshowup.
Thegoodnewsisthatyoudonthavetobeonateamtomakethiswork.Talkto
strangersandmakefriendsinthegym.Simplyknowingthatafamiliarfaceexpectsto
seeyoucanbeenoughtogetyoutoshowup.
Ifyouthinkthatyouneedmoremotivationormorewillpowertosticktoyourgoals,thenIhave
goodnews.Youdont.
Mostofusacknowledgethatthepeoplewhosurroundusinfluenceourbehaviors,butthe
connectionbetweentheitemsthatsurroundusandourbehaviorsislessobvious.
Thetruthisthatthesignsyouread,thethingsthatareonyourdeskatwork,thepictures
hangingonyourwallathomeareallpiecesofyourenvironmentthatcantriggeryoutotake
differentactionsregardlessofhowmotivatedyoufeel.
WhenIwantedtostartflossingconsistently,oneofthemostusefulchangesImadewastaking
theflossoutofthedrawerandkeepingitnexttomytoothbrushonthecounter.Itsoundslikea
sillythingtofocuson,butthevisualcueofseeingtheflosseverytimeIbrushedmyteethmeant
thatIdidnthavetoremembertopullitoutofthedrawer.
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Withthissimpleenvironmentchange,ImadeiteasytodothenewhabitandIdidntneedmore
willpowerormotivationtodoit.
Changecanbehard.Inthebeginning,yourhealthyhabitsmighttaketwostepsforward
andonestepback.Anticipatingthosebackwardstepsanddevelopingaplanforgetting
backontrackquicklycanmakeallthedifferenceintheworld.
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We'vecoveredalotofinformationonhowtobuildgoodhabits,butwhataboutbreakingbad
ones?
Badhabitsinterruptyourlifeandpreventyoufromaccomplishingyourgoals.Theyjeopardize
yourhealthbothmentallyandphysically.Andtheywasteyourtimeandenergy.
Sowhydowestilldothem?Andmostimportantly,isthereanythingyoucandoaboutit?How
canyoudeleteyourbadbehaviorsandsticktogoodonesinstead?
Icertainlydonthavealloftheanswers,butkeepreadingandIllsharewhatIvelearnedabout
howtobreakabadhabit.
Mostofyourbadhabitsarecausedbytwothings
Stressandboredom.
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Mostofthetime,badhabitsaresimplyawayofdealingwithstressandboredom.Everything
frombitingyournailstooverspendingonashoppingspreetodrinkingeveryweekendto
wastingtimeontheinternetcanbeasimpleresponsetostressandboredom.
Butitdoesnthavetobethatway.Youcanteachyourselfnewandhealthywaystodealwith
stressandboredom,whichyoucanthensubstituteinplaceofyourbadhabits.
Ofcourse,sometimesthestressorboredomthatisonthesurfaceisactuallycausedbydeeper
issues.Theseissuescanbetoughtothinkabout,butifyoureseriousaboutmakingchangesthen
youhavetobehonestwithyourself.Aretherecertainbeliefsorreasonsthatarebehindthebad
habit?Istheresomethingdeeperafear,anevent,oralimitingbeliefthatiscausingyouto
holdontosomethingthatisbadforyou?
Recognizingthecausesofyourbadhabitsiscrucialtoovercomingthem.
Allofthehabitsthatyouhaverightnowgoodorbadareinyourlifeforareason.Insome
way,thesebehaviorsprovideabenefittoyou,eveniftheyarebadforyouinotherways.
Sometimesthebenefitisbiologicallikeitiswithsmokingordrugs.Sometimesitsemotional
likeitiswhenyoustayinarelationshipthatisbadforyou.Andinmanycases,yourbadhabitis
asimplewaytocopewithstress.Forexample,bitingyournails,pullingyourhair,tappingyour
foot,orclenchingyourjaw.
Thesebenefitsorreasonsextendtosmallerbadhabitsaswell.
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Forexample,openingyouremailinboxassoonasyouturnonyourcomputermightmakeyou
feelconnected.Atthesametimelookingatallofthoseemailsdestroysyourproductivity,
dividesyourattention,andoverwhelmsyouwithstress.But,itpreventsyoufromfeelinglike
youremissingoutandsoyoudoitagain.
Becausebadhabitsprovidesometypeofbenefitinyourlife,itsverydifficulttosimplyeliminate
them.(Thisiswhysimplisticadvicelikejuststopdoingitrarelyworks.)Instead,youneedto
replaceabadhabitwithanewhabitthatprovidesasimilarbenefit.
Forexample,ifyousmokewhenyougetstressed,thenitsabadplantojuststopsmoking
whenthathappens.Instead,youshouldcomeupwithadifferentwaytodealwithstressand
insertthatnewbehaviorinsteadofhavingacigarette.
Inotherwords,badhabitsaddresscertainneedsinyourlife.Andforthatreason,itsbetterto
replaceyourbadhabitswithahealthierbehaviorthataddressesthatsameneed.Ifyouexpect
yourselftosimplycutoutbadhabitswithoutreplacingthem,thenyoullhavecertainneedsthat
willbeunmetanditsgoingtobehardtosticktoaroutineofjustdontdoitforverylong.
Herearesomeadditionalideasforbreakingyourbadhabitsandthinkingabouttheprocessina
newway.
Chooseasubstituteforyourbadhabit.
Youneedtohaveaplanaheadoftimeforhowyouwill
respondwhenyoufacethestressorboredomthatpromptsyourbadhabit.Whatareyougoing
todowhenyougettheurgetosmoke?(Example:breathingexercisesinstead.)Whatareyou
goingtodowhenFacebookiscallingtoyoutoprocrastinate?(Example:writeonesentencefor
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work.)Whateveritisandwhateveryouredealingwith,youneedtohaveaplanforwhatyouwill
doinsteadofyourbadhabit.
Cutoutasmanytriggersaspossible.
Ifyousmokewhenyoudrink,thendontgotothebar.If
youeatcookieswhentheyareinthehouse,thenthrowthemallaway.Ifthefirstthingyoudo
whenyousitonthecouchispickuptheTVremote,thenhidetheremoteinaclosetina
differentroom.Makeiteasieronyourselftobreakbadhabitsbyavoidingthethingsthatcause
them.
Rightnow,yourenvironmentmakesyourbadhabiteasierandgoodhabitsharder.Changeyour
environmentandyoucanchangetheoutcome.
Joinforceswithsomebody.
Howoftendoyoutrytodietinprivate?Ormaybeyouquit
smokingbutyoukeptittoyourself?(Thatwaynoonewillseeyoufail,right?)
Instead,pairupwithsomeoneandquittogether.Thetwoofyoucanholdeachother
accountableandcelebrateyourvictoriestogether.Knowingthatsomeoneelseexpectsyoutobe
betterisapowerfulmotivator.
Visualizeyourselfsucceeding.
Seeyourselfthrowingawaythecigarettesorbuyinghealthyfood
orwakingupearly.Whateverthebadhabitisthatyouarelookingtobreak,visualizeyourself
crushingit,smiling,andenjoyingyoursuccess.Seeyourselfbuildinganewidentity.
Youdontneedtobesomeoneelse,youjustneedtoreturntotheoldyou.
Sooftenwethinkthat
tobreakourbadhabits,weneedtobecomeanentirelynewperson.Thetruthisthatyoualready
haveitinyoutobesomeonewithoutyourbadhabits.Infact,itsveryunlikelythatyouhad
thesebadhabitsallofyourlife.Youdontneedtoquitsmoking,youjustneedtoreturntobeing
anonsmoker.Youdontneedtotransformintoahealthyperson,youjustneedtoreturnto
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beinghealthy.Evenifitwasyearsago,youhavealreadylivedwithoutthisbadhabit,which
meansyoucanmostdefinitelydoitagain.
Usetheword
but
toovercomenegativeselftalk.Onethingaboutbattlingbadhabitsisthat
itseasytojudgeyourselffornotactingbetter.Everytimeyouslipupormakeamistake,its
easytotellyourselfhowmuchyousuck.
Wheneverthathappens,finishthesentencewithbut
Imfatandoutofshape,butIcouldbeinshapeafewmonthsfromnow.
Imstupidandnobodyrespectsme,butImworkingtodevelopavaluableskill.
Imafailure,buteverybodyfailssometimes.
Planforfailure.
Weallslipupeverynowandthen.AsmymainmanSteveKambsays,When
youscrewup,skipaworkout,eatbadfoods,orsleepin,itdoesntmakeyouabadperson.It
makesyouhuman.Welcometotheclub.
Soratherthanbeatingyourselfupoveramistake,planforit.Weallgetofftrack,whatseparates
topperformersfromeveryoneelseisthattheygetbackontrackveryquickly.
Itseasytogetcaughtupinhowyoufeelaboutyourbadhabits.Youcanmakeyourselffeel
guiltyorspendyourtimedreamingabouthowyouwishthingswerebutthesethoughtstake
youawayfromwhatsactuallyhappening.
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Instead,itsawarenessthatwillshowyouhowtoactuallymakechange.Whendoesyourbad
habitactuallyhappen?Howmanytimesdoyoudoiteachday?Whereareyou?Whoareyou
with?Whattriggersthebehaviorandcausesittostart?
Simplytrackingtheseissueswillmakeyoumoreawareofthebehaviorandgiveyoudozensof
ideasforstoppingit.
Heresasimplewaytostart:justtrackhowmanytimesperdayyourbadhabithappens.Puta
pieceofpaperinyourpocketandapen.Eachtimeyourbadhabithappens,markitdownon
yourpaper.Attheendoftheday,countupallofthetallymarksandcalculateyourtotal.
Inthebeginningyourgoalisnttojudgeyourselforfeelguiltyaboutdoingsomethingunhealthy
orunproductive.Theonlygoalistobeawareofwhenithappensandhowoftenithappens.
Wrapyourheadaroundtheproblembybeingawareofit.Then,youcanstarttoimplementthe
ideasinthisarticleandbreakyourbadhabit.
Breakingbadhabitstakestimeandeffort,butmostlyittakesperseverance.Mostpeoplewho
endupbreakingtheirbadhabitstryandfailmultipletimesbeforetheymakeitwork.Youmight
nothavesuccessrightaway,butthatdoesntmeanyoucanthaveitatall.
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Thereisanotherwaytobreakbadhabits.ItinvolvesaconceptIrefertoasaBrightLinesRule.
Abrightlinerulereferstoaclearlydefinedruleorstandard.Itisarulewithclearinterpretation
andverylittlewiggleroom.Itestablishesabrightlineforwhattheruleissayingandwhatitis
notsaying.
Mostofus,myselfincluded,couldbenefitfromsettingbrighterlinesinourpersonaland
professionallives.Considersomecommonexamples:
Wemightsaythatwewanttocheckemaillessfrequently.
Wemightsaythatwewanttodrinkmoderately.
Wemightsaythatwewanttosavemoreforretirement.
Wemightsaythatwewanttoeathealthier.
Butwhatdothesestatementsreallymean?
Whatdoesitmeantocheckemaillessfrequently?Areyougoingtotrytobebetter
aboutitandhopethatworks?Willyousetspecificdaysorcertaintimeswhenyouwill
beunavailable?Willyoucheckemailonweekends?Willyouprocessemailonlyonyour
computer?
What,exactly,ismoderatedrinking?Isitonedrinkperweek?Fivedrinksperweek?Ten
drinksperweek?Wehaventdefinedit,sohowwillweknowifwearemakingprogress?
Whatdoesitmeantosavemore?Moreisnotanumber.Howmuchismore?Whenwill
yousave?Everymonth?Everypaycheck?
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Whatdoeseatinghealthierlooklikeonadailybasis?Doesthatmeanyoueatmore
servingsofvegetables?Ifso,howmanymore?Doyouwanttostartbyeatingahealthy
mealonceperday?Twiceperday?Everymeal?
Itcanbeeasytomakepromiseslikethistoyourself,buttheydonotcreatebrightlines.Fuzzy
statementsmakeprogresshardtomeasure,andthethingswemeasurearethethingswe
improve.
Now,doweneedtomeasureeveryareaofourlives?Ofcoursenot.Butifsomethingis
importanttoyou,thenyoushouldestablishabrightlineforit.Considerthefollowing
alternatives:
Ionlyprocessemailbetween11AMand6PM.
Ienjoyamaximumof2drinkspernight.
Isave$500permonthforretirement.
Ieatatleasttwotypesofvegetablesperday.
Thesestatementsestablishbrightlines.Thesestatementsmakeactionstepspreciseand
obvious.Vaguepromiseswillneverleadtoclearresults.
Progressive Extremism
IfirstlearnedofthisideafrommyfriendNirEyalwhoproposesasimilarstrategythathecalls
ProgressiveExtremism.Toexplaintheconcept,Nirusestheexampleofbeingavegetarian.If
youwereinterestedinbecomingavegetarian,youmightstartbysaying,Idonteatredmeat.
Thegoalisnottochangeeverythingatonce,buttotakeaveryclearandextremestandinone
smallarea.Youareestablishingabrightlineonthattopic.
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Overtime,youcanprogressivelymoveyourbrightlineforwardandaddotherbehaviorstothe
mix.(i.e.Idonteatredmeatorfish.Andsoon.)
Establishingbrightlinesinyourlifecanprovideahugeboostindailywillpower.Herearetwo
reasonswhy:
First,brightlinesshifttheconversationinyourheadfromoneofsacrificetooneof
empowerment.Whenyoudonthaveabrightlineestablishedandyouchoosenottodo
something,thetendencyistosay,Oh,Icantdoitthistime.Conversely,whenyoudohavea
brightlineclearlyset,yourresponsecansimplybe,Nothanks,Idontdothat.Brightlines
helpyouavoidmakingjustthisonceexceptions.Instead,youarefollowinganewidentitythat
youhavecreatedforyourself.
Second,byestablishingcleardecisionsinyourlife,youconservewillpowerforotherimportant
choices.Herestheproblemwithtryingtomakedailydecisionsinmuddywater:Withoutbright
lines,youmustdecidewhetherasituationfitsyourstandardseverytime.Withbrightlines,the
decisionismadeaheadoftime.Becauseofthis,youarelesslikelytosufferfromdecisionfatigue
andmorelikelytohavewillpowerleftoverforwork,relationships,andotherhealthhabits.
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We'vecoveredalotofgroundinthisguide.
Wetalkedaboutthescienceofhabitformationandthe3stepprocessthatgovernsallhabits.
Wetalkedabouthowtosetupyournewhabitsforsuccessbyusingremindersandrewards.
Wetalkedaboutfocusingonyouridentityfirstandleavingtheperformanceandappearance
basedgoalsforlater.
Wetalkedaboutthepowerofsettingascheduleandnotholdingyourselftoadeadline.Thisis
particularlyusefulwhenyourlifegetscrazybecauseyoucanreducethescopeandstayontask.
Wetalkedabouthowtousekeystonehabitstomakechangethroughoutyourentirelifewithout
gettingoverwhelmed.
Andwecovered4strategiesforbouncingbackaftergettingofftrackbecauseweallslipup
everynowandthen.
Withtheseideas,youshouldbewellequippedtomakechangeinyourlifeandsticktohealthier
habitsforthelongterm,whichbringsmetomyfinaltwopoints.
1. Knowledgeisuselesswithoutaction.Youknowwhattodo,nowit'stimetodoit.Ifyou
haveagoalthatisimportanttoyou,thenusetheseideastomakeitareality.
2. Ourcommunityisheretosupportyou.Eachweek,Iwritearticlesforasmallcommunity
ofpeoplewhoarecommittedtogettingbetter,livinghealthier,andmakingtheworlda
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betterplace.Formypart,Idomybesttohelpthemachievetheirgoals.AndI'dliketodo
thesameforyou.
Ifyouhavequestions,youcanalwayscontactmeathttp://jamesclear.com
Idon'thaveitallfiguredout,butI'mdoingmybesttowalktheslowmarchtowardgreatness
withyou.Ifthere'sanythingIcando,pleaseknowthatI'mheretohelphoweverIcan.
Neversettle,
JamesClear
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