“Success is the product of daily habits—not once in a lifetime transformations.”
“You get what you repeat.”
Valley of Disappointment at early or middle stage, frustration at ineffective change
Plateau of Latent Potential: tectonic pressure, heating an ice cube from 25-31 degrees
The work isn’t being wasted; it’s being stored
Systems, not goals; goal is direction but systems are progress; symptom vs causes
“Outcomes are about what you get. Processes are about what you do. Identity is about what you believe.”
Identity-based habits start from identity → processes → outcomes, not other way
“True behavior change is identity change.”
Identity comes from Latin repeatedly+being
“Small habits can make a meaningful difference by providing evidence of a new identity.”
1. Decide the type of person you want to be. 2. Prove it to yourself with small wins.
Ask yourself “What would a healthy/smart/talented person do?”
Point-and-call method for noticing unconscious behavior
No good or bad habit, just effective ones; all habits serve us somehow, which is why we repeat them (smoking)
Implementation intention: plan you make beforehand about when and where to act (“When X arises, I will perform Y”; “I will [Behavior] at [Time] in [Location]”)
Diderot effect: one purchases leads to another
Habit stacking: adding new habit to current one (“After [current habit], I will [new habit]”)
Design environment to avoid or encounter cues
“One space, one use”: different contexts and environments for specific habits
Bad habits are autocatalytic: watching TV makes you feel sluggish, so you watch more TV because you’re too tired
“Self-control is a short-term strategy”
“It is the anticipation of reward—not the fulfillment of it—that gets us to take action.”
Temptation bundling: link an action you want to do with action you need to do
We imitate the habits of 1. the close 2. the many 3. the powerful
Join a culture where your desired behavior is the normal behavior
“A craving is the sense that something is missing”
Motivation ritual: do something you enjoy before a difficult habit
Shift and repurpose brain to view hard habits as positive opportunities
Motion ≠ action
Planning ≠ practice
We slip into motion to avoid failure and judgment
Repetition physically changes the brain depending on the skill
Prime your environment for future use: proactive laziness
Reduce friction with good habits, increase it with bad
Good habits cost you in the present but benefit you in the future (bad habits vice versa)
Tie good habit to immediate reward to turn instant gratification to your advantage
Habit stacking + habit tracking (“After [current habit], I will track [new habit]”)
Never miss a habit twice: something > nothing
It’s about being the type of person who doesn’t miss habits; not all-or-nothing
Measurement shouldn’t be target (“nonscale victories”)
Pick habit/interest that already suits you: fun to you but work to others, achieve flow state, greater returns than average
Combine interests to specialize and create your own expertise
“Just manageable difficulty”; 4% outside your abilities
You have to fall in love with boredom (love the process)