Build a gateway habit, then scale it up to attain your ultimate goal
A handful of decisive moments shape the actions that you take for minutes or hours afterwards
When you make the right decision / carry out the good habits at those decisive moments, you lead the path to a positive outcome (e.g. a productive day)
The two-minute rule: when you start a new habit, it should take less than 2 mins to do
Aim to build a gateway habit that will naturally lead you down a more productive path
e.g. read 1 page before bed each night
e.g. write 1 sentence --> write 1 paragraph --> write 1000 words --> write a 5000 word article --> write a book
e.g. put on your running shoes --> walk x 10 mins --> run x 10 mins each day --> marathon
Establish your habits before optimizing it
always show up / consistently repeat your habit --> reinforces the identity that you want to build (remember duration is less important than the # of repetition!!!)
Establish --> then optimize / scale up!!!
Use commitment device to make good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible
commitment device: a choice that you make in the present that controls your actions in the future (e.g. lock your phone away to control yourself from scrolling on the phone)
increase friction until it's practically impossible to do (e.g. delete gaming and social media apps from your phone)
Use technology to automate your good habits:
e.g. set up automatic bill payment, enrol in an automatic savings plan
e.g. reset your social media passwords --> make the passwords difficult, so that you have to look it up every time you want to access your social media