Alex Hutchinson

I think this is one of the great tensions of modern life. And it's one of the processes of adulthood and growing older is that we become more and more efficient. We know what we like. We know what we don't like. We know what works. We know what doesn't work. And so we converge on this ever-narrowing set of options. And there's a big... or a big literature on habits and how to form better habits.

I think this is one of the great tensions of modern life. And it's one of the processes of adulthood and growing older is that we become more and more efficient. We know what we like. We know what we don't like. We know what works. We know what doesn't work. And so we converge on this ever-narrowing set of options. And there's a big... or a big literature on habits and how to form better habits.

And there's a lot of good reasons for that. I'm a big habit guy myself. But the fact is, habits are the antithesis of exploration. And, you know, you mentioned commuting, and that's a great example. There was a two-day strike on the London Underground yesterday. I think it was 2014, and it was an optional strike.

And there's a lot of good reasons for that. I'm a big habit guy myself. But the fact is, habits are the antithesis of exploration. And, you know, you mentioned commuting, and that's a great example. There was a two-day strike on the London Underground yesterday. I think it was 2014, and it was an optional strike.

And there's a lot of good reasons for that. I'm a big habit guy myself. But the fact is, habits are the antithesis of exploration. And, you know, you mentioned commuting, and that's a great example. There was a two-day strike on the London Underground yesterday. I think it was 2014, and it was an optional strike.

So workers could show up or not show up, which meant that some stations were open and some weren't, depending on how many people showed up at a given station. So for two days, people had to kind of – they could still take the tube, but they had to adapt and say, oh, my station isn't open or my destination station isn't open. I have to find a different route or get off at a different place.

So workers could show up or not show up, which meant that some stations were open and some weren't, depending on how many people showed up at a given station. So for two days, people had to kind of – they could still take the tube, but they had to adapt and say, oh, my station isn't open or my destination station isn't open. I have to find a different route or get off at a different place.

So workers could show up or not show up, which meant that some stations were open and some weren't, depending on how many people showed up at a given station. So for two days, people had to kind of – they could still take the tube, but they had to adapt and say, oh, my station isn't open or my destination station isn't open. I have to find a different route or get off at a different place.

So this is taking, as you said, the epitome of an optimized habit. You follow this commuting pattern twice a day, every day of your working life. You know how to get to work.

So this is taking, as you said, the epitome of an optimized habit. You follow this commuting pattern twice a day, every day of your working life. You know how to get to work.

So this is taking, as you said, the epitome of an optimized habit. You follow this commuting pattern twice a day, every day of your working life. You know how to get to work.

But what they found, they analyzed the Oyster card data, and they found that of the most hyper-regular commuters, the people who always took the same route every workday, after the two-day strike, about 5% of them adopted a completely different commuting pattern. And basically, they'd realized, oh, actually, if I get off one stop earlier, I can do it.

But what they found, they analyzed the Oyster card data, and they found that of the most hyper-regular commuters, the people who always took the same route every workday, after the two-day strike, about 5% of them adopted a completely different commuting pattern. And basically, they'd realized, oh, actually, if I get off one stop earlier, I can do it.

But what they found, they analyzed the Oyster card data, and they found that of the most hyper-regular commuters, the people who always took the same route every workday, after the two-day strike, about 5% of them adopted a completely different commuting pattern. And basically, they'd realized, oh, actually, if I get off one stop earlier, I can do it.

It's a five-minute walk instead of a 10-minute bus ride.

It's a five-minute walk instead of a 10-minute bus ride.

It's a five-minute walk instead of a 10-minute bus ride.

Yeah. Or it's a beautiful, I could take the boat along the canal and it's lovely. And so the point is that even repetition, repetition doesn't guarantee that you find the best, the optimal solution. And that even doesn't account for the fact that, hey, maybe it's nice to just change up your routine sometimes. But it's like, even if you're an optimizer, even if you're like, I want the best.

Yeah. Or it's a beautiful, I could take the boat along the canal and it's lovely. And so the point is that even repetition, repetition doesn't guarantee that you find the best, the optimal solution. And that even doesn't account for the fact that, hey, maybe it's nice to just change up your routine sometimes. But it's like, even if you're an optimizer, even if you're like, I want the best.

Yeah. Or it's a beautiful, I could take the boat along the canal and it's lovely. And so the point is that even repetition, repetition doesn't guarantee that you find the best, the optimal solution. And that even doesn't account for the fact that, hey, maybe it's nice to just change up your routine sometimes. But it's like, even if you're an optimizer, even if you're like, I want the best.