James Clear

It is two things, but I view them as two sides of the same coin. In many cases, you know, we can come up with edge cases or examples where the behaviors start to get more specific. But generally speaking, I think there are three ways to break a bad habit. You can eliminate it entirely. So you can just go cold turkey, cut it out, never do it again.

You could curtail the behavior to the desired degree so you can reduce it a little bit. You still do it sometimes. Instead of drinking a beer at dinner every night, you just have it maybe once a week. You could also replace it. So rather than drinking a beer, you replace it with water.

You could curtail the behavior to the desired degree so you can reduce it a little bit. You still do it sometimes. Instead of drinking a beer at dinner every night, you just have it maybe once a week. You could also replace it. So rather than drinking a beer, you replace it with water.

When I'm thinking about myself personally, when I actually am changing behavior, I don't usually think about breaking bad habits that often. In fact, most of the time I'm focused on building or establishing new good behaviors.

When I'm thinking about myself personally, when I actually am changing behavior, I don't usually think about breaking bad habits that often. In fact, most of the time I'm focused on building or establishing new good behaviors.

I think a lot of the time it does, and that's why I tend to focus on that for my personal life, is that it's kind of like two plants. One plant, if it grows a little bit more and spreads its leaves a little further, it starts to crowd out the other plant, just soaks up more energy and resources and sunlight. And your good habits are kind of like that.

I think a lot of the time it does, and that's why I tend to focus on that for my personal life, is that it's kind of like two plants. One plant, if it grows a little bit more and spreads its leaves a little further, it starts to crowd out the other plant, just soaks up more energy and resources and sunlight. And your good habits are kind of like that.

I mean, we all, in some sense, it is zero-sum in the sense that we only have 24 hours in each day. And so... If you have somebody who says, even if they're unrelated habits, they say, hey, I want to start doing something healthy. I'd like to start working out for an hour each day. And I also want to watch less TV. I just feel like I watch Netflix too much.

I mean, we all, in some sense, it is zero-sum in the sense that we only have 24 hours in each day. And so... If you have somebody who says, even if they're unrelated habits, they say, hey, I want to start doing something healthy. I'd like to start working out for an hour each day. And I also want to watch less TV. I just feel like I watch Netflix too much.

Well, if you usually watch Netflix for three hours each evening and you decide to insert your workout from 6 to 7 p.m., by definition, you're not watching Netflix while you're doing that. You start to crowd out the bad behavior just by focusing on building a workout habit, even if you don't think about the TV thing at all.

Well, if you usually watch Netflix for three hours each evening and you decide to insert your workout from 6 to 7 p.m., by definition, you're not watching Netflix while you're doing that. You start to crowd out the bad behavior just by focusing on building a workout habit, even if you don't think about the TV thing at all.

So my sort of general approach is, look, I'm trying to spend my 24 hours in the highest leverage way possible, the best way possible, the way that is moving me toward whatever I'm optimizing for. Let me just try to continually think about how to upgrade those behaviors.

So my sort of general approach is, look, I'm trying to spend my 24 hours in the highest leverage way possible, the best way possible, the way that is moving me toward whatever I'm optimizing for. Let me just try to continually think about how to upgrade those behaviors.

I also like that mindset more than the breaking the bad habits one because it gives me a reason to improve even once I have good habits. I'm continually looking for the higher leverage action. Even if what I'm doing is already good, okay, fine, how can I make it great now?

I also like that mindset more than the breaking the bad habits one because it gives me a reason to improve even once I have good habits. I'm continually looking for the higher leverage action. Even if what I'm doing is already good, okay, fine, how can I make it great now?

I tend to focus on that style rather than thinking about breaking bad ones, but they definitely are related to answer your question.

I tend to focus on that style rather than thinking about breaking bad ones, but they definitely are related to answer your question.

Yeah. So to take the smoking example, I think it's helpful to divide it into the specific instances in which it happens. So we kind of lump smoking into a single habit. But the truth is, it actually might be a collection of like a dozen habits throughout the day. It might be that you have a habit of smoking when you get in your car for the morning commute.

Yeah. So to take the smoking example, I think it's helpful to divide it into the specific instances in which it happens. So we kind of lump smoking into a single habit. But the truth is, it actually might be a collection of like a dozen habits throughout the day. It might be that you have a habit of smoking when you get in your car for the morning commute.

And then you also have a habit of smoking around 1030 when you take a break with your coworker. And then you also have a habit of smoking after dinner on your porch. And all three of those are going to have their own cue, craving, response, and reward. In a sense, you kind of have to intervene in like 12 different places to try to come up with a solution for each one of those.