Sublime

A habit is a behavior that has been repeated enough times to become automatic. ■ The ultimate purpose of habits is to solve the problems of life with as little energy and effort as possible. ■ Any habit can be broken down into a feedback loop that involves four steps: cue, craving, response, and reward. ■ The Four Laws of Behavior Change are a simp

You need to know how habits work and how to design them to your liking, so you can avoid the dangerous half of the blade.

feedback loop behind all human behavior: try, fail, learn, try differently. With practice, the useless movements fade away and the useful actions get reinforced. That’s a habit forming.

One of the most effective ways to reduce the friction associated with your habits is to practice environment design.

Whenever I’m looking to cut calories, for example, I will ask the waiter to split my meal and box half of it to go before the meal is served. If I waited until the meal came out and told myself “I’ll just eat half,” it would never work.

“Does this behavior help me become the type of person I wish to be? Does this habit cast a vote for or against my desired identity?”

If you can make your good habits more convenient, you’ll be more likely to follow through on them.