“My first act of free will shall be to believe in free will.”
Notes to Self are longer journal entries from Seven Yrs Ago. For more on making good habits, read “The Habit Loop” (Pt. 1) and “Willpower isn’t just a skill. It’s a muscle” (Pt. 2). I was 21 mid-2014.
“For an idea to grow beyond a community, it must become self-propelling. And the surest way to achieve that is to give people new habits that help them figure out where to go on their own.”
“I think that yesterday was a crisis in my life. I will assume for the present—until next year—that it is no illusion. My first act of free will shall be to believe in free will.”—William James
“There are these two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says ‘Morning, boys. How’s the water?’ And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes, ‘What the hell is water?’” —David Foster Wallace, Graduation speech, 2005
“We learn about ourselves sometimes without knowing we’re learning. That’s why failure is so valuable. It forces us to learn, even if we don’t want to.” —James Prochaska
“So many procrastination solutions ask people to pay close attention to how their resolve fades—when their willpower fails—and to accommodate that impulse rather than ignore it. If you tend to give in to something every 45 min or so, then go ahead and let yourself indulge the craving for 10 min. Set your watch and time yourself. If you choose pressure-release moments ahead of time—if, in other words, you plan for failure, and then plan for recovery—you’re more likely to snap back faster.”
“The only piece that might be missing from your book is thinking about the catalyst for change. People may think they want to change, but then they try and fail. I know I did. The catalyst for me was pain.” —AA afterword, woman
Framework for Changing Habits
Identify the routine
Cue → Routine → Reward and repeat
Experiment with rewards
Rewards are powerful because they satisfy cravings. But we’re often not conscious of the cravings that drive our behaviors. Most cravings are obvious in retrospect, but incredibly hard to see when we are under their sway
e.g. Prob: Grab a cookie every day around 2pm so gaining pounds
Routine: You leave desk to get cookie
ADJUST ROUTINE
Potential routines:
take a walk around block, don’t eat anything
go to cafeteria and get candy bar and eat at desk
go to cafeteria, get apple, and chat with friends
coffee
no cafeteria, just chatting
What this does: different hypothesis? If they work:
apple = satisfies hunger
coffee = burst of energy
chatting, cafe = socialize
walk = break from work
As you test diff. rewards, look for patterns. After each activity, jot down on paper the 1st 3 things that come to mind—emotions, random thoughts, reflections e.g. relaxed, saw flowers, not hungry
Then set an alarm for 15 min. Still want the cookie when it goes off?
Scribbling helps. Forces awareness in the moment when you’re thinking. Helps for future recollection.
Isolate the cue.
Categories of behavior: location, time, emotional state, other people, immediately preceding action
Have a plan.
Do it. “Implement intentions.”
“I’d heard from some friends that he had elevated their prose and held their hands so gracefully they almost forgot the touch. But I figured they were exaggerating, since many of them were drinking at the time. Dear reader: it’s all true.” —Charles Duhigg on editor Andy Ward
“My parents, John and Doris, encouraged me from a young age to write, even as I was setting things on fire and giving them reason to forgive what future correspondence might be on prison stationery.” —Charles Duhigg, Appendix
Keystone Habit = Depression
Constantly thinking something bad or sad is happening or that an impending disaster is on its way.
For commentary seven years later, go here.