More on habits

Learn to budget to track where your money goes.

It stops you from being surprised when your credit card is maxed out at the grocery store.

one person who lived it

Use a workout app to track weights and limits instead of guessing.

Guessing weights can be harmful.

one person who lived it

Paint your nails to prevent yourself from biting them.

It may be the only solution that works for some people.

one person who lived it

Take up physical activity like going to the gym to generate energy for other tasks.

It provides more energy than not going at all, giving energy back three-fold and changing life completely within a week.

one person who lived it

Eat three meals plus two snacks daily to boost energy.

Major energy booster

one person who lived it

One approach that helped: never buy a boat.

Huge savings

one person who lived it

Feel the emotion of your creative scenes to ensure readers do too.

If you don't feel it, you cannot expect the reader to.

one person who lived it

Treat your job search like a remote work shift: set regular hours, take breaks, and get dressed each day.

It provides structure to the day while maintaining space for safety and self-care.

one person who lived it

When an urge to quit a habit arises, commit to doing just five minutes of the activity; if you still wish to stop afterward, allow yourself to leave.

This technique works by delaying action on the urge rather than requiring you to resist it.

one person who lived it

Schedule quitting attempts on a fixed recurring day (e.g., every Monday) rather than treating each attempt as a final high-stakes effort.

Repeating the act of quitting regularly can eventually make it feel easy and automatic.

one person who lived it

Change your computer or account password to a phrase that reminds you to stop the habit.

It serves as a constant reminder of your goal throughout the day.

one person who lived it

Stop searching for the 'right' change and instead listen to your own natural rhythm.

Stopping the search for optimization and asking what your nature needs allows everything else to fall into place.

one person who lived it

Create a simple morning to-do list for housework and break tasks into smaller steps to visualize progress.

Breaking tasks down allows you to see progress.

one person who lived it

Recognize that slipping back into old habits is a normal part of the process; avoid harsh self-judgment when you lose control, but try to regain your footing as soon as possible.

4 people, independently

Be aware that the planning phase provides a dopamine hit that tricks your brain into feeling accomplished, causing you to move on before doing the work.

Once you have a perfect plan, your brain feels it has already accomplished something.

one person who lived it

If you struggle with excessive phone use, try using a physical device that requires manual interaction to unlock your phone.

One person reported this helped reduce their daily usage from 4-6 hours to 1 hour.

one person who lived it

Use a stopwatch on your phone to track how long you can go without biting your cheek, resetting the timer every time you bite.

Gradually beating your own record can help you gain control over the habit.

one person who lived it

Practice Isha Kriya to feel more at ease, less irritable, and more energetic.

One person reported that focusing on a task no longer felt like a chore.

one person who lived it

Use a nature noise machine or similar audio device to help unwind if you need rain or brown sounds but want to avoid using your phone.

It helps when your mind is racing too much.

one person who lived it

Complete a list of 3 simple non-negotiable tasks every morning before doing anything else to build momentum.

Once the routine is automatic, momentum kicks in.

one person who lived it

Start with a trivially small habit, such as squiggling the shower after every use, to rebuild trust in yourself before adding larger goals.

Doing a tiny task consistently for a month helped one person feel better about themselves and rebuild trust.

one person who lived it

Remind yourself not to touch your face to stop nail-biting.

Biting nails involves touching the face.

one person who lived it

Allow the quietness that follows quitting bad habits to settle, as it can transform into steady drive over time.

The initial quiet phase eventually turns into genuine drive rather than fake motivation.

one person who lived it

Set up your phone to display images of your goals every time you try to open distracting apps.

It creates a visual speed bump that helps you choose differently without feeling forced.

one person who lived it

Swap soft drinks for mineral or carbonated water.

You get the fizz without empty calories, become much better hydrated, and may come to hate the taste of soda.

one person who lived it

Use a daily to-do list or bullet journal to track micro-habits to prevent them from quietly dropping.

Micro habits are sneaky and nobody notices them drop.

one person who lived it

Before making a mess, consider how much work will be required to clean it up later.

Thinking about future effort can help deter creating messes in the moment.

one person who lived it

Set a 'floor' of minimum habits that ensure progress in all areas of life to prevent neglect and starting from zero, rather than focusing only on raising the ceiling.

Focusing on one area often causes others to fall apart, requiring you to start over.

one person who lived it

Keep a notebook in your pocket and make a mark every time you perform the compulsive action.

The obnoxiousness of tracking the frequency can help you quit within days.

one person who lived it

Stop reaching for stimulation during quiet moments to retrain your brain to handle boredom without discomfort.

Waiting in line or sitting with your own thoughts stops feeling uncomfortable when you don't seek immediate stimulation.

one person who lived it

Use AI tools to articulate your thoughts and build confidence during recovery, rather than replacing your own ideas.

It helps put your thoughts into words and keeps building confidence.

one person who lived it

Treat your practice setup and cleanup as a daily ritual to build unconscious habits that reduce friction and set the right mindset.

Repeating the process makes it less annoying and helps you enter the mindset of practicing.

one person who lived it

Try casual sports like racquetball, rock climbing, or disc golf if you need to regain your competitive drive.

One person reported that starting these activities helped them get their competitive fire back.

one person who lived it

Front-load your meals by eating a large breakfast and smaller lunches and dinners.

Helped keep energy levels more consistent

one person who lived it

Limit yourself to a maximum of eight new rules per month.

Otherwise willpower depletes and effectiveness drops.

one person who lived it

If standard reminders fail to stop a critical pre-activity habit, try placing an absurd object, like a chair on the toilet, to force your brain to register the task.

The absurdity of the visual makes the reminder finally click in your head when notes and alarms do not.

one person who lived it

Pay yourself first by setting up automatic deposits into savings from every paycheck before paying bills.

Your future self will appreciate it.

one person who lived it

Pay all monthly bills before buying higher-priced items to avoid unnecessary debt.

To avoid going into debt unless it is necessary.

one person who lived it

Link disliked cleaning tasks to dopamine-inducing activities, such as eating crystallized honey or watching anime.

It helps if you hate the job.

one person who lived it

Decide quickly and stick with it rather than sitting in indecision.

Don't waste your time debating internally endlessly.

one person who lived it

Get groceries delivered to avoid impulse purchases.

It allows you to get what you need without impulse purchases.

one person who lived it

Resist the urge to respond immediately; take a minute and breathe deeply before replying.

This pause leads to more thoughtful responses and helps avoid unnecessary conflict.

one person who lived it

View your brain's resistance to new routines as an energy-conservation response to novelty, rather than a moral failing.

The brain treats novelty as work and seeks to use the minimum energy required.

one person who lived it

If you struggle with all-or-nothing thinking, redefine rest days as days that still count toward your streak, perhaps by marking them with a different color.

one person who lived it

Identify the specific payoff you seek from time-wasting activities (such as mastery, peace, or stimulation) and find other ways to fulfill that need more.

We perform these tasks to seek something like mastery, peace, engagement, or stimulation.

one person who lived it

Listen to what people actually say rather than interpreting their words through your own categories.

Categorization was identified as an enemy to understanding.

one person who lived it

Focus on how quickly you recover from stress and how well you navigate complexity over maintaining perfect streaks.

When recovery and navigation feel strong, habits feel natural.

one person who lived it

Focus on getting right back on track immediately after falling off, rather than trying to never fall off.

one person who lived it

Make peace with boredom and struggle to slow down your thinking, which reduces overreacting and allows for small, gradual changes.

one person who lived it

Listen to ridiculous songs before working out to distract yourself from nervousness.

The absurdity of the music helps you forget about being intimidated.

one person who lived it

Track your daily steps to identify correlations between inactivity and fatigue.

Days with no exercise were the days I felt tired

one person who lived it

Use competitive annoyance with a partner's messiness as motivation to clean your own space more thoroughly.

Turning cleanliness into a contest or reacting to criticism can drive you to take pride in cleaning after yourself.

one person who lived it

If making one change causes immediate failure and stops you from making other positive changes, try making many changes at once so that missing a few still feels like success.

one person who lived it

Keep ice cubes in an insulated water bottle with a straw to provide sensory stimulation and coldness satisfaction.

The ease of the straw and the tactile feedback of cold, jingling ice provides a reliable dopamine hit similar to vaping or smoking.

one person who lived it

Track habits digitally to eliminate the excuse of not having a physical journal.

It prevents making an excuse about not having your journal.

one person who lived it

Play podcasts through a wireless earbud all day for constant stimulus.

Constant stimulus

one person who lived it

Track whether you met, exceeded, or fell short of your daily hydration goal rather than tracking exact volume.

Tracking progress categories is less stressful than tracking specific liquid volumes.

one person who lived it

Curate your internet content to focus on motivation, business, and discipline rather than pointless entertainment.

Pointless content does not fuel the brain, while curated content can benefit you

one person who lived it

Plan alternative actions in advance for specific triggers like hunger, replacing pre-decided default responses rather than relying on willpower.

Default responses form habits; planning creates a new default.

one person who lived it

If you frequently forget to brush your teeth, place a post-it note on your bathroom mirror as a reminder.

one person who lived it

Use chopsticks to feed insects or worms to pets to avoid direct contact with the food.

Chopsticks allow for better tension control than tweezers, resulting in less squished critters.

one person who lived it

Do not leave food out on floors or surfaces, and do not pile clean laundry, if you have pets.

pets may chew the food or turn the laundry into a fuzzy bed

one person who lived it

Make group decisions about where items go to reduce conflict.

It results in a cleaner house and less fighting about item placement.

one person who lived it

Use chopsticks to dip Oreos or other foods into milk to keep fingers clean.

Unlike forks, which require grabbing the food and risk dropping it into the drink, chopsticks allow you to remove, dip, and eat without touching the food with your fingers.

one person who lived it

Clean regularly by vacuuming and dusting.

These tasks really add up.

one person who lived it

Address your bedtime routine to prevent late-night phone usage from bleeding into the morning.

Late-night usage can turn your bedtime routine into a morning routine.

one person who lived it

Set a hard, non-negotiable bedtime with no loopholes.

To ensure you get enough sleep.

one person who lived it

Skip making your bed right after waking up so the mattress can dry out and cool down.

This helps discourage dust mites, which prefer warm, humid conditions, and stops you from sleeping in damp sweat.

4 people, independently

Listen to an audiobook for 15 minutes while drinking your morning coffee.

Pairing the activity with caffeine can put you in a good mood and help you enjoy the content.

one person who lived it

Eat a quick carb snack like a banana, protein muffin, or two Rice Krispies before an early morning workout to avoid hunger.

Ensures you are not hungry in the morning if you have eaten enough and slept well.

one person who lived it

Set a phone alarm to serve as a reliable cue for your daily habit.

It is consistent and reliable.

one person who lived it

Accept that pets may ruin a freshly made bed and adjust expectations accordingly.

Pets may jump on the bed or lay on it to warm up.

one person who lived it

Perform the same three specific actions before bed every night to signal your brain to prepare for sleep.

Consistency removes decision-making and conditions the body to feel tired.

2 people, independently

Remove all electronics from the bedroom.

One person felt so much better after removing their computer and phone from their bedroom.

one person who lived it

Treat getting out of bed immediately when the alarm goes off as a test of self-discipline.

You are presented with two choices at that moment.

one person who lived it

If your sleep schedule varies, anchor new habits to existing actions like brushing your teeth rather than specific times of day.

You always perform these anchor actions regardless of whether you wake up early or late.

one person who lived it

Make sure your bedroom is dark using blackout curtains.

Light is a distraction and the brain is naturally drawn to distraction

one person who lived it

Avoid drinking alcohol before bed, especially on school nights, as it disrupts sleep quality and early waking.

One person reported failing to wake up early every time they drank before bed and noted poorer sleep on school nights when drinking.

2 people, independently

Set a screen-free night routine involving cleaning, a warm shower, drinking hot water, journaling, reading, or meditating.

This can help you fall asleep faster and improve sleep quality.

one person who lived it

Use a memory alarm app that requires memorizing and entering a pattern of colors to turn off, setting the final alarm with a higher number of colors to ensure you are awake.

It ensures you are really awake.

one person who lived it

Use operant conditioning techniques to help build the habit of waking up early.

Operant conditioning has been used to help with falling asleep, studying, or stopping self-injury.

one person who lived it

Avoid setting multiple alarms if you tend to ignore the first ones.

Knowing you can ignore the early alarms renders the strategy ineffective.

one person who lived it

Wake up early to gain a productivity boost.

one person who lived it

On days off, wake up a little earlier to do simple household chores or play with pets.

This reduces stress for partners who work during the day by removing tasks they would otherwise need to do.

one person who lived it

Practice daily self-reflection as a self-audit to review your day, solve specific problems, or get thoughts out.

It helps you realize that you have the answers to your own problems.

one person who lived it

Be aware of what you are doing at every moment to identify where you are wasting time.

It helps you see what you are wasting time on and become a better person.

one person who lived it

Consider the long-term perks of being reliable, such as favors, extensions, and inclusions.

There are many perks in life for being an on-time, reliable person.

one person who lived it

Write down your if-then plans and goals.

It is considered useful to write down goals.

one person who lived it

Read books regularly.

It gives you new perspectives and helps you learn something new.

2 people, independently

Keep a daily agenda.

Time yields more results and objectives are achieved with greater ease.

one person who lived it

Recognize cornerstone habits as those you don't notice needing until they are gone.

one person who lived it

Read The Tightwad Gazette for inspiration and practical advice.

It offers great practical advice and inspiring philosophical essays.

one person who lived it

Recognize that other people's worries are not your responsibility.

one person who lived it

Think far ahead about potential wasted time instead of worrying about immediate tasks to overcome procrastination.

one person who lived it