IF IT’S ON THE CALENDAR, IT HAPPENS
I was reminded of Lord Kelvin’s observation, overbroad but nevertheless thought-provoking: When you cannot express it in number, your knowledge is of a meager and unsatisfactory kind.
I was comforted by the words of my model Benjamin Franklin, who reflected of his own chart: On the whole, though I never arrived at perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short...
I suggested that he write from 11:00 to 1:00 every weekday. During that time, he was to write or do nothing. No email; no calls; no research; no clearing off a desk; no hanging out with Jack, my adora...
I should monitor whatever is essential to me. In that way, I ensure that my life reflects my values.
I realized that for my own part, I was much more likely to take risks, reach out to others, and expose myself to rejection and failure when I felt happy. When I felt unhappy, I felt defensive, touchy,...
I needed to change the lens through which I viewed everything familiar.
I feel too anxious to tackle my bad habits, but my bad habits are what make me anxious.
I am living my real life, this is it. Now is now, and if I waited to be happier, waited to have fun, waited to do the things that I know I ought to do, I might never get the chance.
Happiness is a critical factor for work, and work is a critical factor for happiness. In one of those life-isn’t-fair results, it turns out that the happy outperform the less happy. Happy people work...
Habits make change possible by freeing us from decision making and from using self-control.
Habits are the invisible architecture of daily life.
Habit is a good servant but a bad master.
Getting in control of our possessions makes us feel more in control of our fates. If this is an illusion, it's a helpful illusion--and it's a more pleasant way to live.
Frankl observed, In some way, suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning, such as the meaning of a sacrifice. *
For this reason, it’s often worthwhile to invest in systems of accountability. A chief benefit of fitness trainers, financial planners, life coaches, executive coaches, personal organizers, and nutrit...
For instance, in The Artist’s Way, her influential book about cultivating creativity, Julia Cameron suggests scheduling an artist’s date,
Finally, it became perfectly obvious. A finish line marks a stopping point. Once we stop, we must start over, and starting over is harder than continuing.
False Choice Loophole: This is the loophole-seeking strategy I most often invoke. I pose two activities in opposition, as though I have to make an either/or decision, when in fact, the two aren’t nece...
Fake Self-Actualization Loophole: Often, a loophole is disguised as an embrace of life or an acceptance of self, so that the failure to pursue a habit seems life-affirming—almost spiritual.