Besides clarity of values, another kind of clarity supports habit formation: clarity of action. The more specific I am about what action to take, the more likely I am to form a habit. A habit to be mo...
Because we’re quite susceptible to goal contagion, we may rapidly pick up someone else’s habits, so it’s helpful to be around people who are good role models.
Audiences = expectations. If he thinks you're not watching, he won't need to rebel against your expectations.
Apply the one minute rule. Don't postpone anything that could be done in less than a minute
Although some people assume that strong feelings of guilt or shame act as safeguards to help people stick to good habits, the opposite is true. People who feel less guilt and who show compassion towar...
Although people often assume that cravings intensify over time, research shows that with active distraction, urges—even strong urges—usually subside within about fifteen minutes.
According to Aristotle, Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.
A sense of growth is so important to happiness that it’s often preferable to be progressing to the summit rather than to be at the summit.
A sense of growth is so important to happiness that it’s often preferable to be progressing to the summit rather than to be at the summit. Neither a scientist nor a philosopher but a novelist, Lisa Gr...
A regular work schedule can help procrastinators because progress and engagement relieve their anxiety.
Mere acquisition isn't enough to establish a good habit
We all know the secret of dieting—eat better, eat less, exercise more—it’s the application that’s challenging. I had to create a scheme to put happiness ideas into practice in my life.
To do the intellectually demanding work of writing, I leave my home office and my three beloved computer monitors to work at the wonderful old library that’s just a block from my apartment. The atmosp...
The bus was hardly moving, but I could hardly keep pace with my own thoughts. I’ve got to tackle this, I told myself. As soon as I have some free time, I should start a happiness project. But I never...
One parent of a Rebel explained, The best way to wrangle the Rebel child is to give the kid the information to make a decision, present the issue as a question that he alone can answer, and let him ma...
It struck me, in fact, that all of my work on habits and happiness was meant to help us construct, as much as possible, just that: everyday life in Utopia. Everyday life with deep, loving relationship...
It is easy to be heavy: hard to be light. —G. K. Chesterton What’s
If I never do something, it requires no self-control for me; if I do something sometimes, it requires enormous self-control.
I'm not tempted by things I've decided are off-limits, but once I've started something, I have trouble stopping. If I never do something, it requires no self-control for me; if I do something sometime...
I should tailor my habits to the fundamental aspects of my nature that aren’t going to change. It was no use saying I’ll write more every day if I team up with another writer, and we race to see who c...