What to Do When You're Too Lazy to Stick to Your Habits | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Learn how to build new positive habits by using if-then conditional statements to make them easier to remember and accomplish.

Key Insights

• 👶 Developing new habits requires consistent effort over time.
• 🏛️ The two main challenges in habit building are remembering to do the habit and overcoming laziness.
• 👶 If-then logic, commonly used in math and programming, can be applied to bind new habits to existing actions, making them automatic.
• 😫 Environmental design, such as setting up reminders and making habits easier to perform, can significantly aid in habit formation.
• 💯 Our brains do not operate like computers, so there is no perfect method for foolproof habit formation.
• 🥺 Creativity and analyzing problems individually can lead to unique solutions in habit building.
• ☢️ Brilliant.org offers courses that prioritize active learning and problem-solving skills, contributing to personal and career growth.

Transcript

The philosopher Aristotle once said that we are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit. And this reality is reassuring because it reminds us that achieving our goals requires lots of little manageable steps over time rather than one giant Herculean effort. But it's also stressful because it means committing to changing our... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: How does if-then logic help with habit building?

If-then logic allows us to bind new habits to actions we already do every day, making them automatic and effortless. By setting up conditional statements, we can create triggers for our desired habits.

Q: How can environmental design aid in habit formation?

Environmental design involves setting up our living space and tools to remind us of our habits and make them easier to perform. For example, placing a pull-up bar in a doorway or setting programs to automatically open when turning on the computer.

Q: Can using if-then logic guarantee foolproof habit formation?

Our brains do not operate like computers, so there is no 100% foolproof method for habit formation. However, using if-then logic and environmental design can significantly increase the likelihood of successfully implementing and maintaining new habits.

Q: Are there alternative methods for building strong habits?

While there are numerous methods for habit building, using conditional logic can be a creative and effective solution. Analyzing the problem at hand and finding unique approaches can yield successful habit formation.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The process of adding new habits into our daily lives can be challenging, with two key problems being remembering to do the habit and pure laziness.

• Using if-then logic, commonly used in math and programming, can help bind new habits to things we already do every day, making them automatic and easier to perform.

• Environmental design plays a crucial role in habit building, as setting up reminders and making it easier to perform habits can help overcome laziness.