2023-08-25 10:00
Do you struggle to maintain your habits and achieve your goals?
If so, it might be a good idea to ask someone to hold you accountable to them.
Research shows that this strategy can make us m… Read More
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Practical advice and science-based strategies to become the very best version of yourself.
2023-08-18 10:00
My friend Giovanni Dienstmann is a popular meditation teacher, author, and speaker.
He teaches a simple and powerful technique he calls The ROAR Method1.
It’s useful anytime you deal w… Read More
2023-06-23 10:00
Do your habits tend to fall apart on your vacations?
That might seem strange, given all the extra time you have available.
But your daily behaviors are anchored to your regular routine.
So… Read More
2023-06-16 10:00
Imagine that you want to exercise more.
So, you decide to hit the gym three times a week.
That’s a reasonable plan — if you like going to the gym.
If you don’t, it will onl… Read More
2023-06-09 10:00
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even… Read More
2023-06-02 10:00
Pain is an inevitable part of life, but suffering is optional.
In her book, Self-Compassion1, Kristin Neff explains the difference between these concepts with a simple equation:
Suffering =… Read More
2023-05-26 10:00
An old Chinese farmer lost his best stallion one day.
His neighbor came around to express his regrets, but the farmer just said, “Who knows what is good and what is bad.”
The nex… Read More
2023-05-19 10:00
Have you noticed how our negative feelings feed themselves?
We get angry about being angry.
We get anxious about being anxious.
We get stressed about being stressed.
These downward spirals m… Read More
2023-05-12 10:00
We all have an idea of who we want to be at work and in our relationships.
But it can be challenging to express these versions of ourselves in real life.
And the reason usually is that, in t… Read More
2023-05-05 10:00
In a fascinating study1, researcher Shalini Misra and her colleagues brought people into a lab and split them into two groups:
The participants in the first group got to sit down and talk to… Read More
2023-04-28 10:00
Try this exercise if you feel like you lack direction in life.
For each of the cornerstone areas of work and love:
Write down your desired identity.
Set a goal that aligns with your desired… Read More
2023-04-21 10:00
Your ability to be present largely determines your performance at work and the quality of your relationships.
And there’s a quick, easy, and free tweak you can make to improve that abi… Read More
2023-04-14 10:00
Your energy fluctuates a lot throughout the day.
And if you want to perform at your best consistently, it’s good practice to schedule your days accordingly.
For instance, I’ve no… Read More
2023-04-07 09:00
It’s usually very difficult to control what happens in the middle of your day.
But you can almost always control how your day starts and ends.
In his book, The Compound Effect, Darren… Read More
2023-03-31 10:00
Whenever you want to create new behaviors, it’s a good practice to measure them.
Research shows that people who track their progress are much more likely to get their desired results… Read More
2023-03-24 07:23
Computer scientist Cal Newport ends his workdays with a ritual that looks roughly like this1:
First, he reads through his master task list and schedules what’s urgent in the near futur… Read More
2023-03-17 07:53
Imagine arrows falling randomly from the sky.
Only these are magical luck arrows that you want to get hit by.
The best way to get hit is to increase the size of your “luck surface area… Read More
2023-03-10 07:56
Alexandra Botez is a chess player, entertainer, and content creator.
She’s not #1 in the world at any of these skills, but she’s good at all of them, and that’s enough.
Her… Read More
2023-03-03 07:32
Via negativa is a Latin phrase that means “the negative way”.
It’s also a powerful problem-solving technique you can use to find solutions through subtraction.
Imagine, for… Read More
2023-02-24 07:11
Most people tend to set output goals like:
Get fit.
Publish a book.
Have 10,000 followers.
But these kinds of goals are ultimately outside of your control.
So, focus on input goals instead:… Read More
2023-02-17 11:00
Cal Newport is a computer science professor and the author of several books.
He’s famous for his remarkable productivity, both as a researcher and writer.
According to Newport, there a… Read More
2023-02-16 11:00
In a clever study, psychologists Matthew Killingsworth and Daniel Gilbert investigated how mind wandering affects people.
They developed an iPhone app that contacted people at random times t… Read More
2023-02-15 11:00
We all have many areas of our lives that we want to improve.
In fact, there are so many of them that it can get overwhelming.
If you’ve ever tried setting goals for every major categor… Read More
2023-02-14 11:00
In her book Move Your DNA, biomechanist Katy Bowman explains that we can be both active and sedentary.
You can show up dutifully at the gym and spend the rest of your days sitting.
And while… Read More
2023-02-13 11:00
“What kind of food should I eat?”
Nutrition expert Michael Pollan provides a simple answer to that question that is worth memorizing:
“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants… Read More
2023-02-03 11:00
If you struggle to follow through on your intentions, there’s a surprisingly simple solution:
Make a plan.
There’s a world of difference between a vague intention like:
“I… Read More
2023-02-02 11:00
Whenever you want to make a habit more appealing, you can use this formula:
I will only [tempting behavior] while I [desired behavior].
Economist Katy Milkman calls this strategy “temp… Read More
2023-02-01 11:00
A commitment device is a way of proactively locking yourself to a particular course of action.
It’s something you put in place now, so you will act the way you want to later.
Here are… Read More
2023-01-31 11:00
People are much more likely to tackle their goals after “temporal landmarks” such as:
A new year, month, or week.
A school semester.
A holiday.
Economist Katy Milkman calls this… Read More
2023-01-30 11:00
Attitudes, behaviors, and emotions spread spontaneously through social circles.
This process is called social contagion, and it has significant implications for our lives.
For instance, fasc… Read More
2023-01-27 11:00
According to behavior expert BJ Fogg, emotions create habits.
If you want a behavior to become habitual, your brain must associate it with feeling good.
And you can accomplish that by using… Read More
2023-01-26 11:00
We like to think that we do what we do because of who we are.
But in reality, we often do what we do because of where we are.
The triggers in your surroundings are constantly nudging you in… Read More
2023-01-25 11:00
One of the easiest and most effective ways to change your behavior is to measure it.
Research shows that merely asking people to track what they do immediately improves their performance in… Read More
2023-01-24 11:00
You can’t rely on motivation when you’re creating a new habit.
It won’t work because motivation is unpredictable and constantly fluctuating.
So, instead of trying to &ldquo&hell…Read More
2023-01-23 11:00
Anytime you want to establish a new behavior, fill out this simple formula:
After I have [existing habit], I will [new habit].
For example: “After I have brushed my teeth in the mornin… Read More
2022-12-09 09:34
1. Bayesian Thinking
“Violent Crime Doubles”
If you read that headline in your local newspaper, you might assume you need to start watching your back.
But is that true?
Let&rsquo&hell…Read More
2022-12-01 12:43
1. Second-Level Thinking
In the 1930s, the Australian government wanted to eliminate beetles that were destroying the country’s sugarcanes.
So, they released thousands of cane toads in… Read More
2022-11-24 13:38
1. Eliminate Your Distractions
“I don’t have enough time.”
This is a very common and inaccurate statement.
We all have plenty of time.
It’s just a matter of how we sp… Read More
2022-11-17 12:49
1. Expect Their Presence
If someone treats you poorly, it’s not their behavior that bothers you.
It’s your expectations about their behavior that does.
Imagine, for instance, tha… Read More
2022-11-11 09:10
1. Adjust Your Breath
When you’re under stress, your breaths spontaneously become fast, short, and shallow.
That breathing pattern strains your body and creates a downward spiral of mo… Read More
2022-11-04 08:47
1. Ignore the Uncontrollable
If you focus too much on things you can’t control, you’ll feel helpless, anxious, and stressed.
So, get into the habit of separating what is outside… Read More
2022-10-28 07:40
1. Use Negative Visualization
This is a mental technique in which you deliberately envision the worst possible outcomes in your life.
When you wake up, remind yourself that this might be you… Read More
2022-10-21 06:47
1. Remove the Triggers
We tend to assume that our personality drives our behavior.
But in many cases, our environment drives our behavior even more1.
So, whenever you want to break a bad hab… Read More
2022-10-14 06:50
1. Use Temptation Bundling
Whenever you want to make a habit more appealing, you can use this formula:
I will only (tempting behavior) while I (desired behavior).
Here are some examples:
I w… Read More
2022-10-07 09:38
1. Plant Habit Seeds
You can’t rely on motivation when you create a new habit.
It won’t work because motivation is unpredictable and constantly fluctuating.
So, instead of trying… Read More
2022-09-30 07:20
1. Create Habit Algorithms
Anytime you want to establish a new behavior, fill out this simple formula:
After I have [existing habit], I will [new habit].
For example: “After I have bru… Read More
2022-09-23 09:36
In 480 BC, the Spartan warrior Dienekes was preparing his men to fight the Persian army.
As the Spartans were settling into the mountain pass of Thermopylae in central Greece, they got some… Read More
2022-09-15 08:09
In the 1940s, paleontologist Gustav Heinrich Ralph von Koenigswald went on an expedition to the island of Java in Indonesia.
He wanted to find as many hominid bones as possible, so he decide… Read More
2022-09-01 10:18
Do you have a hard time sticking with your intentions?
If so, you’re not alone.
It’s a problem that people have been struggling with throughout history.
In fact, philosophers all… Read More
2022-08-25 11:59
In case you haven’t noticed, you have an inner voice that is talking endlessly.
And if you’re like most people, that inner voice can be incredibly mean.
It can routinely tell you… Read More
2022-08-19 11:53
Imagine if you read this advertisement:
Amazing Breakthrough!
Scientists have discovered a treatment that improves your quality of life. It reduces your anxiety, rumination, and stress. And… Read More
2022-08-12 08:39
The Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh said many wise things during his life.
But one piece of advice that he shared was particularly jam-packed with good ideas:
Smile, breathe, and go slowly.
Th… Read More
2022-06-29 09:05
A few years ago, entrepreneur Derek Sivers lived in Santa Monica, California.
His home was right at the beach, and he could quickly get onto a lovely bike path along the ocean.
On weekday af… Read More
2022-06-22 07:56
If you want to alleviate stress, you can go about it in many ways.
You can ensure that you sleep sufficiently, eat well, and move regularly.
And you can use techniques like mindfulness medit… Read More
2022-06-16 12:20
My friend Anders Olsson is one of the world’s leading experts on optimal breathing.
When I first picked up his book, The Power of Your Breath1, I was blown away.
I had no idea that mos… Read More
2022-06-09 12:15
Thich Nhat Hanh was a Buddhist monk, mindfulness teacher, and peace activist.
He was also a prolific author, and in his writing, he often emphasized the importance of smiling.
Here’s a… Read More
2022-05-31 09:07
Bruce Springsteen signed for Columbia Records in 1972. Since then, he has played about 2,600 live concerts1.
But despite his vast experience, he can still feel his nerves kick into high gear… Read More
2022-05-25 12:02
Katy Milkman is a behavioral scientist and professor at the Wharton School.
A few years ago, she struggled to hit the gym as often as she’d like.
So, in an attempt to change her exerci… Read More
2022-05-13 11:10
If you want to start a morning routine, you can find a lot of advice online.
And while most of it is pretty good, almost all of the recommended routines have one major flaw.
They assume that… Read More
2022-05-06 09:05
In 1957, Jimmy Greaves signed a contract with Chelsea FC and began his career as a professional soccer player.
He made his debut at just 17 years old and immediately scored his first go… Read More
2021-05-12 08:15
Albert Einstein once said1:
Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.
This preference for simplicity shows in his famous equation E=MC2.
Rather than settling for a co… Read More
2021-05-06 09:18
BJ Fogg is one of the world’s leading experts in behavior change.
He has created The Fogg Behavior Model, which is a handy framework for building habits.
According to the model, a beha… Read More
2021-04-29 07:57
Cal Newport is a computer science professor and the author of several books.
He’s famous for his remarkable productivity, both as a researcher and writer.
According to Newport, you can… Read More
2021-04-23 07:56
In her book, Bird by Bird, author Anne Lamott introduces the concept of “shitty first drafts”1:
All good writers write them. This is how they end up with good second drafts and t… Read More
2021-04-14 05:22
Joseph Goldstein is one of my favorite mindfulness teachers. In one of his meditations, he explains that1:
The three most important words in mindfulness meditation are “simply begin ag… Read More
2021-04-08 04:32
The Stoic philosopher Seneca once wrote1:
It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it. Life is long enough, and a sufficiently generous amount has been given t… Read More
2021-04-01 06:15
Remarkable productivity is not about putting in a lot of hours. It’s about consistently putting in intensely focused hours.
Cal Newport, the author of Deep Work, expresses this critica… Read More
2021-03-25 07:55
Are you familiar with this scenario?
You’ve set a big goal that you’re excited about. And initially, you make some progress toward it.
But fairly soon, life starts getting in the… Read More
2021-03-19 09:53
Over the last couple of months, I’ve been doing some work for my good friend Daniel Sjöstedt.
Daniel is a mental trainer and runs the popular Swedish podcast Monkey mindset.
He&rs&hell…Read More
2020-09-17 09:34
We all have many areas of our lives that we would like to improve. In fact, there are so many of them that it can get overwhelming.
If you’ve ever tried setting goals for every major c… Read More
2020-09-10 12:03
Throughout his career, basketball coach John Wooden led his teams to a total winning record of 664-162. At times, his teams seemed nearly unbeatable with winning streaks as long as 88 games… Read More
2020-09-03 07:26
Your life today is essentially the sum of your habits in the past.
The quality of your health, work, and relationships all depend on the habits you’ve had until now.
So, when you learn… Read More
2020-08-25 10:01
I’ve tried countless self-improvement strategies over the years.
Most of them were fruitless. Some were somewhat useful. And a few were life-changing.
The strategy I’m going to t… Read More
2020-08-18 08:45
“What’s the meaning of life?”
This question has occupied countless philosophers throughout history.
According to Stoicism, the answer to that question is eudaimonia1. That… Read More
2020-08-14 08:02
As you go through life, you will encounter difficult people. These interactions can be incredibly frustrating. And you’ll likely find yourself wishing that you could change these peopl… Read More
2020-08-11 07:27
We all have stressors in our lives. At times, they are so many or so intense that they can seem overwhelming. So, if you wish that life was easier, that’s totally understandable.
But a… Read More
2020-08-06 13:55
Some parts of life are downright brutal.
No matter who you are, you’re going to go through devastating experiences and difficult emotions.
You’ll face disappointments and injusti… Read More
2020-02-21 08:10
If you’re like most people, you like to think of your mind as objective and rational. But as the ancient Stoics argued, and as modern psychology has confirmed, that’s not the cas… Read More
2020-02-14 08:08
When entrepreneur Thomas Frank decided to start waking up early every morning, he invented a clever strategy to force himself out of bed.
In his work, he uses a social media app called Buffe… Read More
2020-02-07 07:26
In the 1950s, psychologist Solomon Asch conducted a series of experiments to investigate the power of social pressure1. At the start of each experiment, a participant entered a room with a g… Read More
2020-01-31 07:51
In 1966, the police arrested a man by the name of Ernesto Miranda in Phoenix, Arizona. They suspected Miranda of kidnapping and raping an 18-year-old woman 10 days earlier. And aft… Read More
2020-01-24 07:55
If you examine bad habits closely, you’ll find that they’re almost always caused by two things: stress and boredom. Consider, for instance, the following list of common bad habit… Read More
2020-01-14 09:28
In a previous article, we learned that reducing exposure to cues can be a powerful way to cut off bad habits at the source. And that’s indeed a powerful strategy for handling any kind… Read More
2020-01-10 07:47
During the Vietnam War, congressmen Robert Steele and Morgan Murphy made a shocking discovery. While visiting the U.S. Troops, they learned that over 15 percent of soldiers stationed in Viet… Read More
2020-01-03 07:25
Japan’s railway system is regarded as one of the best in the world. Its extensive network of tracks moves about 12 billion passengers each year with remarkable punctuality. The average… Read More
2019-12-17 09:40
Do you know the feeling?
You’re excited about the new year. You’ve decided your resolutions. And you can’t wait to start working on them.
But as the new year rolls around… Read More
2019-12-13 07:46
Are you familiar with comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s “Don’t break the chain” strategy? If not, I’ll quickly share the story about it.
Years ago, when Seinfeld was st… Read More
2019-12-06 08:36
Burrhus Frederic “B.F.” Skinner was a professor of psychology at Harvard University from 1958 to 1974. He is considered a pioneer of modern behaviorism and one of the most influe… Read More
2019-11-28 08:34
Whenever you’ve completed a good habit, it’s vital that you allow yourself to feel good about it. The reward at the end of the behavior is what will make you want to do it again… Read More
2019-11-22 06:47
Human beings are herd animals. For most of our evolutionary history, our ancestors lived together in tribes.
The group provided safety, access to resources, and mating opportunities. Getting… Read More
2019-11-14 08:00
If you have a hard time sticking to your goals, you’re in good company. It’s a problem people have been struggling with all throughout history.
In fact, philosophers all the way… Read More
2019-11-08 09:44
In an interview on The Joe Rogan Experience1, mixed martial arts instructor Firas Zahabi explained that he’s a big believer in never being sore.
Whenever you’ve worked out, you s… Read More
2019-10-31 15:37
We often assume that we do what we do because of who we are. But the truth is a lot of what we do is the result of where we are.
To illustrate that point, we’ll turn to a fascinating g… Read More
2019-10-25 07:04
In his autobiography, No Limits, swimmer Michael Phelps describes entering the 400-meter individual medley final at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing1:
After we walked out to behind the bloc… Read More
2019-10-18 07:34
In his book Homo Deus, historian Yuval Noah Harari writes1:
‘Algorithm’ is arguably the single most important concept in our world. If we want to understand our life and our futu… Read More
2019-10-11 07:17
Psychologists know that there are two systems in our brains; the rational system and the emotional system. In his book, The Happiness Hypothesis, psychologist Jonathan Haidt provides a great… Read More
2019-10-04 10:50
Have you ever noticed how some habits tend to “spill over” and affect other behaviors? In his book, The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg refer to these behaviors as “keystone… Read More
2019-09-27 08:58
Until the 1960s, researchers believed that changes in the brain only were possible during infancy and childhood. By early adulthood, the brain’s physical structure was considered perma… Read More
2019-09-20 06:28
In his book Antifragile, statistician and philosopher Nassim Nicholas Taleb writes:
Some things benefit from shocks; they thrive and grow when exposed to volatility, randomness, disorder, a… Read More
2019-09-13 06:00
Imagine that you’re an engineer building a bridge. You know that, on an average day, the bridge will need to support about 10,000 tons of traffic at any given time. Would you build it… Read More
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