The Four Laws of Behavior Change

Building Habits

  1. Make it obvious.
    • Identify a current habit you already do each day and then stack your new behavior on top.
    • Every habit is initiated by a cue. We are more likely to notice cues that stand out.
    • Make the cues of good habits obvious in your environment.
    • Eliminate a bad habit reducing exposure to the cues that causes it.
  2. Make it attractive.
    • Temptation bundling: Take a behavior that you think of as important but unappealing and link it to a behavior that you’re drawn to.
    • Habits are a dopamine-driven feedback loop. When dopamine rises, so does our motivation to act.
    • The [[Culture]] we live in determines which behaviors are attractive to us. We tend to imitate the habits of three social groups: the close (family and friends), the many (the tribe), and the powerful (those with status and prestige).
  3. Make it easy.
    • Human behavior follows the Law of Least Effort. We will naturally gravitate toward the option that requires the least amount of work.
    • Create an environment where doing the right thing is as easy as possible.
    • Prime your environment to make future good habits easier and to increase friction for bad habits.
  4. Make it satisfying.
    • Attach some immediate gratification to your habits that reinforce your desired [[Identity]].
    • The human brain evolved to [[Time|prioritize]] immediate rewards over delayed rewards.