“Change comes most readily when you understand what’s standing between you and success and tailor your solution to that roadblock.”
Here are 7 lessons you can learn from Katy Milkman’s book
“How to Change”: 📚📚📚
1. Fresh Starts Fuel Change: We often associate change with new beginnings. The book highlights how capitalizing on fresh starts, like the beginning of a week, month, or year, can provide a psychological boost and increase your commitment to making a change.
2. Temptation Bundling: Make Good Habits Easy: Pair a desired behavior (like exercise) with an activity you already enjoy (like listening to music). This “temptation bundling” makes the good habit more appealing and easier to stick with.
3. Gamification: Turn Goals into a Game: Infuse your goals with elements of games, like points, rewards, or friendly competition. This adds a fun element and motivates you to stay on track.
4. Commitment Devices: Pre-commit to Change: Public declarations, financial bets, or involving friends or accountability partners can increase your commitment and make it harder to back out of your desired change.
5. Identify Your “Laziness Default”: We often take the path of least resistance. The book encourages you to identify your default behavior and adjust your environment or routines to make the desired behavior easier and the undesired behavior more difficult.
6. The Power of Streaks: Don’t Break the Chain: Building streaks of consistency, even if they’re small, reinforces your commitment and creates a sense of momentum. Aim for “no zero days” to keep your progress going.
7. Reframe Self-Doubt: Reinterpret Butterflies: Don’t let self-doubt derail your efforts. The book suggests reframing the nervous “butterflies” in your stomach as excitement or anticipation of positive change.
By incorporating these strategies, “How to Change” equips you with practical tools and psychological insights to overcome inertia, create lasting habits, and achieve your goals.