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Habit: How to Change Your Ways in a World of Distraction

Couple jogging together as a good habit

As anyone who’s ever been asked to change knows, habits can be incredibly hard to create and equally hard to shake. How can we kick a habit that keeps us from what we really want out of life and, instead, replace it with a habit that supports our goals? How can we get rid of a bad habit that would otherwise lead to job loss, poor health, and loneliness? How can we create a good habit that leads to success at work and happiness in your personal life?

Below you’ll find links to my best articles on this topic, along with useful tools like this habit tracker template. You’ll find strategies to help you stop unhealthy habits and discover the strategies to create – and sustain healthy habits.

Habits don’t just appear from thin air. They have little to do with our inborn character. Cultivating habits is a matter of choice. Good habits are about developing small, healthy frequent routines. You then need to stick to those routines until they become habitual. There are great tools that can help you develop new routines and methods which will lead you to adopt healthy, happy habits for life.

Over time, good habits become automatic and require little or no conscious thought. That’s what makes habits so powerful.

The articles below are full of actionable advice so you can develop strong, healthy habits and ditch your bad ones. Jump right in and get started on building habits to reach your goals and build a more successful and healthier life.

Top Articles on Habits

The App that Transforms Drinking Habits: a Case Study

The App that Transforms Drinking Habits: a Case Study

As a child of two parents who both struggled with alcoholism, Nick Allen had a choice to make when it came to his own drinking. He could follow the same destructive path his parents took, or he could swear off drinking altogether. But for Allen, and millions of others like him, all or nothing wasn’t much of a choice. Instead, Allen found a third way and co-founded a multimillion-dollar company in the process: Sunnyside.
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You Don’t Have to Follow the Same Routines Forever

You Don’t Have to Follow the Same Routines Forever

Numerous articles detail the routines of the most successful people in the world: Apple CEO Tim Cook wakes up at 3:45 a.m. and exercises. Actor and producer Reese Witherspoon eats the same healthy breakfast. Society has become so focused on increasing productivity and packing the most into every day that we think of long-term, consistent routines as the gold standard for spending our time.
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How to Craft an ‘Indistractable’ Summer Schedule for Your Kids

How to Craft an ‘Indistractable’ Summer Schedule for Your Kids

The end of the school year is a magical time. Kids have made it through a grueling year of groggy early mornings, rigid class schedules, piles of homework, and endless extracurriculars. Finally, they have two whole months of sunny freedom. It’s a well-deserved break. But this gift of time can easily be squandered.
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Here’s How I Made the Time to Write 2 Bestselling Books

Here’s How I Made the Time to Write 2 Bestselling Books

So you want to write a book. Awesome! If you’ve made attempts already, I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that writing is hard work. I’ve written two books and countless articles, and it wasn’t, and still isn’t, easy. I wrote my second book, Indistractable, about controlling your attention and choosing your life because I had such a hard time fighting distractions. Indistractable is my living proof that you can write a book—even if your life is hectic and focusing seems impossible.
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6 Habits That Are Secretly Making You Miserable

6 Habits That Are Secretly Making You Miserable

You wake up in the morning irritable and groggy but determined to be productive. Yesterday didn’t go well. You didn’t complete even the one big priority project that would have taken just a couple of hours if you’d focused. Still, you spent all day on the computer, even leaving your partner to handle dinnertime alone and canceling pickleball with friends. And for what?
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One Question to Ask Yourself to Know Your Future

One Question to Ask Yourself to Know Your Future

The German writer and philosopher Goethe believed he could predict someone’s future based on one simple fact. “If I know how you spend your time,” he wrote, “then I know what might become of you.” Seeing how you spend your time reveals your values and, thus, shows where your investment of time, attention, and effort will lead you.
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The Key to Behavior Change is Identity Change

The Key to Behavior Change is Identity Change

One of the most effective ways to change your behavior is to change your identity. I don’t mean joining the CIA or a witness protection program, or adopting an alter ego. I mean, rather, changing the way you see yourself.
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Habit Tracker in Google Sheets – Free Template

Many people strive to improve themselves in one way or another. Whether it’s getting more sleep and exercise, or spending more time doing the things we love, our ideal selves drive us to be better. They symbolize our belief in our own potential to live in alignment with our values. The drive to improve is also why strategies and tools that enable us to track our behaviors are so potentially gratifying. It feels good to see ourselves moving closer to our goals.
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Habits Are Overrated

Habits Are Overrated

These days, when someone says they want to form a “habit,” what they often mean is that they want to make drudgery effortless. That is, they don’t want to actually do the work, rather they want to have done it—past tense. The trouble is, trying to build a habit is often a self-defeating trap.
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Stop Thinking About Your Bad Habits! [Do This Instead.]

Stop Thinking About Your Bad Habits! [Do This Instead.]

There’s a much more effective way to conquer your vices.In Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, there’s a scene where a magical plant called Devil’s Snare captures Harry, Ron, and Hermoine. The vines wrap around their bodies like hungry pythons as they struggle...

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Progressive Extremism: How To Be A Better You

Progressive Extremism: How To Be A Better You

I had just finished giving a speech on building habits when a woman in the audience exclaimed, “You teach how to create habits, but that’s not my problem. I’m fat!” The frustration in her voice echoed throughout the room. “My problem is stopping bad habits. That’s why...

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Stop Confusing Habits for Routines: What You Need To Know

Stop Confusing Habits for Routines: What You Need To Know

Trying to build good habits can often backfire. Here’s why it’s important to know how habits are formed and when it’s better to stick with a routine instead.Habits are hot. Self-help articles extol the power of habits and books on the topic sell by the millions. Yet,...

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Your Fitness App is Making You Fat, Here’s Why

Your Fitness App is Making You Fat, Here’s Why

Fitness apps are all the rage. An explosion of new companies and products want to track your steps and count your calories with the aim of melting that excess blubber. There's just one problem -- most of these apps don't work. In fact, there is good reason to believe...

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The Number One Reason Good Habits Don’t Last

Nir’s Note: This guest post is written by Max Ogles. Max writes at MaxOgles.com about behavior change, psychology, and technology. Sign up for a free copy of his upcoming e-book, “9 Ways to Motivate Yourself Using Psychology and Technology.” A commonly quoted and...

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Can Online Apps Change Real-Life Behavior?

Nir’s Note: This guest post is written by Max Ogles. Max is an editor for NirAndFar.com and heads marketing for CoachAlba.com, a mobile health startup. Follow him on Twitter and read his blog at MaxOgles.com.Weight gain happens pound by pound, over many years, and...

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How to Break 5 Soul-Sucking Technology Habits

Nir's Note: In this last in a series of guest posts on the topic of technology habits, Jason Shah shares practical tips he used to regain control over his devices and break bad habits. Jason is a Product Manager at Yammer and blogs about user experience and technology...

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4 Simple Things I Did to Control My Bad Tech Habits

Nir’s Note: In this guest post, Sharbani Roy explores techniques she used to break bad habits related to eating, sleeping and exercising. Sharbani blogs at sharbaniroy.com and you can follow her on twitter @Sharbani. It’s 2 AM and you’re exhausted, but unable to...

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Why Behavior Change Apps Fail to Change Behavior

Imagine walking into a busy mall when someone approaches you with an open hand. “Would you have some coins to take the bus, please?” he asks. But in this case, the person is not a panhandler. The beggar is a PhD. As part of a French study, researchers wanted to know...

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The Morality of Manipulation

Let’s admit it, we in the consumer web industry are in the manipulation business. We build products to persuade people to do what we want them to do. We call these people “users,” and even if we don’t say it aloud, we secretly wish every one of them would become...

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Forming New Habits: Train to be an Amateur, Not an Expert

Note: I’m proud to have co-authored this post with my good friend Charles Wang.  Charles is a co-founder of LUMOback, a former classmate, and an accomplished psychiatrist.  He brings a great perspective to the art of Behavior Engineering.Here’s the gist: Forming new...

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