| Key Concepts | Details | First Steps | | ------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | **Habits** | Habits are the invisible architecture of daily life. We repeat about 40% of our behavior almost daily. | Identify a habit you want to change or form. | | **Change** | When we change our habits, we change our lives. | Choose a habit and make a plan to change it. | | **Decision Making** | A habit requires no decision from us, because we've already decided. This freedom from decision making is crucial, because when we have to decide—which often involves resisting temptation or postponing gratification—we tax our self-control. | Make a decision about a habit and stick to it. | | **Self-Control** | It takes self-control to establish good habits. However, with habits, we conserve our self-control. | Practice self-control by sticking to your decision about a habit. | | **Stress and Habits** | When we're anxious or tired, we fall back on our habits, whether bad or good. Therefore, it's all the more important to try to shape habits mindfully. | Identify your stress triggers and how they affect your habits. | | **The Essential Seven** | The most common habits people want to change fall into the 'Essential Seven': Eat and drink more healthfully (give up sugar, eat more vegetables, drink less alcohol). | Choose one of the 'Essential Seven' habits you want to change and make a plan. | | **Understanding Your Tendency** | To change a habit effectively, you need to understand your tendency. Rubin identifies four tendencies: Upholders, Questioners, Obligers, and Rebels. | Take Rubin's Four Tendencies quiz to understand your tendency. | | **Scheduling** | Scheduling is one of the most effective ways to build better habits. | Schedule time for your new habit in your daily routine. | | **Monitoring** | Monitoring what you're doing helps you understand your habits better and can lead to positive changes. | Start tracking your habits in a journal or app. | | **Foundation** | Building a strong foundation by focusing on a few key habits can help other habits fall into place more easily. | Identify key habits that will form the foundation of your daily routine. | | **Accountability** | Holding yourself accountable for your habits can help reinforce them[^9^. Find an accountability partner or use an app that helps hold you accountable for your habits[^4^[5^[9^. | | | **First Steps** | The first step in forming a new habit is often the hardest, but it's also the most important[^4^[5^[9^. Start small and take that first step towards forming your new habit[^4^[5^[9^. | | | | | |