# The 21 Strategies for Habit Formation | Gretchen Rubin Source URL:: https://gretchenrubin.com/articles/my-new-book-about-habit-formation-as-distilled-in-21-sentences/ In "Better Than Before," I identify the twenty-one strategies we can use to make and break habits. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. ## Highlights > [!quote]+ %%Updated on Wed Sep 20 2023 20:17:27 GMT-0400%% > > 1. The Four TendenciesTo change your habits, you have to know yourself, and in particular, your Tendency—that is, whether you’re an Upholder, Questioner, Obliger, or Rebel. All of us face both outer expectations (meet a work deadline) and inner expectations (keep a New Year’s resolution). Your Tendency describes how you respond to those expectations. Upholders respond readily to both outer and inner expectations. They work hard to meet others’ expectations—and their expectations for themselves.Questioners question all expectations, and will meet an expectation only if they believe it’s justified by reason, logic, and fairness; they follow only inner expectations.Obligers respond readily to outer expectations but struggle to meet inner expectations. They keep their promises to others, but have difficulty keeping their promises to themselves. They respond to external accountability.Rebels resist all expectations, outer and inner alike. They choose to act from a sense of choice, identity, or freedom. They resist control—even self-control. When we try to form a new habit, we set an expectation for ourselves, so understanding our Tendency allows us to choose the strategies that will work for us. For instance, accountability is a crucial strategy for Obligers, but for Rebels, it can be counter-productive. > [!quote]+ %%Updated on Wed Sep 20 2023 20:17:27 GMT-0400%% > > 2. DistinctionsIn addition to knowing how you respond to inner and outer expectations, it’s important to recognize other aspects of your nature related to habit formation, to avoid wasting energy, time, or money. For example, are you a morning person or night person? An over-buyer or under-buyer? Do you prefer familiarity or novelty; competition or collaboration? Considering such distinctions will help you establish habits in the ways that best suit you. > [!quote]+ %%Updated on Wed Sep 20 2023 20:17:27 GMT-0400%% > > 3. MonitoringWe manage what we monitor. Keeping close track of our actions means we do better in categories such as eating, drinking, exercising, working, TV and Internet use, spending—and just about anything else. A key step for the Strategy of Monitoring is to identify precisely what action is monitored. > [!quote]+ %%Updated on Wed Sep 20 2023 20:17:27 GMT-0400%% > > 4. FoundationFirst things first. Certain habits serve as the foundation for other habits, because they keep us from getting too physically taxed or mentally frazzled, and then, because we have more energy and self-control, we follow other healthy habits more easily. We can strengthen our foundation by getting enough sleep; eating and drinking right; exercising; and un-cluttering. > [!quote]+ %%Updated on Wed Sep 20 2023 20:17:27 GMT-0400%% > > 5. SchedulingFor many people, if it’s on the calendar, it happens. Habits grow strongest and fastest when they’re repeated in predictable ways, and for most of us, putting an activity on the schedule tends to lock us into doing it. Scheduling an activity also protects that time from interference. > [!quote]+ %%Updated on Wed Sep 20 2023 20:17:27 GMT-0400%% > > 6. AccountabilityMany people do better when they know someone’s watching. For Obligers, most of all, external accountability is absolutely essential. > [!quote]+ %%Updated on Wed Sep 20 2023 20:17:27 GMT-0400%% > > 7. First StepsIt’s enough to begin; if you’re ready, begin now. And while starting is hard, starting over is often harder; once started, try not to stop. Don’t break the chain! > [!quote]+ %%Updated on Wed Sep 20 2023 20:17:27 GMT-0400%% > > 8. Clean SlateWhen we go through a big transition, old habits get wiped away, and with that clean slate, new habits form more easily. For this reason, a great time to tackle a new habit is when starting a new job, a new relationship, or a new home. Many people also use the New Year, a birthday, or an important milestone as a clean slate. When facing a clean slate, remember that temporary becomes permanent, so start the way you want to continue. > [!quote]+ %%Updated on Wed Sep 20 2023 20:17:27 GMT-0400%% > > 9. Lightning BoltOnce in a while, we encounter some new idea, new information, or a new role—and suddenly, effortlessly, a new habit replaces a well-established habit. This strategy is enormously powerful, but hard to invoke on command. Examples might include: a documentary or book, a diagnosis, an accident, a conversation with a stranger, parenthood. > [!quote]+ %%Updated on Wed Sep 20 2023 20:17:27 GMT-0400%% > > 10. AbstainingWhen facing a strong temptation, “Abstainers” do better when they abstain altogether, while “Moderators” do better when they indulge in temptation sometimes, or a little. For Abstainers, it’s much more difficult to indulge in moderation than to give something up; for Moderators, it’s harder to abstain.11. ConvenienceTo a truly remarkable extent, we’re more likely to do something if it’s convenient, and less likely if it’s not. The amount of effort, time, or decision-making required by an action has a huge influence on our habits. Make it easy to do right and hard to go wrong. Likewise…