May 1, 2020

How To Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones | James Clear on Making Sense with Sam Harris

Check out the Making Sense Podcast Page & Show Notes

Luck, habits, and choices all collectively determine success in life. You can’t control the first, but you can control your habits and choices.
Habits are a solution to a problem, but oftentimes they aren’t the BEST solution to a problem
- “I have this set of habits that I use to resolve those problems but what are the odds that the habits I have now are the optimal solution to the problems that I face repeatedly? It’s probably very unlikely.” – James Clear
Your habits are your responsibility
- “It’s your choice as an adult how you respond to these recurring problems and if you have the option, to build habits that solve those things in a healthier, more productive, and fruitful way, then that’s your responsibility to try and build those” – James Clear
“The cost of your good habits is in the present. The cost of your bad habits is in the future.” – James Clear
“Most of your outcomes in life are lagging measures of your habits” – James Clear
- Your knowledge is a lagging measure of your reading and learning habits
- Your bank account is a lagging measure of your financial habits
- Your physical fitness is a lagging measure of your eating and exercise habits

When James was 16, he got into a bad accident while playing baseball–it broke his nose and both eye sockets
- James was rushed to a hospital and the doctors put him into a medically induced coma since he was too unstable to undergo surgery
As part of his recovery process, James had to essentially relearn all of his habits such as basic-motor functions
- James didn’t make the baseball team his junior year but he did make it back onto the team his senior year
  - James went on to play college baseball
James didn’t make into the pros, but by building good habits and making smart choices, he was selected as part of the All-American team (the 30 best players in college)
- The moral of his story: Luck, habits, and choices all collectively determine success in life. You can’t control the first, but you can control your habits and choices.
  - “It did teach me about the importance of small habits and how they can help you rebound from challenges if you can stick with them” – James Clear

Feedback loops can go in either direction: Positive or Negative
- Example of a negative feedback loop: You’re overweight which makes you feel depressed which makes you want to sit on the couch and eat your feelings away and then you get more overweight
  - James would often look for some small positive action he could take to help push himself into a positive feedback loop instead of a negative one
    - Doing just one positive action can give you the momentum to do another positive action which will create a positive feedback loop

Habit = Automatic behavior: It’s a behavior that’s been repeated enough times that it basically becomes automatic
Another definition: “They’re solutions to recurring problems in your environment” – James Clear
- The brain is constantly trying to find solutions for recurring problems in life. Many people may have the same problem, but they often come up with different solutions.
  - If someone is stressed, one person’s solution may be to play video games while another person’s solution is to go for a walk with their spouse
“Habits are often heavily influenced by the environment that we’re in” – James Clear
- People often watch how friends or family members solve recurring problems and copy that solution or habit
  - “You sort of inherit the habits of the people around you”

Realize that habits are a solution to a problem, but oftentimes they aren’t the BEST solution to a problem
- “I have this set of habits that I use to resolve those problems but what are the odds that the habits I have now are the optimal solution to the problems that I face repeatedly? It’s probably very unlikely.” – James Clear
Your habits are your responsibility
- “It’s your choice as an adult how you respond to these recurring problems and if you have the option, to build habits that solve those things in a healthier, more productive, and fruitful way, then that’s your responsibility to try and build those” – James Clear

Every action has two outcomes: An immediate outcome and an ultimate outcome
- The immediate outcome of most bad habits is positive even though the ultimate outcome is negative
  - E.g: Eating a donut feels great but doing it daily will likely cause long-term health problems
- With good habits, it’s the opposite. The immediate outcome is often negative but the ultimate outcome is positive.
  - E.g: Going to the gym for the first month often sucks but in the long run it’s good for your health
For most of history, humans have lived in an immediate term environment
- E.g: Finding something to eat, finding shelter from a storm right now, etc.
  - However, in the last 500 years or so, a lot of the greatest returns come from a delayed-gratification environment
    - E.g: Going to class every day to get a college degree 4 years from now, save for retirement today so you can retire 20 years from now, etc.
“The cost of your good habits is in the present. The cost of your bad habits is in the future.” – James Clear

“You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems” – James Clear
“Most of your outcomes in life are lagging measures of your habits” – James Clear
- Your knowledge is a lagging measure of your reading and learning habits
- Your bank account is a lagging measure of your financial habits
- Your physical fitness is a lagging measure of your eating and exercise habits
Your goal is your desired outcome while your system is a collection of your daily habits
- If you’re failing to meet your goal it’s because your daily habits are falling short
“Your current habits are perfectly designed to deliver your current results” – James Clear