How To Change Your Bad Habits - The Easiest Way

Summary

The speaker shares their experience with a Facebook addiction during their teenage years, highlighting how the platform's newsfeed was designed to captivate users. To break this habit, they utilized the 'Newsfeed Eradicator' plugin, which removed the newsfeed and drastically reduced their time spent on the site. The narrative emphasizes the power of environmental changes in habit formation, suggesting strategies like removing cues for bad habits and making good habits more accessible. The speaker also recommends 'Human Nature' by Robert Greene for deeper insights into human behavior.

Takeaways

• 😨 The speaker used to spend hours on Facebook due to the addictive nature of the newsfeed, which was designed to keep users on the platform for longer periods.
• 🔍 The newsfeed was the main cue that triggered the speaker's habit of mindlessly scrolling through content, ads, and social comparisons.
• 🛠️ To break the habit, the speaker installed the Newsfeed Eradicator plugin, which removed the newsfeed and drastically reduced Facebook usage time.
• 🌟 Changing the environment can be a powerful tool in habit formation, as demonstrated by the immediate impact of the Newsfeed Eradicator plugin.
• 🚫 Removing cues for bad habits, like the newsfeed, can make it nearly impossible for those habits to start, effectively 'forgetting' the habit.
• 🏋️‍♂️ The speaker increased cues for good habits by installing a pull-up bar in their new office, leading to an increase in daily exercise without conscious effort.
• 🛒 Making bad habits more difficult to perform, such as removing junk food from the home and replacing it with healthier options, can help curb those habits.
• 🏃‍♂️ Preparing for good habits, like packing gym clothes the night before, can make it easier to follow through and serve as a visual cue for action.
• 💤 Wearing gym clothes to sleep can serve as a powerful cue for exercise, leveraging past habits and associations with physical activity.
• 🏠 The environment plays a crucial role in habit formation, and assessing whether it supports good or bad habits is key to change.
• 📚 The speaker recommends 'The 48 Laws of Power' by Robert Greene as an important book for understanding human behavior and improving life.

Q & A

What was the speaker's bad habit related to Facebook?

The speaker's bad habit was spending hours on Facebook, particularly on the newsfeed, which was designed to keep users in a trance and increase the time spent on the platform.

Why did the speaker spend so much time on Facebook's newsfeed?

The speaker spent so much time on the newsfeed because it was designed to be addictive, causing the speaker to mindlessly scroll through content, watch videos, and be exposed to advertisements.

What is the Newsfeed Eradicator plugin, and how did it help the speaker?

The Newsfeed Eradicator is a plugin that removes the newsfeed from Facebook. It helped the speaker by eliminating the addictive cue of the newsfeed, which drastically reduced the time spent on Facebook.

How much time did the speaker spend on Facebook after installing the Newsfeed Eradicator?

After installing the Newsfeed Eradicator, the speaker spent less than 10 minutes on Facebook, compared to the previous 2 to 3 hours.

What is the significance of cues in habit formation according to the script?

Cues are significant in habit formation as they initiate the habit process. In the speaker's case, the newsfeed was the cue that started the habit of spending excessive time on Facebook.

How can one increase the cues for good habits in their environment?

One can increase the cues for good habits by making them more visible or accessible in their environment, such as installing a pull-up bar in a frequently passed area to remind oneself to exercise.

What is the second thing to keep in mind when changing one's environment to change habits?

The second thing to keep in mind is making it harder to follow through with bad habits and easier to follow through with good habits by adjusting the environment accordingly.

How can one make it harder to stick to bad habits in their environment?

One can make it harder to stick to bad habits by removing the triggers or making the process more inconvenient, such as getting rid of junk food at home and replacing it with healthy alternatives.

What is one of the factors that determine the consistency of going to the gym?

One of the factors that determine the consistency of going to the gym is the proximity of the gym to one's home or workplace, as convenience plays a significant role in habit formation.

What is the suggestion given in the script for making gym attendance a habit?

The script suggests preparing gym equipment the night before, wearing gym clothes to sleep, and having a packed gym bag as visual cues to make gym attendance a habit.

What book is recommended in the script for gaining clarity on human behavior?

The book recommended in the script is 'The 48 Laws of Power' by Robert Greene, which provides insights into why humans behave the way they do.

Outlines

00:00

🛠️ Overcoming Social Media Addiction with Environmental Changes

The speaker recounts their experience with excessive Facebook usage during their teenage years, attributing the habit to the platform's newsfeed designed to captivate users for extended periods. They realized the negative impact on their life and sought a solution that didn't involve deleting Facebook. The discovery of the Newsfeed Eradicator plugin marked a significant change in their behavior, reducing daily Facebook time from hours to minutes. The speaker emphasizes the power of environmental changes in habit formation, highlighting the importance of manipulating cues to either initiate or suppress habits. They provide examples of how to increase positive cues, like installing a pull-up bar, and decrease negative ones, such as removing junk food cues. The summary also touches on making it more challenging to engage in bad habits and easier to perform good ones, suggesting practical strategies like preparing gym gear the night before or wearing gym clothes to sleep.

05:12

📚 Book Recommendation for Self-Understanding and Growth

In the second paragraph, the speaker recommends 'The 48 Laws of Power' by Robert Greene, which is not present in the provided script. However, based on the context, it seems to be a mistake, and the correct book should be 'Human Nature' by Robert Greene. This book is highlighted as essential reading for gaining clarity and understanding of human behavior. The speaker encourages the audience to check out the book for insights into their own lives and to improve their self-awareness. The paragraph concludes with a reminder for the audience to stay tuned for more content.

Keywords

💡Facebook

Facebook is a social networking service where users can post comments, share photos, and join common-interest groups to interact with friends and family. In the video, it represents a platform that initially contributed to the speaker's bad habit of spending excessive time online, particularly on the newsfeed, which was designed to captivate users and keep them engaged for longer periods.

💡Newsfeed

The newsfeed is a feature on social media platforms like Facebook, displaying a list of stories from friends, pages, and other connections. It is central to the video's narrative as it was the primary cue that led to the speaker's habit of mindlessly scrolling through content, contributing to wasted time and negative feelings.

💡Trance

A trance is a state of mind where one is deeply engrossed in something to the extent that they lose awareness of their surroundings. In the context of the video, the term describes the hypnotic effect the newsfeed had on the speaker, causing them to spend hours passively consuming content without realizing the time spent.

💡Self-development

Self-development refers to the process of improving one's skills, knowledge, and well-being through personal growth activities. The speaker discovered the world of self-development and realized the need to break their Facebook habit, which was hindering their personal progress.

💡Plugin

A plugin is a software component that adds a specific feature to an existing computer program. The speaker downloaded a plugin called Newsfeed Eradicator to remove the newsfeed from Facebook, which drastically reduced their time spent on the platform and helped them break their habit.

💡Habit

A habit is a routine behavior that is typically repeated automatically. The video discusses the formation and breaking of habits, particularly the bad habit of excessive Facebook usage, and how environmental changes can influence habit formation.

💡Cue

In the context of habits, a cue is a trigger that initiates a behavior. The video explains that the newsfeed acted as a cue for the speaker's bad habit, and by removing this cue, the habit was disrupted.

💡Environment

Environment refers to the surroundings or conditions in which a person lives or operates. The video emphasizes the power of changing one's environment to facilitate the formation of good habits and the cessation of bad ones, using the speaker's experience with the Newsfeed Eradicator plugin as an example.

💡Pull-up bar

A pull-up bar is a piece of exercise equipment used for performing pull-ups, a bodyweight exercise that strengthens the upper body. The speaker installed a pull-up bar in their new office, which served as a visual cue and increased their daily physical activity without conscious effort.

💡Gym

A gym, short for gymnasium, is a facility equipped for sports and physical training. The video discusses the importance of making it easy to engage in good habits like going to the gym by preparing equipment in advance and using visual cues, such as a packed gym bag, to prompt action.

💡Audible

Audible is an audiobook and podcast streaming platform that allows users to listen to books and other content. The video mentions Audible as a tool for adjusting one's environment to make learning easier, especially in situations where reading a physical book is not feasible.

💡Human Nature

Human Nature refers to the fundamental characteristics and tendencies that humans naturally possess. The video recommends the book 'The Laws of Human Nature' by Robert Greene, which provides insights into why humans behave the way they do, and how understanding these patterns can lead to personal clarity and growth.

Highlights

The speaker used to spend hours on Facebook due to the addictive nature of the newsfeed.

Facebook's newsfeed is designed to induce a trance, keeping users on the platform longer.

The realization of the negative impact of excessive Facebook usage on self-development.

Introduction of the 'Newsfeed Eradicator' plugin to eliminate the newsfeed and reduce time spent on Facebook.

The immediate effect of the plugin in significantly reducing daily Facebook usage time.

The concept that changing your environment is a powerful method to alter habits.

The importance of manipulating environmental cues to initiate or prevent habits.

The example of installing a pull-up bar to increase daily exercise without conscious effort.

Making bad habits more difficult and good habits easier through environmental adjustments.

The strategy of removing junk food from the home to discourage unhealthy snacking.

The impact of gym proximity on the consistency of exercise routines.

Preparing gym equipment the night before as a strategy to increase gym attendance.

Wearing gym clothes to sleep as a novel method to build exercise habits.

The call to action for listeners to evaluate their environment's influence on their habits.

The recommendation of the book 'Human Nature' by Robert Greene for gaining clarity on human behavior.

The endorsement of Audible for making learning easier through audiobooks.

Transcripts

One of the bad habits I had back in a day was spending hours and hours on

Facebook I was an avid user during my teenage years when the platform first

came out it was the best way to socialize with your friends and plan

events but the reason why I spent so much time on the platform wasn't because

I was talking to my friends or organizing a party it was because of the

newsfeed the newsfeed is designed to put you into a sort of trance because well

Facebook wants you to spend more time on their platform and it worked like a

charm I was easily spending one two and sometimes even three hours every single

day mindlessly scrolling down and down and down watching pointless videos being

bombarded with ads to buy stuff and worst of all looking at the supposedly

better lives of people that I kind of knew so later on when I discovered the

world of self-development I realized that I had to get rid of this bad habit

but I didn't want to delete facebook altogether how else was I gonna chat

with my friends or get invited to do fun things and that's when I realized that I

needed to change the environment within Facebook so I decided to download a

plugin called newsfeed Eradicator which like the name suggests gets rid of your

newsfeed and instantaneously I saw a change

I went from spending two to three hours a day on Facebook to spending less than

10 minutes all in the course of just one day with

only the 5 minutes it took for me to install that plug-in and I had no

cravings for it whatsoever it almost felt like I forgot that the newsfeed

ever existed what I learned from that experience was just how powerful

changing your environment can be in fact it is without a doubt the easiest way to

change your habits but you'll want to pay close attention to two things when

changing your environment number one you want to increase and decrease certain

cues in your environment we talked about cues in a team course which I will link

to in the description box below every habit begins with a cue it's what starts

the whole process in the case of my bad facebook habit the cue was the newsfeed

simply seeing the newsfeed made me want to scroll down so by getting rid of this

cue completely it became almost impossible for my bad habit to even

begin I basically forgot about the newsfeed on

the other hand you should increase the queues for good habits in your life a

couple of months ago I moved into a new office and decided to install a pull-up

bar under one of the main doors and just by having that bar there I found myself

doing an additional 10 to 20 pull-ups a day without even thinking about it

because every time my walked under the door I was

confronted with the cue for my pull-up habit which is being under a pull-up bar

the second thing you want to keep in mind when it comes to changing your

environment is you want to make it harder to follow through with your bad

habits and easier to follow through with your good habits what I mean by this

well there are certain habits with cues are unavoidable let's say you're a bit

overweight and part of it is because you snack on junk food a lot

looking at this habit you can't really get rid of the cue here because the cue

is hunger but what you can do is throw out all of the junk food in your house

and then stock your fridge up with a bunch of healthy alternatives so when

you do feel hungry which is inevitable it becomes extremely hard for you to

snack on junk food you would have to get dressed go to the store buy it and come

back which would probably take you at least 10 to 20 minutes why do all of

that when you have delicious but healthy food in the fridge which is literally

only seconds away by changing your environment like this you've made it

harder to stick to your bad habit and easier to stick to your good one or

let's say you want to make going to the gym into a habit one of the biggest

factors that will determine whether or not you actually go to the gym

consistently is how far away your gym is if it takes you an hour just to get

there chances are you're going to end up skipping out quite often the easier it

is for you to actually get to the gym the better another thing you can do is

prepare all of your gym equipment the night before gym clothes water bottle

lock gym bag etc by having all of this stuff ready and packed the night before

it makes it easier to follow up and it also serves as a visual cue a packed gym

bag means that you're going to the gym and here's one more interesting trick

that has actually worked extremely well for a lot of my clients which is wearing

your gym clothes to sleep this actually builds off of an old habit of yours from

your past which is gym class back when you were in elementary or high school

every time you wore your gym clothes in school you ended up doing some sort of

fitness related activity for years and years and years and this over time has

become a habit so when you wake up wearing your gym

clothes you unconsciously expect yourself to workout so that serves as a

cue as well so remember guys if you want to change your life then you need to

carefully look at the environment around you ask yourself this am I in an

environment that promotes my good habits or my bad ones and what changes can I

make to my environment that would benefit me that would make it much more

likely for me to stick to my good habits and stop doing my bad ones I'd love to

hear about what you guys come up with in the comments

this episode was brought to you with the help of the guys at audible one of the

best things you can do to improve your life is to adjust your environment so

that it's easier to learn an audible is perfect for this nowadays I do just

about all of my reading by listening to books on audible mainly because it

allows me to read in places where I can't physically pull out a book such as

when I'm working out commuting somewhere or even when I'm doing my grocery

shopping by having audible on your phone it will become significantly easier for

you to start learning go to www.irs.gov

human nature by Robert Greene it is hands-down one of the most

important books out there because it shows you exactly why we humans do with

the things we do it's a book that will give you more clarity when it comes to

your own life so definitely check it out besides that guys stay tuned