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Prime your environment to make good habits easier and bad habits harder from "summary" of Summary of “Atomic Habits” by James Clear by Lea Schullery
To make it easier to stick to good habits and break bad ones, it’s important to prime your environment. Your environment plays a significant role in shaping your behavior, so it’s essential to set it up in a way that promotes positive habits and discourages negative ones. One way to do this is through the use of cues. Cues act as triggers that signal your brain to start a particular habit. By designing your environment with cues that prompt good habits, you can make it easier for yourself to follow through on those habits. For example, if you want to start a daily running habit, you can lay out your running shoes and clothes the night before as a visual cue to remind you to go for a run in the morning. On the other hand, if you want to break a bad habit like mindlessly snacking while watching TV, you can remove the cues that trigger that behavior, such as keeping unhealthy snacks out of sight. In addition to cues, you can also make good habits more convenient and bad habits more difficult to engage in. For instance, if you want to eat healthier, you can make it easier by stocking your fridge with fruits and vegetables and removing junk food. This way, when you’re hungry and looking for a snack, the healthier option is readily available. On the other hand, if you want to reduce your screen time before bed, you can make it more difficult by leaving your phone in another room or using an app to block certain websites during a specific time frame. By making good habits easier and bad habits harder, you’re setting yourself up for success in sticking to your desired behaviors. Another way to prime your environment for success is by surrounding yourself with people who embody the habits you want to cultivate. Humans are social creatures, and we tend to mimic the behaviors of those around us. Therefore, if you surround yourself with people who engage in positive habits, you’re more likely to adopt those habits yourself. On the flip side, if you have friends or family members who engage in negative habits that you’re trying to break, it may be beneficial to limit your time with them or have a conversation about how they can support you in your habit-building journey.- By priming your environment to make good habits easier and bad habits harder, you’re creating a supportive framework that sets you up for success in achieving your goals. By leveraging cues, convenience, and social influence, you can make it easier to stick to positive habits and more challenging to engage in negative
