A simple way to stay motivated is to change the world around you. Instead of relying only on willpower, set up your environment so the healthy or helpful action is the default.
First, make the desired action the most convenient choice. People pick bananas over oranges in office kitchens mostly because bananas are easier to eat. Small frictions, like extra steps or tiny hassles, push us away from good habits. Remove those frictions. Lay out your gym clothes in advance, place healthy food in easy reach, and use status lights or simple signals at work to protect quiet focus time.
Second, use clear cues to trigger action. A cue is a visual or sensory reminder tied to a behavior. Placing a distinct object where you will see it can prompt follow through, like a note or a small figurine near a checkout that reminds you to use a coupon. You can also choose a color, a place, or a doorway as a personal cue to pause and repeat a short, positive line that you want to remember.
Third, add curiosity and pairing to make good choices feel rewarding. A curiosity lure is a small prompt, like a trivia question that reveals its answer only if you take the stairs. Temptation bundling pairs a “want” with a “should”, for example, saving a gripping audiobook only for workouts. This makes the helpful action easier to start and easier to stick with.
Across these ideas, the rule is the same. Do not push yourself harder, design your surroundings so they pull you in the right direction. Make the good path obvious, simple, and a little fun.
Psychological Science – “Reminders Through Association” – 2016
Field experiments tested memory cues that piggyback on distinctive objects. In a Cambridge café, telling customers that a stuffed alien would sit on the register later helped more of them remember to redeem a coupon. The study shows that pairing a planned action with a vivid cue in the later context can improve follow through.
Journal of Economic Psychology – “Using curiosity to incentivize the choice of ‘should’ options” – 2022
Researchers tested curiosity lures in real settings. Trivia style prompts increased choices that people say they should make, such as taking stairs or choosing healthier food, by making the action interesting in the moment.
Harvard Business Review – “To get people to change, make change easy” – 2017
The authors describe the “banana principle”, everyday evidence that tiny frictions steer choices. They argue for designing environments that lower effort for the desired behavior.
Red Level blog – “Busylight, the next level ‘do not disturb’ sign” – 2017
A simple color light at each desk signals availability, helping teams reduce interruptions without policing behavior. This illustrates how a small environmental tweak can protect focus.
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