As a certified Tiny Habits coach, I am thrilled to see you write on untangling habits. To be clear, sometimes it is possible to undo a habit simply by replacing it with another habit, but often the process is much more involved, as you say. That is why BJ Fogg uses the word “untangle” rather than the more common ”break.”
The good news is that Dr. Fogg’s research demonstrates that forming positive habits can be simple and even quick.
I liked BJ’s rope metaphor. It reminds me that I only have one rope (my brain) and that even if/after I untangle all the knots (break/replace a bad behavior) there are still weak points in that part of the rope where it can become easily tangled again in the same if I let my guard down or become complacent. Stoic Philosophy and CBT has really helped me in the Cue and Cravings part of the Habit Loop. I’m recently going down a new rabbit hole on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Currently reading The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris. I like his simple model on Choice points - see lots of convergence with Stoicism, Habit, and even Admired Leadership (base goals and decision making on values, focus on the process, not outcomes). Good stuff!
As a certified Tiny Habits coach, I am thrilled to see you write on untangling habits. To be clear, sometimes it is possible to undo a habit simply by replacing it with another habit, but often the process is much more involved, as you say. That is why BJ Fogg uses the word “untangle” rather than the more common ”break.”
The good news is that Dr. Fogg’s research demonstrates that forming positive habits can be simple and even quick.
Great word choice! -- better metaphor too.
I liked BJ’s rope metaphor. It reminds me that I only have one rope (my brain) and that even if/after I untangle all the knots (break/replace a bad behavior) there are still weak points in that part of the rope where it can become easily tangled again in the same if I let my guard down or become complacent. Stoic Philosophy and CBT has really helped me in the Cue and Cravings part of the Habit Loop. I’m recently going down a new rabbit hole on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Currently reading The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris. I like his simple model on Choice points - see lots of convergence with Stoicism, Habit, and even Admired Leadership (base goals and decision making on values, focus on the process, not outcomes). Good stuff!
Thanks for the recommendation, David.