Anchor and shape the environment
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The idea in everyday life
Attach the behavior to a reliable event and change the physical, digital, and social environment to support it.
The environment should remind you to take the right action and make the competing action slightly less convenient.
One step at a time.
Use the sample or information you have permission to use. Keep your work as you go. You can pause between steps.
- 1
Choose an existing anchor that happens with the right frequency and in the right location.
- 2
Write the sequence as after anchor, I will perform tiny behavior, then record or celebrate completion.
- 3
Place tools in the path, pre-decide details, block distractions, and add reminders only where the anchor is insufficient.
- 4
Ask for social support or accountability that encourages the behavior without surveillance or shame.
See how it works.
Devin puts the book on the breakfast plate the night before and moves the phone charger out of the kitchen.
Did you cover these?
- Your work includes a sentence linking your habit to an existing routine, notes showing what you changed around you, a setup checklist, and a limit on how others may support you.
- Check this common mistake: Using a clock reminder during a variable schedule and ignoring the physical steps that still make action difficult.
- The cue occurs reliably, the needed item is ready, and the first action takes no searching or decision.
What to finish
A sentence linking your habit to an existing routine, notes showing what you changed around you, a setup checklist, and a limit on how others may support you.
Watch for this
Using a clock reminder during a variable schedule and ignoring the physical steps that still make action difficult.
How can I tell I understand it?
The cue occurs reliably, the needed item is ready, and the first action takes no searching or decision.
Quick knowledge check
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Answer all 3 questions above and get at least 2 right. You can review the explanations and try again.
Go to the knowledge checkOptional course overview video · same video as Lesson 1
Building Lasting Habits
From Stanford University. Watch here or open it on YouTube .
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