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Just search new here. Welcome to the HBO Idea Cash from Harvard Business Review. I'm Sarah Green. Today I'm talking with

Gretchen Rubin, the best-selling author whose new book is better than before,

mastering the habits of our everyday lives. Gretchen, thank you so much for talking with us today.

Oh, I'm so happy to be talking to you. Thank you.

So I was thinking, you know, as I was going through your book, I was sort of realizing

that to me, I almost think of sort of setting new habits as sort of synonymous with willpower in some way.

And so I sort of wanted to start with a philosophical question, you know, do you think forming a habit

is the same thing as exerting willpower or are they sort of a little bit different?

Well that is an outstanding question and here's the thing about habits and willpower. It takes

willpower to get a habit started sometimes though surprisingly habits

can sometimes form almost effortlessly and very quickly and I was surprised to realize

how often it's very easy to form a habit.

And not just a habit that you don't want to have, but even habits, challenging habits that you want. But sometimes it does take

well-part to set that habit and stand and get a blank. But really the benefit of having a

habit, the really, the wonderful thing about it is that it gets us out of the business

of using willpower and people often say things like well go through your day

...