The Best Tools for Personal Change

The Art of Manliness

Society & Culture, Education, Philosophy

4.7 • 14.5K Ratings

🗓️ 3 May 2021

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

There's no shortage of information out there on how to change — how to lose weight, exercise more, curb your anger, quit smoking, and every other kind of habit someone might want to pick up or drop. But despite this avalanche of information, you're probably struggling to change just as much as you ever did. What you need is an actual strategy — to identify what particular barrier is keeping you from a particular goal, and a specific solution to that specific roadblock. My guest is well-positioned to help you cut through the voluminous noise around personal change and hone in on both sides of this equation. Her name is Katy Milkman, and she's a Wharton professor who's spent her career studying behavioral economics and the author of How to Change: The Science of Getting From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be. On the show today, Katy and I walk through common reasons people aren't successful in changing, and the best, research-backed tools for turning uphill battles into downhill ones. We discuss the ideal times to begin a new habit and the power of fresh starts, how to get motivated to tackle something when there are more pleasurable things you'd rather be doing, how to use commitment devices to stay the course, why giving advice to someone else can help you take that advice yourself, and the crucial importance of surrounding yourself with peers who are better — but not too much better — than you are. Get the show notes at aom.is/toolsforchange.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Bret McKay here and welcome to another edition of the Art of Manliness Podcast.
0:10.6	Now there's no shortage of information out there and how to change.
0:13.6	How to lose weight, exercise more, curb your anger, quit smoking, and every other kind
0:18.0	of habits someone might want to pick up or drop.
0:20.4	But despite this avalanche of information, you're probably struggling to change just as
0:23.8	much as you ever did.
0:25.2	What you need is an actual strategy.
0:27.1	You need to identify what particular barrier is keeping you from a particular goal and
0:30.8	a specific solution to that specific roadblock.
0:33.4	My guest day is well positioned to help you cut through the voluminous noise around personal
0:36.9	change and hone in on both sides of this equation.
0:39.2	Her name is Katie Milkman and she's a ward professor who's spent her career studying
0:42.4	behavior economics and she's also the author of the book How to Change, the science of
0:46.3	getting from where you are to where you want to be.
0:49.1	On the show today, Katie and I walk through common reasons people aren't successful in
0:52.3	changing and the best research-backed tools for turning uphill battles into downhill ones.
0:56.8	We discuss the ideal time to begin a new habit and the power of fresh starts.
1:00.9	How to get motivated to tackle something when there's more pleasurable things you'd
1:03.9	rather be doing.
1:04.9	How to use commitment devices to stay the course.
1:07.0	While giving advice to someone else can help you take that advice yourself and the crucial
1:10.4	importance of surrounding yourself with peers who are better but not too much better than
	...

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