
Shane Copeland on Substack

“Lowering expectations increases the probability of positive outcomes. . . . However, lower expectations reduce well-being before an outcome arrives, limiting the beneficial scope of this manipulation.
Brian Christian • The Alignment Problem
For instance, if you’re trying to exercise more and you decide to “create a habit” of going to the gym, you’re really only renaming the core problem. It might be more productive to try to start by building an easier habit, like laying out your gym clothes before you go to bed or asking a friend who already works out to pick you up on his way to the
... See moreDan Heath • Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard
Instead, where we should start is by taking a hard look at the action itself, the thing that people are struggling with. Is there an easier way to accomplish the same end? Something that is more natural for the person to accomplish?
Stephen Wendel • Designing for Behavior Change: Applying Psychology and Behavioral Economics
Dreams and aspirations are good things. So are public-health campaigns. But investing time and energy to motivate ourselves—or other people—toward an abstraction is the wrong move.
BJ PhD Fogg • Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything
Dysfunctional Belief: To have a good work life I need to “go for it” and really shoot for the moon! Reframe: The secret to “good enough for now” is to have a bias to action, but set the bar low, clear it, then do it again, and again.