More on abstaining vs. moderating
Rubin discusses reasons that abstinence works for some people and moderation for others.
For her, the thought of total deprivation (abstinence) makes it easier because she feels it conserves her energy and willpower - there are no decisions to make and no struggle…
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Desire, Ease, and Excuses
Gretchen Rubin begins the next section of Better Than Before with these words: "The Strategies of Abstaining, Convenience, and Inconvenience examine how we can shape our habits by adjusting the amount of effort involved. Safeguards, Loophole-Spotting, and Distraction address the challenges of failure and temptation. Reward, Treats,…
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Data Point of One - Lightning Bolt
"Sometimes we're hit by a lightning bolt that transforms our habits, instantly. We encounter a new idea, and suddenly a new habit replaces a long-standing habit - without preparation, without small steps, without wavering - and we pass from before to after…
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The Power of the Clean Slate
Today I celebrate keeping my commitment to blog for 30 consecutive days! Day 30 just so happens to coincide with my birthday. (Rather synchronistic because I didn't realized that when I made the commit to blog for 30 days.)
Gretchen Rubin talks about birthdays…
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How a clean slate can help start building new habits
Rubin believes that ANY beginning provides a special opportunity, a clean slate, to start creating new habits. This beginning can take many forms - the New Year and a birthday often provide this fresh perspective to start something new.
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Starting and stopping habits
Gretchen Rubin points out how vulnerable a new habit is when we stop. She suggests that it's often even harder to restart a habit once we've stopped. Her advice is to pay special attention to times when you know you'll need to stop for some…
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