Automatic rules
Decide the behavior once, as a rule, so it is not decided in the moment
You set the rule when you are at your best and follow it when you are not. Typical ones: no alcohol after nine, no meetings before noon, order the healthiest thing on the menu, train every day. Part of the argument for a rule over a good intention is social. People push back on a preference and rarely push back on a rule, so defending the choice stops costing willpower every time it comes up. Scope matters too. The rule has to be narrow enough that you know instantly whether you kept it, and the useful ones tend to cover behavior you would not manage on your own.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Shane ParrishDoes it
Writer · Farnam Street and The Knowledge Project
He credits Daniel Kahneman, who told him he keeps personal rules because people do not argue with rules. His own include stopping drinking at nine when he is out after a talk. The daily training rule exists, he says, because he hates working out.
Source: The Tim Ferriss Show #695 transcript“Automatic rules turn your desired behavior into your default behavior, and they do it when you’re at your best. And so you can pre-decide a lot of things.”
The Tim Ferriss Show #695 transcript (opens in a new tab) · 29 Sep 2023
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