Advanced Tactics: Identity & Inversion
Module 6: Breaking Bad Habits (Inversion)
To break a bad habit, systematically invert the Four Laws:
- 1. Make it Invisible: Remove triggers from your environment.
- 2. Make it Unattractive: Reframe your mindset to highlight the benefits of avoiding it.
- 3. Make it Difficult: Increase friction by adding steps between you and the bad habit.
- 4. Make it Unsatisfying: Implement an accountability partner or habit contract.
Module 7: Identity-Based Habits
True behavior change is identity change. The "Layers of the Onion" model consists of: (1) Outcomes, (2) Processes, and (3) Identity.
Votes for Identity: Every action is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. Shift from "I'm trying to quit" to "I'm not a smoker."
Module 8: Habit Tracking (Lagging Measures)
Outcomes are "lagging measures" of your habits. You get what you repeat.
- The Valley of Disappointment: The early stage of compounding where you put in work but see no results. Change happens like tectonic plates; tension builds for years until it suddenly releases.
- Systems vs. Goals: The purpose of goals is to win the game; the purpose of systems is to continue playing.