14 How to Make Good Habits Inevitable and Bad Habits Impossible

如何让好习惯不可避免，让坏习惯不可能

IN THE SUMMER OF 1830, Victor Hugo was facing an impossible deadline. Twelve months earlier, the French author had promised his publisher a new book. But instead of writing, he spent that year pursuing other projects, entertaining guests, and delaying his work. Frustrated, Hugo’s publisher responded by setting a deadline less than six months away. The book had to be finished by February 1831.

1830年夏天，维克多·雨果面临着一个不可能的最后期限。12个月前，这位法国作家承诺出版一本新书。但那一年，他没有写作，而是继续从事其他项目，招待客人，推迟工作。雨果的出版商沮丧地设定了不到六个月的最后期限作为回应。这本书必须在1831年2月之前完成。

Hugo concocted a strange plan to beat his procrastination. He collected all of his clothes and asked an assistant to lock them away in a large chest. He was left with nothing to wear except a large shawl. Lacking any suitable clothing to go outdoors, he remained in his study and wrote furiously during the fall and winter of 1830. The Hunchback of Notre Dame was published two weeks early on January 14, 1831.*

雨果想出了一个奇怪的计划来克服他的拖延症。他把自己所有的衣服都收集起来，让助手把它们锁在一个大箱子里。除了一条大围巾外，他什么也没有穿。由于没有合适的外出服装，1830年秋冬时节，他一直呆在书房里拼命写作。《钟楼怪人》于1831年1月14日提前两周出版。

Sometimes success is less about making good habits easy and more about making bad habits hard. This is an inversion of the 3rd Law of Behavior Change: make it difficult. If you find yourself continually struggling to follow through on your plans, then you can take a page from Victor Hugo and make your bad habits more difficult by creating what psychologists call a commitment device.

有时候，成功不是让好习惯变得容易，而是让坏习惯变得困难。这是行为变化第三定律的倒置:让它变得困难。如果你发现自己不断地努力去完成你的计划，那么你可以借鉴维克多·雨果的经验，通过创造心理学家所说的承诺装置来使你的坏习惯变得更加困难。

A commitment device is a choice you make in the present that controls your actions in the future. It is a way to lock in future behavior, bind you to good habits, and restrict you from bad ones. When Victor Hugo shut his clothes away so he could focus on writing, he was creating a commitment device.*

承诺装置是你在当下做出的选择，它控制着你未来的行动。这是一种锁定未来行为的方式，使你与好习惯绑定，并限制你远离坏习惯。当维克多·雨果把衣服收起来以便专注于写作时，他正在创造一种承诺装置。

There are many ways to create a commitment device. You can reduce overeating by purchasing food in individual packages rather than in bulk size. You can voluntarily ask to be added to the banned list at casinos and online poker sites to prevent future gambling sprees. I’ve even heard of athletes who have to “make weight” for a competition choosing to leave their wallets at home during the week before weigh-in so they won’t be tempted to buy fast food.

有很多方法可以创建一个承诺装置。你可以购买个别包装的食物，而不是大量的食物，以减少过量进食。你可以自愿要求加入禁止名单，在赌场和在线扑克网站，以防止未来的赌博狂欢。我甚至听说有些运动员为了参加比赛不得不在称重前一周把钱包放在家里，这样他们就不会被诱惑去买快餐了。

As another example, my friend and fellow habits expert Nir Eyal purchased an outlet timer, which is an adapter that he plugged in between his internet router and the power outlet. At 10 p.m. each night, the outlet timer cuts off the power to the router. When the internet goes off, everyone knows it is time to go to bed.

另一个例子是，我的朋友兼同事习惯专家NirEyal购买了一个插座计时器，这是一个适配器，他把它插在他的互联网路由器和电源插座之间。每天晚上10点，定时器会切断路由器的电源。当互联网关闭时，每个人都知道该上床睡觉了。

Commitment devices are useful because they enable you to take advantage of good intentions before you can fall victim to temptation. Whenever I’m looking to cut calories, for example, I will ask the waiter to split my meal and box half of it to go before the meal is served. If I waited until the meal came out and told myself “I’ll just eat half,” it would never work.

承诺手段是有用的，因为它们能让你在受到诱惑之前利用好自己的意图。例如，每当我想要减少热量摄入时，我就会要求服务员把我的饭菜分成一半，在饭菜上桌前把一半打包带走。如果我一直等到饭出来，然后告诉自己“我只吃一半”，那就永远不会奏效了。

The key is to change the task such that it requires more work to get out of the good habit than to get started on it. If you’re feeling motivated to get in shape, schedule a yoga session and pay ahead of time. If you’re excited about the business you want to start, email an entrepreneur you respect and set up a consulting call. When the time comes to act, the only way to bail is to cancel the meeting, which requires effort and may cost money.

关键是要改变任务，使摆脱这个好习惯所需要的工作比开始做这个任务的工作更多。如果你感到有动力去保持身材，那就安排一次瑜伽练习，并提前付款。如果你对你想要开始的事业感到兴奋，给你尊敬的企业家发电子邮件，然后建立一个咨询电话。到了采取行动的时候，唯一的保释办法就是取消会议，这需要努力，而且可能要花钱。

Commitment devices increase the odds that you’ll do the right thing in the future by making bad habits difficult in the present. However, we can do even better. We can make good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible.

承诺机制通过让坏习惯在当下变得困难，增加了你在未来做正确事情的可能性。然而，我们可以做得更好。我们可以让好习惯不可避免，让坏习惯不可避免。

HOW TO AUTOMATE A HABIT AND NEVER THINK ABOUT IT AGAIN

如何让一个习惯自动化，并且永远不要再去想它

John Henry Patterson was born in Dayton, Ohio, in 1844. He spent his childhood doing chores on the family farm and working shifts at his father’s sawmill. After attending college at Dartmouth, Patterson returned to Ohio and opened a small supply store for coal miners.

约翰·亨瑞·帕特森(作家)于1844年出生于俄亥俄州的代顿。他的童年都是在家庭农场做家务，在父亲的锯木厂轮班工作。在达特茅斯读完大学后，帕特森回到俄亥俄州，为煤矿工人开了一家小型供应商店。

It seemed like a good opportunity. The store faced little competition and enjoyed a steady stream of customers, but still struggled to make money. That was when Patterson discovered his employees were stealing from him.

这似乎是一个很好的机会。这家商店几乎没有竞争对手，顾客源源不断，但仍难以盈利。这时帕特森发现他的员工在偷他的钱。

In the mid-1800s, employee theft was a common problem. Receipts were kept in an open drawer and could easily be altered or discarded. There were no video cameras to review behavior and no software to track transactions. Unless you were willing to hover over your employees every minute of the day, or to manage all transactions yourself, it was difficult to prevent theft.

在19世纪中期，员工盗窃是一个普遍的问题。收据保存在一个敞开的抽屉里，可以很容易地更改或丢弃。没有监控行为的摄像机，也没有跟踪交易的软件。除非你愿意每时每刻监视你的员工，或者自己管理所有的交易，否则很难防止盗窃。

As Patterson mulled over his predicament, he came across an advertisement for a new invention called Ritty’s Incorruptible Cashier. Designed by fellow Dayton resident James Ritty, it was the first cash register. The machine automatically locked the cash and receipts inside after each transaction. Patterson bought two for fifty dollars each.

当帕特森仔细考虑自己的困境时，他看到了一则新发明的广告，叫做“利蒂的廉洁收银员”。这是第一台收银机，由代顿居民詹姆斯·里蒂设计。每次交易结束后，机器会自动将现金和收据锁在里面。帕特森买了两个，每个五十美元。

Employee theft at his store vanished overnight. In the next six months, Patterson’s business went from losing money to making $5,000 in profit—the equivalent of more than $100,000 today.

他店里的员工盗窃案一夜之间就消失了。在接下来的六个月里，帕特森的生意从亏损变成了盈利5000美元，相当于今天的10万美元。

Patterson was so impressed with the machine that he changed businesses. He bought the rights to Ritty’s invention and opened the National Cash Register Company. Ten years later, National Cash Register had over one thousand employees and was on its way to becoming one of the most successful businesses of its time.

帕特森对这台机器印象深刻，他改变了生意。他买下了里蒂发明的权利，开办了国家收银机公司。十年后，国家现金出纳机构拥有超过一千名员工，正在成为当时最成功的企业之一。

The best way to break a bad habit is to make it impractical to do. Increase the friction until you don’t even have the option to act. The brilliance of the cash register was that it automated ethical behavior by making stealing practically impossible. Rather than trying to change the employees, it made the preferred behavior automatic.

改掉坏习惯的最好方法就是让它变得不切实际。增加摩擦，直到你没有选择的行动。收银机的聪明之处在于，它通过使偷窃几乎不可能的行为实现了道德行为的自动化。而不是试图改变员工，它使首选的行为自动化。

Some actions—like installing a cash register—pay off again and again. These onetime choices require a little bit of effort up front but create increasing value over time. I’m fascinated by the idea that a single choice can deliver returns again and again, and I surveyed my readers on their favorite onetime actions that lead to better long-term habits. The table on the following page shares some of the most popular answers.

有些行动ーー比如安装收银机ーー一次又一次地收回成本。这些一次性的选择需要提前付出一点努力，但是随着时间的推移会创造更多的价值。单一选择可以一次又一次地带来回报，这个想法让我很着迷，我调查了我的读者，他们最喜欢的一次性行为可以带来更好的长期习惯。下面的表格分享了一些最流行的答案。

I’d wager that if the average person were to simply do half of the onetime actions on this list—even if they didn’t give another thought to

我敢打赌，如果一个普通人只做清单上一次性行为的一半ーー即使他们没有多想

their habits—most would find themselves living a better life a year from now. These onetime actions are a straightforward way to employ the 3rd Law of Behavior Change. They make it easier to sleep well, eat healthy, be productive, save money, and generally live better.

他们的习惯ーー大多数人会发现，一年后他们的生活会更好。这些一次性的行动是运用第三行为改变法则的直接途径。它们使睡眠更容易，吃得更健康，更有效率，更省钱，并且总体上生活得更好。

ONETIME ACTIONS THAT LOCK IN GOOD HABITS

锁定好习惯的一次性行动

Nutrition

营养

Buy a water filter to clean your drinking water.

买一个水过滤器来清洁你的饮用水。

Use smaller plates to reduce caloric intake.

用小盘子来减少热量的摄入。

Sleep

睡觉

Buy a good mattress.

买一个好的床垫。

Get blackout curtains.

装上遮光窗帘。

Remove your television from your bedroom.

把你卧室里的电视机拿走。

Productivity

生产力

Unsubscribe from emails.

取消订阅电邮。

Turn off notifications and mute group chats.

关闭通知和静音组聊天。

Set your phone to silent.

把你的手机调成静音。

Use email filters to clear up your inbox.

使用邮件过滤器来清理你的收件箱。

Delete games and social media apps on your phone.

删除手机上的游戏和社交媒体应用程序。

Happiness

幸福

Get a dog.

养条狗。

Move to a friendly, social neighborhood.

搬到一个友好的、社会化的社区。

General Health

一般健康

Get vaccinated.

接种疫苗。

Buy good shoes to avoid back pain.

买好的鞋子可以避免背痛。

Buy a supportive chair or standing desk.

买一把有支撑作用的椅子或站立式办公桌。

Finance

金融

Enroll in an automatic savings plan.

加入自动储蓄计划。

Set up automatic bill pay.

设置自动账单支付。

Cut cable service.

切断有线电视服务。

Ask service providers to lower your bills.

要求服务供应商降低你的账单。

Of course, there are many ways to automate good habits and eliminate bad ones. Typically, they involve putting technology to work for you. Technology can transform actions that were once hard, annoying, and complicated into behaviors that are easy, painless, and simple. It is the most reliable and effective way to guarantee the right behavior.

当然，有许多方法可以让好习惯自动化，并消除坏习惯。一般来说，它们包括让技术为你工作。技术可以将曾经困难、烦人、复杂的行为转化为简单、无痛苦的行为。这是保证正确行为的最可靠、最有效的方法。

This is particularly useful for behaviors that happen too infrequently to become habitual. Things you have to do monthly or yearly—like rebalancing your investment portfolio—are never repeated frequently enough to become a habit, so they benefit in particular from technology “remembering” to do them for you.

这对于那些不常发生而不能养成习惯的行为尤其有用。你必须每月或每年做的事情——比如重新平衡你的投资组合——从来不会频繁地重复，以至于成为一种习惯，所以它们特别受益于科技“记住”为你做这些事情。

Other examples include:

其他例子包括:

Medicine: Prescriptions can be automatically refilled.

药物:处方可以自动补充。

Personal finance: Employees can save for retirement with an automatic wage deduction.

个人理财:雇员可以自动扣除工资为退休储蓄。

Cooking: Meal-delivery services can do your grocery shopping.

烹饪:送餐服务可以帮你去杂货店购物。

Productivity: Social media browsing can be cut off with a website blocker.

生产力:社交媒体浏览可以被一个网站拦截器切断。

When you automate as much of your life as possible, you can spend your effort on the tasks machines cannot do yet. Each habit that we hand over to the authority of technology frees up time and energy to pour into the next stage of growth. As mathematician and philosopher Alfred North Whitehead wrote, “Civilization advances by extending the number of operations we can perform without thinking about them.”

当你尽可能多的自动化你的生活，你可以把你的精力花在机器还不能做的任务上。我们交给技术权威的每一个习惯都释放出时间和精力来投入到下一个成长阶段。正如数学家和哲学家阿尔弗雷德·诺思·怀特黑德所写，“文明的进步是通过增加我们不用思考就能完成的操作的数量来实现的。”

Of course, the power of technology can work against us as well. Binge-watching becomes a habit because you have to put more effort in to stop looking at the screen than to continue doing so. Instead of pressing a button to advance to the next episode, Netflix or YouTube will autoplay it for you. All you have to do is keep your eyes open.

当然，科技的力量也可能对我们不利。狂看成为一种习惯，因为你不得不花更多的精力停止看屏幕，而不是继续这样做。不用按下按钮进入下一集，Netflix或YouTube会自动播放。你所要做的就是睁大你的眼睛。

Technology creates a level of convenience that enables you to act on your smallest whims and desires. At the mere suggestion of hunger, you can have food delivered to your door. At the slightest hint of boredom, you can get lost in the vast expanse of social media. When the effort required to act on your desires becomes effectively zero, you can find yourself slipping into whatever impulse arises at the moment. The downside of automation is that we can find ourselves jumping from easy task to easy task without making time for more difficult, but ultimately more rewarding, work.

技术创造了一定程度的便利，使你能够按照自己最小的想法和愿望行事。只要有饥饿的迹象，你就可以叫外卖送到你家门口。一点点无聊的迹象，你就会迷失在浩瀚的社交媒体中。当付诸行动的努力实际上变为零时，你会发现自己陷入了此刻出现的任何冲动之中。自动化的缺点是，我们可以发现自己从简单的任务跳到简单的任务，而不需要花时间去做更困难但最终更有益的工作。

I often find myself gravitating toward social media during any downtime. If I feel bored for just a fraction of a second, I reach for my phone. It’s easy to write off these minor distractions as “just taking a break,” but over time they can accumulate into a serious issue. The constant tug of “just one more minute” can prevent me from doing anything of consequence. (I’m not the only one. The average person spends over two hours per day on social media. What could you do with an extra six hundred hours per year?)

我经常发现自己在任何休息时间都会被社交媒体所吸引。如果我感到无聊，哪怕只有一小会儿，我就会伸手去拿手机。我们很容易把这些小小的干扰归结为“仅仅是做一件事”但随着时间的推移，它们会积累成一个严重的问题。“再多一分钟”这种不断的拖拉可以阻止我做任何有意义的事情。(我不是唯一一个。平均每个人每天花在社交媒体上的时间超过两个小时。如果每年多出600小时，你能做些什么呢?)

During the year I was writing this book, I experimented with a new time management strategy. Every Monday, my assistant would reset the passwords on all my social media accounts, which logged me out on each device. All week I worked without distraction. On Friday, she would send me the new passwords. I had the entire weekend to enjoy what social media had to offer until Monday morning when she would do it again. (If you don’t have an assistant, team up with a friend or family member and reset each other’s passwords each week.)

在我写这本书的那一年，我尝试了一种新的时间管理策略。每周一，我的助手会重置我所有社交媒体账户的密码，这样我就可以在每台设备上登录。整整一个星期，我一刻不停地工作。星期五，她会把新密码发给我。我有整个周末的时间来享受社交媒体所提供的一切，直到周一早上，她再次这样做。(如果你没有助手，可以和朋友或家人一起合作，每周重置对方的密码。)

One of the biggest surprises was how quickly I adapted. Within the first week of locking myself out of social media, I realized that I didn’t need to check it nearly as often as I had been, and I certainly didn’t need it each day. It had simply been so easy that it had become the default. Once my bad habit became impossible, I discovered that I did actually have the motivation to work on more meaningful tasks. After I removed the mental candy from my environment, it became much easier to eat the healthy stuff.

最大的惊喜之一就是我适应得如此之快。在把自己锁在社交媒体之外的第一周，我意识到自己几乎不需要像以前那样经常查看社交媒体，当然也不需要每天都查看社交媒体。这简直太容易了，以至于它成为了默认值。一旦我的坏习惯变得不可能，我发现我确实有动力去完成更有意义的任务。在我把精神上的糖果从我的环境中移除之后，吃健康食品变得容易多了。

When working in your favor, automation can make your good habits inevitable and your bad habits impossible. It is the ultimate way to lock in future behavior rather than relying on willpower in the moment. By utilizing commitment devices, strategic onetime decisions, and technology, you can create an environment of inevitability—a space where good habits are not just an outcome you hope for but an outcome that is virtually guaranteed.

当工作对你有利时，自动化可以使你的好习惯不可避免，使你的坏习惯不可避免。这是锁定未来行为的终极方法，而不是依靠当下的意志力。通过利用承诺手段、战略性的一次性决策和技术，你可以创造一种必然性的环境ーー一个良好习惯不仅仅是你所希望的结果，而是一个几乎可以确保的结果的空间。

Chapter Summary

The inversion of the 3rd Law of Behavior Change is make it difficult.

行为变化第三定律的倒置使其难以实现。

A commitment device is a choice you make in the present that locks in better behavior in the future.

承诺装置是你在现在做出的一个选择，可以锁定将来更好的行为。

The ultimate way to lock in future behavior is to automate your habits.

锁定未来行为的终极方法是使你的习惯自动化。

Onetime choices—like buying a better mattress or enrolling in an automatic savings plan—are single actions that automate your future habits and deliver increasing returns over time.

一次性的选择——比如买一个更好的床垫，或者参加一个自动储蓄计划——是一个单一的行动，可以让你未来的习惯自动化，并随着时间的推移产生递增。

Using technology to automate your habits is the most reliable and effective way to guarantee the right behavior.

使用技术使你的习惯自动化是保证正确行为的最可靠和有效的方法。

HOW TO CREATE A GOOD HABIT

如何养成一个好习惯

The 1st Law: Make It Obvious

第一条法则:显而易见

1.1: Fill out the Habits Scorecard. Write down your current habits to become aware of them.

1.1:填写习惯记分卡。写下你当前的习惯，以便意识到它们。

1.2: Use implementation intentions: “I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION].”

1.2:使用实现意图:“iwill[BEHAVIOR]at[TIME]in[LOCATION]。”

1.3: Use habit stacking: “After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].”

1.3:使用习惯叠加法:“在[当前习惯]之后，我会[新习惯]。”

1.4: Design your environment. Make the cues of good habits obvious and visible.

1.4:设计你的环境。让好习惯的线索显而易见。

The 2nd Law: Make It Attractive

第二条法则:让它具有吸引力

2.1: Use temptation bundling. Pair an action you want to do with an action you need to do.

2.1:使用诱惑捆绑。将你想做的动作与你需要做的动作结合起来。

2.2: Join a culture where your desired behavior is the normal behavior.

2.2:加入一个你想要的行为是正常行为的文化。

2.3: Create a motivation ritual. Do something you enjoy immediately before a difficult habit.

2.3:创建一个激励仪式。在一个困难的习惯之前做一些你喜欢的事情。

The 3rd Law: Make It Easy

第三定律:简单点

3.1: Reduce friction. Decrease the number of steps between you and your good habits.

3.1:减少摩擦。减少你和你的好习惯之间的步数。

3.2: Prime the environment. Prepare your environment to make future actions easier.

3.2:为环境做好准备，为将来的行动做好准备。

3.3: Master the decisive moment. Optimize the small choices that deliver outsized impact.

3.3:掌握决定性的时刻。优化那些能够产生巨大影响的小选择。

3.4: Use the Two-Minute Rule. Downscale your habits until they can be done in two minutes or less.

3.4:使用两分钟规则。降低你的习惯，直到它们可以在两分钟或更短的时间内完成。

3.5: Automate your habits. Invest in technology and onetime purchases that lock in future behavior.

3.5:自动化你的习惯。投资技术，一次性购买，锁定未来行为。

The 4th Law: Make It Satisfying

第四定律:让生活满意

HOW TO BREAK A BAD HABIT

如何改掉坏习惯

Inversion of the 1st Law: Make It Invisible

第一定律的反演:让它隐形

1.5: Reduce exposure. Remove the cues of your bad habits from your environment.

1.5:减少暴露在环境中，从环境中去除你的坏习惯。

Inversion of the 2nd Law: Make It Unattractive

第二定律的反演:使其失去吸引力

2.4: Reframe your mind-set. Highlight the benefits of avoiding your bad habits.

2.4:重新构建你的思维模式。强调避免坏习惯的好处。

Inversion of the 3rd Law: Make It Difficult

第三定律的反转:使其难以实现

3.6: Increase friction. Increase the number of steps between you and your bad habits.

3.6:增加摩擦力。增加你和你的坏习惯之间的步数。

3.7: Use a commitment device. Restrict your future choices to the ones that benefit you.

3.7:使用承诺装置。把你未来的选择限制在对你有利的方面。

Inversion of the 4th Law: Make It Unsatisfying

第四定律的反演:使其不令人满意

You can download a printable version of this habits cheat sheet at:

你可以在以下网站下载这个习惯的可打印版本:

atomichabits.com/cheatsheet