WEBVTT 00:00:02.169 --> 00:00:05.650 Hi, yesterday we considered how repeated inputs 00:00:05.650 --> 00:00:09.650 shape our attention. Suppose we recognize an 00:00:09.650 --> 00:00:12.750 input that does not help us. So we decide to 00:00:12.750 --> 00:00:15.810 spend less time scrolling and we decide to read 00:00:15.810 --> 00:00:18.789 more carefully or we decide to pay more attention 00:00:18.789 --> 00:00:22.289 to the people around us. So then why do we still 00:00:22.289 --> 00:00:26.370 struggle to follow that decision? Well, sometimes 00:00:26.370 --> 00:00:30.890 we often assume we lack willpower. We tell ourselves 00:00:30.890 --> 00:00:34.229 to become more disciplined, more focused, and 00:00:34.229 --> 00:00:38.210 more motivated. But sometimes one small obstacle 00:00:38.210 --> 00:00:41.409 makes the better choice harder than it needs 00:00:41.409 --> 00:00:46.009 to be. In computer programming, a bottleneck 00:00:46.009 --> 00:00:48.590 is the part of the system that slows everything 00:00:48.590 --> 00:00:53.329 else down. We can improve every other part, but 00:00:53.329 --> 00:00:56.329 we will make little progress if we ignore that 00:00:56.329 --> 00:01:00.590 one obstacle. But we also have bottlenecks in 00:01:00.590 --> 00:01:05.010 our daily routines. I have a bookshelf full of 00:01:05.010 --> 00:01:08.670 books I want to read. But until I put reading 00:01:08.670 --> 00:01:12.390 books on my calendar, I likely will not get to 00:01:12.390 --> 00:01:17.109 them. Sometimes changing habits just require 00:01:17.109 --> 00:01:21.489 a change in a small detail. And there are two 00:01:21.489 --> 00:01:24.650 ways we can improve our habits by noticing these 00:01:24.650 --> 00:01:28.739 details. First, we can remove friction from something 00:01:28.739 --> 00:01:32.159 we want to encourage. So we can place a book 00:01:32.159 --> 00:01:35.680 where we usually leave our phone or put on our 00:01:35.680 --> 00:01:39.019 calendar it's time to read books. Or we can prepare 00:01:39.019 --> 00:01:43.280 tomorrow's lunch tonight. We can schedule a conversation 00:01:43.280 --> 00:01:45.939 instead of hoping the right moment will appear. 00:01:47.439 --> 00:01:51.180 And then second, we can add friction to something 00:01:51.180 --> 00:01:54.060 that we want to do less often. So we can turn 00:01:54.060 --> 00:01:57.239 off a notification. We can move an application 00:01:57.239 --> 00:02:00.859 off the home screen. Or we can keep distractions 00:02:00.859 --> 00:02:03.799 outside of the room where we want to concentrate. 00:02:05.159 --> 00:02:08.219 Sure, we cannot remove every difficulty from 00:02:08.219 --> 00:02:11.659 life. And some meaningful actions remain difficult 00:02:11.659 --> 00:02:15.979 even under ideal conditions. Like caring for 00:02:15.979 --> 00:02:19.580 someone or keeping a commitment. All those things 00:02:19.580 --> 00:02:23.810 still require courage. But if we face the same 00:02:23.810 --> 00:02:27.569 obstacles every day, maybe it's not so much about 00:02:27.569 --> 00:02:30.770 courage as it is about removing the obstacle. 00:02:32.090 --> 00:02:34.449 All of this reminds me of one of my favorite 00:02:34.449 --> 00:02:38.569 children's stories from Frog and Toad. They could 00:02:38.569 --> 00:02:42.729 not stop eating cookies. They wanted more willpower. 00:02:42.830 --> 00:02:46.469 They did not have it. So they had to find a way 00:02:46.469 --> 00:02:50.960 to hide the cookie jar. So we can arrange our 00:02:50.960 --> 00:02:54.300 surroundings to support that person we want to 00:02:54.300 --> 00:02:58.620 become rather than allowing them to pull us repeatedly 00:02:58.620 --> 00:03:02.439 in another direction. So today, think of something 00:03:02.439 --> 00:03:06.080 modest that you generally want to do more consistently. 00:03:06.659 --> 00:03:11.039 And then ask, what small and reoccurring obstacle 00:03:11.039 --> 00:03:14.340 makes this more difficult than it needs to be? 00:03:15.689 --> 00:03:18.530 Could you change your surroundings rather than 00:03:18.530 --> 00:03:23.509 relying entirely on willpower? Now, do not think 00:03:23.509 --> 00:03:27.889 too big here. Simply remove one obstacle or prepare 00:03:27.889 --> 00:03:32.310 one next step or place one helpful reminder where 00:03:32.310 --> 00:03:37.110 you will see it. Consider a small change. Now, 00:03:37.150 --> 00:03:39.949 it cannot guarantee that we will choose the meaningful 00:03:39.949 --> 00:03:44.270 path, but it can make that path easier to follow.