This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "How to Change" by Katy Milkman. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.
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What are the best strategies to make habits stick? What makes change last?
Making habits stick requires prioritizing your goals long-term rather than trying to change them in a day. Knowing specific strategies for accomplishing this can make a big difference.
Consider these strategies when you need to make a change that lasts.
Make Change That Lasts
If change doesn’t last, then great strategies and proven tactics will all be for naught. Learning to make habits stick is possible, and it simply requires that we don’t let up on our efforts to maintain positive behaviors.
To do this, you need to understand the challenge as you would a chronic illness: To stay in good health, you need to constantly keep up with treatment. To keep positive behaviors in shape, you need to constantly evaluate the challenges you face and take them on with effective strategies.
When one strategy starts to fall short, reassess your approach and seek out alternatives. Anticipate that what works will change over time, remain committed, and adapt to every bump in the road. Change is much easier to maintain than it is to create in the first place—so stick to it, and you’ll soon find yourself living a better life.
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Here's what you'll find in our full How to Change summary:
- An evidence-based approach to creating lasting change
- How to overcome common human failings, such as procrastination
- When the best time to enact changes in your life is
