Change the environment, not your resolve
Every gram of friction between you and a behaviour does more work than a decision does.
Do this
Add steps to what you want less of and remove steps from what you want more of. Phone charging in another room. Guitar on a stand, not in a case. Log out of the app after each use. Aim for changes that persist without your attention.
Why it works
Behaviour is strongly cue- and friction-dependent. Field studies on food placement, default options and equipment accessibility repeatedly show large behavioural changes from small structural ones - far larger than most persuasion or education interventions produce.
Where it fails
Friction is easily defeated by determination, so this handles drift and impulse rather than genuine craving. Some of the underlying nudge literature has replicated poorly, and effects in real settings are often smaller than the headline studies suggested.
How you’ll know
Count the behaviour for a week before and after. If nothing moved, the friction was too small to matter.