Published: May 3, 2025 on Medium
Part 4 of 5-part blog series on Self-Regulation

In my quest on Self-Regulation, while past four blogs were on fragmented on different topics, I wanted to conclude the blog series with the most important topic that rules it all — habit. Habit is the one that can help us self-regulate effortlessly; help us win daily willpower battles. The best part is — Habit is a well-researched topic. There are many science-backed System, Tools and Rituals that can help us build a lasting change. In this blog post, we will explore a few of these items that I have tried myself and which has helped me build a Self-Regulation Ecosystem.

Environment Redesign for Success

One of the most effective and underrated self-regulation strategies is changing our environment. Consider the case study of an office candy bowl: In one experiment, simply making candy less visible and harder to reach led secretaries to eat significantly less — when candies were in a clear dish and within arm’s reach, people ate double the amount compared to an opaque jar across the room​. As the researchers concluded, *“The proximity and visibility of a food can consistently increase consumption.”*​ In other words, our surroundings often nudge us more than our intentions do.

Real-life habit hackers use this to their advantage. A lot of such examples are captured in James Clear’s blog — 30 One Sentence Stories. One woman named Cyd loved Pringles, but hated the constant snacking, so she got creative: the chips now live in a locked car outside. If she truly wants them, she has to bundle up and fetch the key — a friction that basically killed the impulse munching​. Another person made waking up early foolproof by redesigning his bedroom: he set his alarm to a QR code in the bathroom, so getting out of bed and starting his morning routine became non-negotiable​. Others have reported similar tricks, like charging the phone in another room at night to curb endless scrolling, or logging out of Instagram after each use so that mindless checks aren’t just one tap away​. Each tactic removes a trigger or adds a bit of effort to make the unhealthy choice just bothersome enough to skip.

I have also tried similar technique. I always wanted to add morning run and meditations in my morning routine. However, my late-night mindless Instagram scrolling was proving to be an hinderance. I started uninstalling Instagram after every scrolling session. I didn’t stop Instagram altogether. That would have been too hard to do. I just added a bit more effort to use Instagram.

Designing our environment isn’t only about removing temptations — it’s also about making positive choices easier. Want to exercise every morning? Lay out your workout clothes and shoes the night before, or even sleep in your gym shirt. An Atomic Habit reader found that simply putting a laundry basket by the door helped her stop tossing socks on the floor, effortlessly keeping her space tidy​. Another struggled to hit the gym until he switched to a facility just a mile from home — suddenly, he was going 8–10 times a week because there were no excuses of inconvenience​. By reducing the “activation energy” required, we’ll find healthy actions fit more smoothly into our day.

A few years back, when I wanted to join gym to reduce weight, I joined the job which has perfectly placed between my bus stop and my apartment… Although, I was unaware of “activation energy” then.

Finally, let’s remember that environment includes the people around us. Human behavior is contagious. Remarkable long-term studies have found that if a close friend became obese, a person’s own risk of obesity shot up 57% — and in pairs of mutually close friends, the risk more than doubled (171% increase)​. The same kind of influence runs for positive changes: if our friends start getting fit or quitting smoking, odds are we’ll be pulled in that direction too. “You are what you and your friends eat,” one researcher noted​. So, let us curate our social environment: seek out communities and buddies who embody the habits we want. Join a study group of focused students, sign up for running clubs, or simply spend more time with that friend who always has a salad for lunch. Surrounding ourselves with healthy cues and role models makes self-control far less of a battle, because your default environment supports you.

I always wanted to write blogs. But I was not able to get that activation energy. And I would like to thank my colleague “Eugene Yan” who has truly inspired me to write blogs. We work in the same team and I have always been impressed and inspired by his writing.

Domino Effect of Stacking Habit

Tiny habits can have transformative effects — especially when we link them together. This is where habit stacking and keystone habits come in. Habit stacking is essentially attaching a new habit to something we already reliably do, so the existing routine acts as a trigger. For instance, a language-learner in China made rapid progress in Mandarin by deciding that every time he got into a taxi, he’d strike up a conversation with the driver​. Riding in cabs was already part of his daily life, so he “stacked” a new practice onto it — five cab rides a day meant five “mini” Mandarin sessions. The science backs this up: by piggybacking on an existing neural pathway (maybe ingrained habit of tooth-brushing), the new behavior (maybe meditation) finds an easy groove to slip into​. It’s much easier than starting from scratch each time.

I have observed similar pattern in my life as well. When I committed to meditate, I stacked meditation routine to my morning shower. Now it’s a routine, and a natural step for me, that I follow without any resistance.

Keystone habits, on the other hand, are habits that unintentionally carry over into multiple areas of your life. They set off a positive chain reaction or “domino effect.” A classic example comes from a study in The Power of Habit: A woman named Lisa focused on one major change — quitting smoking and training for a tough desert hike — and within months she also stopped overeating, started exercising regularly, and even improved her financial habits. Her one keystone habit (a commitment to exercise instead of cigarettes) naturally led to improvements in diet, stress management, and budgeting without her explicitly trying​. In a very short time, she had lost weight, paid off debt, and basically rebuilt her life. Researchers noted that her brain actually developed new pathways as her healthy routines took over​. When we get one habit right, others often follow suit because our self-image and daily patterns shift in a broad way.

We can deliberately choose a keystone habit to jump-start a cycle of improvement. Common ones are daily exercise, tracking what we eat, or establishing a consistent morning routine. These behaviors have outsized effects. For example, getting into an exercise habit often makes people naturally eat healthier and sleep better (why spoil the day’s workout with junk food?). In one coach’s story, a client’s simple new habit of eating a proper breakfast every day ended up prompting her to go to bed earlier, spend less time mindlessly browsing at night, and even read more books — a cascade of positive changes​. The key is that the first habit gave her more energy and structure, which then “dominoed” into other areas of life​. Small wins build momentum. Over time, these routines become cherished rituals. Many high-performers, for instance, swear by a fixed morning ritual — not because of magic, but because a stable routine puts certain decisions on autopilot. If every day you do a 10-minute journaling session with coffee at 7am, it soon feels odd to skip it. You’ve created a personal ritual that grounds you. The same goes for evening wind-down routines or pre-performance rituals that athletes use to get in the zone. They reduce decision fatigue and anxiety by making beneficial behavior feel second-nature.

Tools and Systems: Leveraging Apps, Trackers, and Accountability

No one says we have to do this all by ourself. In fact, a core part of a self-regulation ecosystem is using external tools and support systems to shore up our willpower. Think of these as scaffolding that keeps us steady as we build new habits. Here are a few that really work:

• Self-monitoring tools (habit trackers, journals, wearables): It turns out that simply tracking a behavior can incite change. Psychologists note that when we monitor something, we become more aware and often adjust our behavior in real time​. In one analysis, people given pedometers started walking morejustbecause seeing their step count made them aware (and a bit competitive with themselves)​. Even the act of writing down everything we eat can lead to weight loss without any explicit diet — it’s the feedback loop at work. As one behavioral science site put it, self-tracking improves self-control; in some cases, “merely tracking a behavior can influence how often it happens”​. There are plenty of apps and gadgets for this: bullet journals, mood trackers, calorie counters, you name it. The key is to choose a tracking method that isn’t a chore for us (some people love smartphone apps with graphs and streaks; others prefer a simple notebook). This kind of tool turns our behavior into data — and as the saying goes, “what gets measured gets managed.”

• Focus apps and website blockers: If digital distractions are your nemesis, consider enlisting a focus app (like Freedom, Forest, or RescueTime) to create a distraction-free zone during your work or study sessions. These apps basically act as automated bouncers, kicking out social media, news, or other time-sinks for a period you choose. Do they really help? Research suggests yes — especially if you struggle with self-control. In a recent discussion, a Microsoft research team found that people who identified as having lower self-control saw huge benefits from using a site-blocker. Instead of falling down a Twitter rabbit hole when boredom strikes, these folks took real breaks (a short walk, a stretch) and came back more refreshed​. In contrast, people who naturally have iron willpower might not need such tools — but if you find yourself compulsively checking apps, a little tech intervention can create the friction you need to stay on task. Think of it as designing our digital environment for focus. Even something as simple as turning off non-essential notifications or keeping our phone on “Do Not Disturb” while you work is a tool-based habit that protects our attention. In fact, that’s what I do in my day to day. I have ‘Do Not Disturb’, ‘Work’, ‘Sleep’ and ‘Personal’ mode setup in my phone, each serving a specific purpose.

• Accountability partners and support systems: We are social creatures, and our drive to not let others down can be stronger than any promise we make to ourselves. That’s why having an accountability system is a game-changer. It can be as formal as a hired coach or as casual as a friend who agrees to be your check-in buddy. The effect is profound: one study found that telling someone about your goal raises the odds of completing it to 65%, and scheduling regular check-ins with that person boosts your success chance to **95%**​. Read that again — 95%! Simply knowing “someone will ask me about my progress on Friday” lights a fire under us that solitary goal-setting often cannot.

Perhaps you’ve experienced this in school or work deadlines, but it works for personal goals too. Take the story of novelist Menna van Praag. Life threw her some curveballs during her third book — house renovations, young kids — and she felt herself falling behind on her manuscript. So she teamed up with a fellow writer facing a similar crunch. They pledged to each write 1,000 words a day and email each other when done​. They didn’t critique each other’s work; the act ofreporting inwas the secret sauce. “We both kept showing up because we didn’t want to let the other person down. Also, it was such fun — everything is more enjoyable with a friend, isn’t it?” Menna said later​. That daily ritual of mutual accountability pulled her through her deadline with sanity intact.

Accountability can take many forms: joining a fitness class where people expect you to show up, signing up for a study group, or even using an online platform where you put money on the line (such as a commitment contract on StickK, where you forfeit cash if you don’t meet your goal). Some people create a small WhatsApp group to share daily wins and setbacks; others find success in programs like Alcoholics Anonymous or Weight Watchers, which are built on group support. The common thread is that we’re not relying on sheer self-discipline — we have an external system that nudges us to do the right thing and applauds us when we do. And as a bonus, doing hard things with others is more enjoyable, even fun. The journey becomes less lonely.

Bringing It All Together: Our Self-Regulation Toolbox

Building a self-regulation ecosystem means combining all these elements — environment design, habit strategy, and supportive tools — so they work in concert. Here’s a quick summary:

1. Environment Redesign: a. Remove temptations from sight/reach (e.g. keep junk food on a high shelf or out of the house).
   b. Curate your space for good habits (leave books out, prep workout clothes in advance).
   c. Shape your social and digital environment (spend time with supportive people; log out of distracting apps).

2. Habit Strategies: a. Habit stacking: Attach a new habit to an existing routine (e.g. meditate right after you brew your morning coffee).
   b. Keystone habit: Start with one impactful habit (like daily exercise or journaling) that can trigger improvements in other areas.
   c. Rituals and routines: Develop consistent cues (same time, same order each day) to make behaviors automatic.

3. Tools and Support: a. Use focus tools to block distractions (apps likeFreedomorForestthat disable social media for set periods).
   b. Track your habits and progress (use a habit tracker app or simple log to record streaks, workouts, etc.).
   c. Get accountability: partner up with a friend or group, or set up stakes (promises and rewards) to keep you committed.

As you can see, an ecosystem approach means we don’t leave your goals up to chance or willpower alone. We set ourselves up for success by design. Let’s Remove the chocolate; add the meditation cushion by our bed; let our smartwatch and our best friend’s texts keep us on track. Each piece reinforces the others. It creates a kind of safety net where even if our motivation for the day is wobbly, we fall back on an environment that nudges us forward, a routine that carries us, and people/tools that catch us if we slip.

A fun tip to kickstart: Try Temptation Bundling

All of this might sound great — but how do you startright now? One fun, research-backed strategy you can implement immediately is temptation bundling. This means pairing something youwantto do with something youshoulddo. By bundling a guilty pleasure with a virtuous action, we essentially bribe our own brain to stick with the program. And it works. In a University of Pennsylvania study, participants were given enticing audiobooks (think page-turner novels) but could only access them at the gym. The result? Those who had their workouts tied to juicy book chapters ended up exercising 51% more often than those who didn’t​. The anticipation of the next plot twist got them onto the treadmill, and over time the exercise itself became a habit associated with enjoyment.

We can apply temptation bundling in countless creative ways. The key is to identify a relatively effortful task that we tend to avoid, and an enjoyable activity that we could save as a reward. Then combine them so they only happen together. Here are a few examples to spark ideas: Love Netflix, but need to exercise? Only allow yourself to watch your favorite show while you’re on the stationary bike or treadmill. No workout, no Netflix. Dread doing household chores? Save a special podcast or playlist exclusively for cleaning time. The magic of temptation bundling is that it flips the script: instead of forcing ourselves through unpleasant tasks and then maybe rewarding ourselves afterward, the reward is built in. We’re harnessing the power of our own temptations to pull us toward our goals, rather than distract us. Over time, our brain starts to associate a positive vibe with the activity we used to resist. Exercise can actually become enjoyable when it’s linked with entertainment; study sessions can feel cozy and rewarding.

Let’s close with an empowering thought: we have more control than we think. By designing our personal ecosystem of cues, routines, and supports, we essentially become the architect of our own habits. It’s incredibly freeing to realize we’re not at the mercy of “lack of willpower” — we can engineer our environment and lifestyle to make good choices almost automatic. Here’s to designing a life where our habits empower us, and where every goal is supported by an ecosystem built for success! Let’s Go!

Last modified on 2025-05-03