While the clean slate offers tremendous opportunity for forming new habits, it can disrupt a person’s existing good habits by eliminating a useful cue or breaking up a positive routine. Routines are chains of habits, and when just one seemingly insignificant link weakens, it can disrupt the entire habit chain. For instance, research shows that people are more likely to alter their buying habits—often without noticing—when they’re experiencing a major life change, such as marriage, divorce, career change, or having
new habits, it can disrupt a person’s existing good habits by eliminating a useful cue or breaking up a positive routine. Routines are chains of habits, and when just one seemingly insignificant link weakens, it can disrupt the entire habit chain. For instance, research shows that people are more likely to alter their buying habits—often without noticing—when they’re experiencing a major life change, such as marriage, divorce,
opportunity for forming new habits, it can disrupt a person’s existing good habits by eliminating a useful cue or breaking up a positive routine. Routines are chains of habits, and when just one seemingly insignificant link weakens, it can disrupt the entire habit chain. For instance, research shows that people are more likely to alter their buying habits—often without noticing—when they’re experiencing a major life change, such as marriage, divorce,
financial experts to get rich.WE DON’T WANT TO HAVE TO BECOME FINANCIAL EXPERTS TO GET RICH.Now, I fully recognize that I’m a big fancy author (that’s right, ladies) and am therefore part of the “media.” Perhaps it’s uncouth to mock my brethren. Still, I can’t help myself. Pick up any major magazine and chances are you’ll see an article called “10 No-Hassle Tips for Getting Ahead with Your Finances.” Amusingly, the same writers who
such entity is City Year, a community-service program that inspires hundreds of college-age youths to dedicate themselves to a year of communal effort on projects that improve America’s inner cities—a “domestic Peace Corps.” Like many social-cause organizations, City Year’s roots trace to inspired and visionary founders with a strong sense of social purpose. Alan Khazei, one of the founders, wanted his missionary zeal and vision to become a characteristic of the organization itself, independent of any individual
and she asked her editor to give her accountability.
“When I signed the contract to write this memoir,” she said, “I told my editor, ‘I can only write when I have to turn something in, and I don’t want to wait until the last minute to work on this book. Please, give me some fake deadlines along the way.’ But he said, ‘Don’t worry, the book will be great, you’ll get it done, blah, blah.’ He
Подвал, похожий на пещеру. Потолок — тяжелые, каменные своды, закопченные, с обвалившейся штукатуркой. Свет — от зрителя и, сверху вниз, — из квадратного окна с правой стороны. Правый угол занят отгороженной тонкими переборками комнатой Пепла, около двери в эту комнату — нары Бубнова. В левом углу — большая русская печь, в левой, каменной, стене — дверь в кухню,
Because Obligers resist inner expectations, it’s difficult for them to self-motivate—to work on a PhD thesis, to attend networking events, to get their car serviced. Obligers depend on external accountability, with consequences such as deadlines, late fees, or the fear of letting other people down. One Obliger wrote on my blog, “I don’t feel a sense of accountability to my calendar, just to the people associated with the appointments. If the entry is just ‘go for a jog’ I’m not likely to do it.” Another Obliger summarized: “Promises made to yourself can be broken. It’s the promises made to others that should never be broken.” Obligers need external accountability even for activities that they want to do. An Obliger told me, “I never made time to read, so I joined a book group where you’re really expected to read the book.” Behavior that Obligers sometimes attribute to self-sacrifice—“Why do I always make time for other people’s priorities at the expense of my own priorities?”—is often better explained as need for accountability.
Obligers find ingenious ways to create external accountability. One Obliger explained, “I wanted to go