Principles
2,201 principles · page 16 of 46
Design replacement behaviors using differential…
Design replacement behaviors using differential reinforcement strategies (DRA, DRI, DRO) that serve the same function as the unwanted behavior through a more adaptive channel, scoring candidates on functional match, temporal match, and sustainability before implementation.
Establish explicit, falsifiable hypotheses with measurable…
Establish explicit, falsifiable hypotheses with measurable outcomes and proposed mechanisms before attempting behavior change to enable genuine learning through prediction error.
Measure baseline behavior before implementing interventions…
Measure baseline behavior before implementing interventions to distinguish genuine effects from normal variation and regression to the mean.
Conduct structured evaluations at time-box endpoints using…
Conduct structured evaluations at time-box endpoints using pre-specified criteria and tracked data rather than subjective impressions to make evidence-based continuation decisions.
Isolate variables in behavioral experiments by changing only
Isolate variables in behavioral experiments by changing only one factor at a time while holding all other conditions deliberately constant.
Identify and test the behavioral kernel—the irreducible core
Identify and test the behavioral kernel—the irreducible core action without which the behavior does not exist—stripped of duration, intensity, and context complexity.
Use pre-mortem techniques by imagining failure has occurred…
Use pre-mortem techniques by imagining failure has occurred and working backward to identify what you didn't see, rather than projecting forward from current knowledge.
Reduce restraining forces rather than increasing driving…
Reduce restraining forces rather than increasing driving forces when initiating behavioral change, as removing obstacles creates movement with less resistance than pushing harder against barriers.
Distinguish between hypothesis failure (wrong theory)…
Distinguish between hypothesis failure (wrong theory), execution failure (inconsistent implementation), and measurement failure (inadequate detection) when experiments produce negative results, as each type requires different corrective action.
Design experiments to produce intelligent failures—small…
Design experiments to produce intelligent failures—small, fast, deliberate tests at the frontier of knowledge where negative results generate information unavailable through other means.
Use population-level research to set informed priors while…
Use population-level research to set informed priors while recognizing that individual responses may diverge significantly from average effects without invalidating either the research or your personal data.
Use reversal designs (ABA or ABAB patterns) to strengthen…
Use reversal designs (ABA or ABAB patterns) to strengthen causal claims in single-subject experiments by demonstrating that outcomes track the intervention across multiple on-off cycles.
Replicate promising pilot experiments in different temporal…
Replicate promising pilot experiments in different temporal contexts before adopting them permanently, as single successes may reflect novelty effects or favorable circumstances rather than robust causal relationships.
Maintain a separate backlog for experimental ideas distinct…
Maintain a separate backlog for experimental ideas distinct from active experiments, using five structured fields (hypothesis, expected impact, estimated effort, domain, dependencies) to separate idea generation from execution decisions.
Run experiments sequentially when they share outcome…
Run experiments sequentially when they share outcome variables or operate through overlapping mechanisms; run them in parallel only when they are independent on outcome, mechanism, and temporal dimensions.
Accept bundled interventions when all components…
Accept bundled interventions when all components are low-cost to maintain and the value of knowing precise attribution is less than the cost of additional sequential testing to isolate contributions.
Define routine chains at explicit trigger-action granularity
Define routine chains at explicit trigger-action granularity where each link specifies both the completion signal from the previous link and the specific next action, as unspecified transitions are the primary failure point in chain execution.
Train interoceptive accuracy through body-scanning practices
Train interoceptive accuracy through body-scanning practices that correlate physical sensations with decision outcomes, calibrating which somatic signals are reliable in which contexts.
Design routine pilots to deliberately include context…
Design routine pilots to deliberately include context variations (weekends, travel, stress) within the fourteen-day window, as context-dependent failure is the primary threat to routine sustainability.
Schedule explicit transition checkpoints at seasonal…
Schedule explicit transition checkpoints at seasonal boundaries (equinoxes and solstices) to catch environmental drift before accumulated failures produce self-blame.
When scaling a successful small experiment, change one…
When scaling a successful small experiment, change one dimension at a time (duration, frequency, scope, context, or integration) to preserve interpretability.
Identify and restructure balancing loops that will resist…
Identify and restructure balancing loops that will resist scaling before attempting to scale, rather than fighting them with willpower after they activate.
Treat small-scale success as proof of concept rather…
Treat small-scale success as proof of concept rather than proof of scalability — larger scales encounter forces that small scales never test.
Conduct regular cross-experiment reviews to extract…
Conduct regular cross-experiment reviews to extract meta-patterns that individual experiment evaluations cannot reveal.
Include failed experiments prominently in reviews because…
Include failed experiments prominently in reviews because they reveal consistent blind spots and structural constraints that successes mask.
Commit to the experimental process itself rather…
Commit to the experimental process itself rather than to specific behavioral configurations to build antifragility against contextual change.
Treat disruptions to established behaviors as unplanned…
Treat disruptions to established behaviors as unplanned experiments that reveal which elements were robust versus fragile.
Create pre-commitments with sufficient irreversibility…
Create pre-commitments with sufficient irreversibility or friction that reversal costs more willpower than compliance.
When your body signals conflict with your intellectual…
When your body signals conflict with your intellectual conclusion, investigate the conflict rather than dismissing either source—the divergence indicates unmapped territory.
Deliberately cultivate positive emotional experiences during
Deliberately cultivate positive emotional experiences during recovery periods because positive emotions broaden cognition and restore the psychological resources that self-regulation depletes.
Design environments and cognitive framings that prevent…
Design environments and cognitive framings that prevent competing impulses from arising, rather than developing stronger resistance to present impulses, because prevention eliminates the self-regulatory cost entirely while resistance merely manages it.
Classify every willpower expenditure as either irreducible…
Classify every willpower expenditure as either irreducible (requiring genuine judgment) or operational (automatable) — systematically eliminate operational expenditures.
Design interventions at the earliest possible point…
Design interventions at the earliest possible point in the desire-behavior cascade — situation selection is cheaper than response inhibition.
Under stress, downgrade to simplified behavioral protocols…
Under stress, downgrade to simplified behavioral protocols with lower cognitive demands rather than attempting to maintain full systems through willpower.
Identity-level behavioral anchors eliminate decision-making…
Identity-level behavioral anchors eliminate decision-making costs by converting 'should I?' questions into 'is this who I am?' consistency checks.
Temptation proximity creates continuous willpower drain…
Temptation proximity creates continuous willpower drain through repeated micro-resistances even when resistance succeeds — removal eliminates the drain entirely.
Stress both increases willpower demand and decreases…
Stress both increases willpower demand and decreases willpower supply simultaneously, creating a multiplicative deficit that breaks willpower-dependent systems.
Design behavioral systems to function at 50% of normal…
Design behavioral systems to function at 50% of normal willpower capacity to ensure stress-resilience.
Use noun-based framing ('be a helper') rather…
Use noun-based framing ('be a helper') rather than verb-based framing ('help') to activate consistency mechanisms and increase behavioral stability.
Before responding to challenges, take five seconds to name…
Before responding to challenges, take five seconds to name your defensive urge ('I notice I want to protect my solution') to create a gap between observation and conclusion.
Treat each behavior as contributing evidence…
Treat each behavior as contributing evidence to a statistical distribution of identity rather than as a pass/fail identity test.
Engineer situations to cast identity votes automatically…
Engineer situations to cast identity votes automatically rather than relying on conscious choice at each decision point.
Craft identity statements at the edge of plausibility…
Craft identity statements at the edge of plausibility - aspirational enough to pull behavior forward, close enough to current reality that the brain accepts the claim as directionally true.
Pair identity statements with minimal but consistent…
Pair identity statements with minimal but consistent behavioral evidence to create self-reinforcing feedback loops between claim and action.
Trace identity narratives to their origin evidence to reveal
Trace identity narratives to their origin evidence to reveal how thin the evidentiary foundation often is beneath long-held characterological conclusions.
Apply the double-standard test to identity narratives…
Apply the double-standard test to identity narratives by imagining a friend held the same story - standards you would reject for others often govern your own self-concept.
When obstacles arise, frame them as identity-consistency…
When obstacles arise, frame them as identity-consistency tests ('people like me do hard things') rather than cost-benefit calculations to shift the decision criterion.
During identity transitions, construct and inhabit…
During identity transitions, construct and inhabit provisional selves experimentally rather than waiting to discover your 'true identity' before acting, allowing identity to emerge from behavior rather than dictating behavior from identity.