Habit technique · Environment & friction · A few minutes
Prepare the night before
Level: Beginner · Free — no account needed to read
Set out what tomorrow’s habit needs the night before — clothes, bag, ingredients, the first task written down.
Why it may help
Preparation removes friction and decisions from the moment of action, and prepared objects double as visible cues.
When to use it
- Morning habits
- Habits that need equipment
- When starting is the hardest part
How to apply it
- Pick tomorrow’s key habit.
- Put everything it needs where you’ll see it.
- Write the first action on a note on top.
An example
Kemal packs his gym bag and leaves it on his shoes every evening.
The common mistake
Preparing so much that preparation becomes its own chore.
Practise it
Spend two minutes tonight preparing one of tomorrow’s habits.
What the evidence says
Conceptual framework: A way of organising ideas that helps you think clearly. It describes rather than predicts, so it is judged by how useful it is.
A combination of two supported ideas — reducing friction and adding visible cues — rather than a separately tested technique.
Behaviour Change Technique Taxonomy (v1) codes: 12.5.
Sources
- Duckworth, Gendler & Gross (2016). Situational Strategies for Self-Control. Perspectives on Psychological Science. doi:10.1177/1745691615623247
- Hollands, Shemilt, Marteau, Jebb, Kelly, Nakamura and colleagues (2013). Altering micro-environments to change population health behaviour: towards an evidence base for choice architecture interventions. BMC Public Health. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-13-1218
Problems it helps with
- “I remember, but I don’t start.” — You know it’s time. You even think about it. And then you do something else.
- “I never have time.” — The day fills up, and the habit is always the thing that gets pushed out.
Lessons behind it
- Prepare in advance — Set things up the evening before, so the morning has no decisions left. (5 min · Beginner)
- Designing your evenings — Shutdown, preparation, reflection and cues for tomorrow. (6 min · Beginner)