For most of my life, I prided myself on being relatively disciplined. Good habits came easy. In the last few years, running a start-up and 24/7 markets made this far harder, and I found my usual approaches to maintaining good habits and shunning bad habits insufficient. /1

2/ I don't love relying on "crutches" of any types. Surely I don't need "guides" or self-help tips? Well...I did and do. Recently read "Atomic Habits" and have successfully implemented many of the tips to build good habits and ending bad ones. I recommend it highly.

3/ at it's core, it's about thinking about and treating yourself almost like a dog you're training. Reward yourself for good habits, make bad actions less attractive. Make good habits super easy (e.g. healthy food on the counter, consistent gym schedule with a buddy etc).

4/ "stack" habits (e.g. I really enjoy having a coffee in the morning. Now I automatically segue from that into a brief meditation and workout session that I was previously having trouble doing consistently.

5/ and one of the biggest helps for me (and I think many people) is how to deal with the situation where you mess up. One failure (eating unhealthy food) often cascades. Atomic Habits tip is to simply "never skip two days" on a habit. Sometimes you'll mess up, not a big deal.