A Commitment Device

A COMMITMENT DEVICE is a way to design your future actions.

It’s you making a choice in the present that controls your actions in the future.

When we have goals we often start the day with great intention but succumb to impulse decisions that don’t align later on.

A commitment device is a way to lock in future behavior, bind you to good habits, and restrict you from bad ones.

•You can reduce the amount of junk food you eat by not purchasing it for your household.

•You can put your workout in your schedule so it doesn’t get skipped.

•You can ask friends to go for a walk instead of meeting for wine to avoid drinking.

•You can reduce overeating by purchasing foods in individual packages rather than bulk.

•You can cancel Netflix if you want to minimize your TV watching.

The circumstances will differ but the message is the same: Finds ways to automate your behavior ahead of time rather than relying on willpower in the moment.

“Be the architect of your future actions, not the victim of them.” - James Clear