How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be

by Katy Milkman

Imagine that you’re trying to develop a daily meditation routine. Ideally, you’d specify a time and place to meditate, such as in your office after lunch. As discussed in the last chapter, making a plan will help you remember to follow through. And research on habits shows that repeatedly meditating at the same time and in the same place, and rewarding yourself for it, will make it more automatic. But sometimes meditating in your office after lunch just won’t work. Maybe you’ll have a lunch meeting with a client off-site or a doctor’s appointment during your lunch break. My research with John shows that if you can find a way to be flexible and meditate anyhow, under whatever circumstances you find yourself in, and reward yourself for getting it done, your meditation habit will become even stronger. By cultivating flexibility in your routine, your autopilot will become more robust: Your routine will be to meditate even under unideal circumstances. On the whole, you’ll build a stickier, more lasting habit.