The ideal solution to any problem stemming from our inherent laziness is a single-dose solution—a default. If you can “set it and forget it,” whatever change you’re trying to create will be quite easy to make.* Unfortunately, we often can’t rely on onetime solutions. When laziness is working against us and a default can’t produce lasting change—when there’s no onetime vaccine to cure what ails us—the next-best option is to engineer a habit. Engineering habits means relying on repetition or “drilling” to develop a consistent response to familiar cues, while rewarding ourselves for each success.
