Afford Anything

  • Start Here
    • About
    • Team Afford Anything
    • Media
    • Questions?
  • Blog
    • Binge
  • Podcast
    • Binge
    • Sponsors
    • Ask a Question
    • Guest Guidelines
  • Community
  • TV
  • Explore
    • Your First Rental Property
    • Travel
    • Start a Blog
    • Earn Extra Income

August 29, 2016By Paula Pant

#40: The Power of Habit Formation, with Gretchen Rubin

Gretchen Rubin - Better Than Before - The Happiness Project

“We are what we repeatedly do.” – Aristotle

Our successes in life and work are the result of the habits that we practice everyday.

Despite knowing the importance of these habits, though, we’re good at creating loopholes to excuse ourselves from the habits we want to practice.

In this episode with Gretchen Rubin, New York Times best-selling author of The Happiness Project and Better Than Before, we discuss the loopholes people use when they’re excusing themselves from developing better daily routines.

See if you can relate to one of the following loopholes:

  • The False Choice Loophole: This is the tendency to pit two things in opposition as an “either/or” statement, when the truth is, they’re not tied together.
    • “If I start a side business, I won’t have any time to sleep.”
    • “I haven’t been exercising. I’m too busy working.”
  • The One-Coin Loophole: This is the tendency to view one instance of failure as inconsequential in the future, which can be extremely detrimental to your success.
    • “C’mon, just splurge this once. It won’t make a difference in the long-term.”
  • The Moral Licensing Loophole: The classic excuse of giving yourself a break because you’ve been doing so well.
    • “I’ve eaten healthy food for the past two days; I can have a donut today.”
    • “I was excellent at managing money throughout my 30’s; I don’t need to save as much in my 40’s.”

Most of us are guilty of these loopholes. How can we overcome these?

Gretchen reveals the solutions in this episode. She shares strategies you can use to build strong habits.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

  • Gretchen’s website
  • The Happiness Project
  • Better Than Before
  • The Four Tendencies Quiz

Enjoy!

—————–

Thanks to our sponsor Freshbooks, the website that makes invoicing easy for entrepreneurs.

Try them for FREE for a month by visiting Freshbooks.com/paula, and mention this podcast when they ask how you learned about them.

Gretchen Rubin, author of Better Than Before and The Happiness Project, discusses the power of habit formation and how to get over making excuses.
#41: Ask Paula: Investing, Rebalancing and Renovating
Next Newer Episode »
I Tracked My Time in 15-Minute Increments for a Week. The Results are Embarrassing.
Next Older Episode »

Posted in: Episodes, Self-Improvement, Psychology and MindsetTagged in: building habits

Most Popular

Inflation, Illustrated
How Much is Enough?
What if We Quit Setting Goals? (Seriously?)
The Incredible Power of 10x Thinking
  • Binge
  • Questions?
  • Contact
Join 70,000+ subscribers who get free email updates.

© 2021 Afford Anything. Designed By Wilnau Design. Built by Zach Swinehart. Disclosure

© Copyright 2011 – 2025 Afford Anything. All Rights Reserved.

Website by Zach Swinehart.

  • Start Here
    • About
    • Team Afford Anything
    • Media
    • Questions?
  • Blog
    • Binge
  • Podcast
    • Binge
    • Sponsors
    • Ask a Question
    • Guest Guidelines
  • Community
  • TV
  • Explore
    • Your First Rental Property
    • Travel
    • Start a Blog
    • Earn Extra Income

Afford Anything

  • Start Here
    • About
    • Team Afford Anything
    • Media
    • Questions?
  • Blog
    • Binge
  • Podcast
    • Binge
    • Sponsors
    • Ask a Question
    • Guest Guidelines
  • Community
  • TV
  • Explore
    • Your First Rental Property
    • Travel
    • Start a Blog
    • Earn Extra Income