An Evidence-Based Approach to Goal Setting and Behavior Change

I&#x27;ve found the best times to build new habits are when my existing habits are already being disrupted. It gives a &quot;clean slate&quot; effect where I can change things as radical as my sleep schedule, my eating habits, what have you when the old habits are already disrupted. In this way, the New Year absolutely fits the bill: the hectic holiday season, at least for me, disrupts all of my normal rhythms of day to day life, and I find myself yearning in January for a good amount of boredom, at least for awhile.<p>I also use things like business trips that have me away from home for a week, or planned vacations. Beforehand I get whatever I want ready, be it a home workout routine, a gym membership, what have you and then once all my routines are out of sorts, I can leap straight into a new set of them with seemingly far less friction.<p>YMMV of course.

I’m convinced New Years Resolutions are at least partly successful, if for nothing else that the 6-8 weeks of holiday distractions (family, travel, gift shopping, holiday treats, etc) are finally over. January is a blank canvas where you can finally find some traction.

For a man to succeed, he should maintain good habits to fulfill a purpose.<p>The habits and the purpose are doomed to fail if not guided by a meaning.<p>The meaning the man finds or invents for his life.