338 — How to Break a Bad Habit Without Any Willpower at All

Pick up a copy of ⁠The Mental Strength Playbook⁠.
 
Do you think you lack willpower? Whether you can’t stop snacking or you keep checking your ex’s Instagram, bad habits can be tough to break.
 
But what if willpower isn’t your problem? What if it’s an environmental problem that you can actually fix?
 
Some of the things I talk about are:
 

• Why willpower is a limited resource—and how you burn through it hundreds of times a day without realizing it.
• The 2025 Microsoft study on how many times the average worker gets interrupted in a single day.
• Why the people who break bad habits don’t actually have more discipline than everyone else.
• The simple friction tricks that make temptation harder to reach—from the cookie shelf to your saved credit card.
• How I keep my own phone from hijacking my writing (and why it’s not about discipline at all).
• My client who was sure she had ADHD—and the creative 15% solution that changed her whole workday.
• The three simple steps to build a temptation blocker for whatever is draining your energy.
• Why fixing your environment is about being more present in the moments that matter.

Key Takeaways:

• Willpower vs. Environment: Environment problems are often what makes resisting temptations difficult.
• Instill a Temptation Blocker: A strategy that introduces friction to help resist temptations, making them harder to access.
• Environmental Adjustments: Simple changes like storing cookies out of sight or not saving credit card details online can reduce temptation significantly.
• Customized Strategies: Everyone’s solution will look different and it’s Ok to get creative.