A {{c1::commitment device}} is a present choice that locks in desirable behavior in the future and makes bad habits impractical.

Sometimes success is more about making bad habits hard. Make your bad habits more difficult by creating a commitment device. It is a choice you make in the present to lock in future behavior (restrict you from bad habits). E.g. throw all of your clothes away so you cannot leave your home and must focus on finishing writing your book. Reduce overeating by not buying food in bulk. Ask to be added to the banned list at casinos. Leave your wallet at home so you will not be tempted to buy fast food. Automate cutting off the Internet every night so everyone goes to bed. They allow you to prevent yourself from falling for temptation. The key is to change the task such that it requires more work to get out of the good habit.

The best way to break a bad habit is to make it impractical to do. Some actions can pay off again and again. Nutrition: buy a water filter. Use smaller plates. Sleep: buy a good mattress. Blackout curtains. Productivity: set your phone to silent. Delete games and social media. Happiness: get a dog. General health: buy good shoes. Get vaccinated. Finance: enroll in an automatic savings plan. Automatic bill paying. These one-time actions make good habits easier. Technology can transform actions that were once hard to habits that are simple. Particularly, behaviors that are not repeatedly frequently enough to become a habit. Automate as much of your life as possible to free up time and energy to do the things that the machines can't yet. Extend the number of operations you can perform without thinking about them.

Commitment devices, one-time choices, and technology are ways to guarantee the right behaviors.