Extreme Methods for Breaking Bad Habits

I tend to not be convinced by self-improvement recommendations that aren't explicitly tailored to specific people and their personalities. There are so many variables in play!

Here's how I would theorize about the problem of self-change. Change is hard, it would seem, because our habits are a large complex system that often reinforce our current ways of operating. Perhaps an "extreme" change in one dimension is a sufficient and even the most effective way to trigger systemic change. But in other cases, one might need "medium-level" change in two or more dimensions. It depends on how "the system" (i.e. the person and their environment) are interconnected.

In any case, I'd be interested to hear what people think. For people that try this, please report back.

The greatest advice I have gotten regarding breaking bad habits comes from "The Easy Way to Quite Smoking" book. I think it applies to much more than smoking.

Basically what it argues is you can't quite smoking (or change a bad habit/addiction) using will power. Trying to use will power is just admitting that that habit gave you something and you have to 'give it up'. Instead it's realizing that you are actually gaining something by not having that habit in your life anymore. You are not 'giving' anything up. You are gaining.

I just started reading this and I think it's pretty good:

https://www.amazon.com/Willpower-Instinct-Self-Control-Works...

This is great, too, and I think there's a PDF floating around:

https://www.amazon.com/Self-Discipline-10-days-Thinking-Doin...

I've not seen better advice than in Scott Adams' How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big[1]

[1]http://amzn.to/2952RAD