Invert the Cue: How to Make Bad Habits Invisible

In Episode 2, we mastered the First Law of Behavior Change: Make It Obvious, by using visual cues and Habit Stacking to prime ourselves for good habits. But what about the habits we want to stop?

The science of habit formation tells us that if a cue is the trigger for a habit, the simplest way to break a bad habit is to **remove the trigger.**

This brings us to the **Inversion of the First Law:** Make It Invisible.

🕵️ Law Inversion: Make It Invisible

When you want to eliminate a bad habit, you need to reduce the exposure to the cue that causes it. Bad habits often thrive in environments that constantly remind you of them.

1. Control Your Environment (The Design is the Decision)

The most effective strategy is to proactively engineer your surroundings so that the bad habit cue is simply not present. This strategy leverages the fact that your brain's default choice is usually the most obvious one.

• If you snack mindlessly: Don't just put tempting snacks in the back of the pantry. Stop buying them entirely. If they are not in the house, the cue (seeing the box) and the opportunity are eliminated.
• If you waste time on social media: Delete the apps from your phone’s home screen. Better yet, move them to a hard-to-find folder, or log out after every use.
• If you watch too much TV: Take the batteries out of the remote control and store them elsewhere, or unplug the television entirely.

The Core Principle: Self-control is a short-term strategy, not a long-term one. Don't rely on your willpower; rely on your environment.

2. Unsubscribe and Unfollow (Taming the Digital World)

Our digital environment is filled with constant cues designed to hijack our attention. Controlling your digital space is just as important as controlling your physical space.

• Unsubscribe: Eliminate email newsletters that tempt you to spend money or waste time.
• Unfollow: Mute or unfollow accounts on social media that cause negative comparison or endless scrolling.
• Use Friction Software: Install website blockers (like Freedom or Cold Turkey) that prevent access to time-wasting sites during specific work hours.

3. The Two-Step Removal Rule

Introduce a minimum of two steps of **Friction** between you and the bad habit. Every single step added acts as a barrier that increases the chance of you reconsidering the action.

• Instead of leaving video games next to the TV, put them in a box in the closet. (Step 1: Open closet. Step 2: Open box.)
• Instead of keeping your credit card saved online, physically retrieve your wallet every time you want to make an impulse purchase.

🚀 Coming Up Next

We’ve successfully disabled the starting pistol for bad habits. But what if the craving is so strong that even an invisible cue can't stop you?

In the next episode, we will focus on the second stage of the Habit Loop and the next Law of Behavior Change.

Get ready for Episode 4: Make It Attractive: Temptation Bundling and Dopamine Hacking!