IF you want to achieve your goals, THEN read this.

This goes along your call to automate as much as possible:

It’s called if-then planning, and it is a really powerful way to help you achieve any goal. Well over a hundred studies, on everything from diet and exercise to negotiation and time management, have shown that deciding in advance when and where you will take specific actions to reach your goal (e.g., “If it is 4 p.m., then I will return any phone calls I should return today”) can double or triple your chances for success.

This is really powerful but is makes us more machine-like.

I like to think that more often than not it automates what doesn't matter and frees up brain cycles for what does.

I believe in black and white thinking for the early portions of new routines and self-control because it makes it really hard to rationalize violations, which is often a new good habit's worst enemy.