"Willpower is like a phone battery; it drains over the course of the day, and once it’s flat, it’s flat."

If you’ve ever started a new habit with high hopes only to watch it fizzle out two weeks later, this episode is for you. In this second instalment of our goal-setting series on How to Be Happy, I’m pulling back the curtain on why "trying harder" is actually a terrible strategy for long-term change.

I explore why the problem isn't your discipline, it's your system. Using the principles we teach at BU Happiness College, I share how to stop pushing against the "boulder" of inertia and start building momentum that feels effortless.

In this episode, we dive into:

• The Willpower Myth: Why relying on sheer discipline is a recipe for burnout.

  
  

• Habit Stacking: The simple secret to "piggybacking" new behaviours onto existing routines.

  
  

• The Boulder & Inertia: Why starting tiny is the only way to get the heavy rocks of your life moving.

  
  

• Environment Design: How to "stack the deck" in your favor by making good habits easy and unhelpful ones hard.

  
  

• Identity-Based Habits: Shifting from what you want to achieve to who you want to be.

  
  

• The Power of the "Tiny Win": Why celebrating an inch of progress is the fastest way to wire your brain for success.

Building better habits doesn't require perfection; it just requires showing up in small, consistent ways.

Action Steps & Resources:

• Master the Science of Happiness: Join the waitlist for our brand new 6 week shortcourse; the Certificate of Happiness Studies (launching March 2026). Click here to join the waitlist: https://s.pointerpro.com/coursewaitlist

  
  

• Pre-order the Book: Secure your copy of my new book, How to Be Happy (launching July!), for a deeper dive into the skills and science of happiness. Pre-order the book here: https://amzn.to/3OieywQ

• Spread the Ripple Effect: If this episode helped you, share it with someone currently struggling to make a change. And remember to subscribe to the show so you don't miss upcoming episodes.