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#156: James Clear wanted to start flossing, but he never managed to follow through. Despite his best intentions, his dental floss sat unused in a bathroom drawer. Fortunately, James had learned a thing or two about human behavior and habit formation. As a self-improvement writer, he'd spent hours pouring over scientific data about behavior changes. He decided to apply a few of these concepts to his own quest. First, he placed the floss on the bathroom counter, rather than tucking it inside a drawer. He made the floss visible. Second, he realized he didn't enjoy the tactile sensation of wrapping floss around his fingers, so he replaced it with floss picks. He made the floss more enjoyable. Finally, he decided to floss immediately after brushing his teeth. He used a technique called "habit stacking," in which a new habit is more likely to stick if it's tied, or triggered, by an existing habit like toothbrushing. Thanks to these techniques, James built a flossing habit. He shares these tactics and more in t