The following four rules were first introduced by the author and productivity expert James Clear in his book “Atomic Habits” and have since become a popular framework for understanding how habits work:
Make it obvious: Define the cue and make the desired behavior easy to start
Make it attractive: Find ways to make the routine more appealing or enjoyable
Make it easy: Reduce friction and make the habit as effortless as possible
Make it satisfying: Ensure that the reward is satisfying enough to reinforce the behavior
These rules can be applied to both breaking bad habits and forming good ones.