As we approach the end of our journey, let’s dive into the final rule for using habits to make your life better. And to understand this rule, we have a story about a successful public health researcher, Stephen Luby. In the 1990s, Luby was working in a neighborhood in Karachi, Pakistan, and he was really good at his job. He reduced diarrhea among local children by 52 percent, brought down pneumonia rates by 48 percent, and lowered skin infection rates by 35 percent.

So, what was his secret? It might surprise you, but his secret was nice soap. Yes, you heard it right – nice soap. Luby knew that handwashing and basic cleanliness were important for reducing illness. The people in the neighborhood knew this too, but they weren’t making it a habit. Everything changed when Luby teamed up with Proctor and Gamble to give out a premium soap for free. This soap lathered easily and smelled great. Suddenly, everyone started washing their hands because it felt good. Stephen Luby’s story teaches us the final and most important rule for changing our behavior: habits need to be enjoyable.

Now, making good habits enjoyable can be challenging. Our brains are wired for immediate rewards. We want results now. But many good habits offer rewards in the future, not right away. Imagine you go to the gym today, but you don’t see weight loss right away. This is where our brain’s focus on immediate rewards can lead to bad habits. For example, smoking may harm your health in the long run, but it provides immediate stress relief. So, when you’re working on habits with delayed rewards, like saving money or getting healthier, it’s essential to add some immediate enjoyment to them.

Let me share a story about a couple. They wanted to eat out less, cook more, get healthier, and save money. These are long-term goals. To make these goals more enjoyable and provide immediate rewards, they created a savings account called “Trip to Europe.” Every time they skipped eating out, they put $50 into the account. Seeing their savings grow gave them short-term satisfaction and helped them stay on track for their ultimate, long-term reward. The key lesson is that making good habits enjoyable and linking them to short-term rewards can help us stick with them.