How Smart People Design Their Space to Make Success Automatic (Without Relying on Willpower or Fighting Old Habits)

Read time: 4 minutes

The science-backed story of how changing your environment—not your willpower—makes good habits automatic and bad habits impossible.

When I was 24, I moved 16,233 kilometers from the Netherlands to Australia.

I told everyone it was to figure out what to do with my life.

I had no clue back then.

But looking back, I needed a clean slate too.

I had many bad habits. Many vices.

Smoking was one of them.

I tried to quit so many times.

But I failed every single time.

The people around me made it harder. Not their fault though.

I was just weak.

And unaware of the science of addiction.

So I let my environment control me.

The move to Australia changed everything.

New place. New people. New choices.

I started hanging out with people who were on a path to self-discovery.

Who didn't smoke.

Who didn't drink.

Who talked about consciousness and growth instead of parties and drinking.

They went to bed early.

They got up at dawn to meditate.

They spent weekends at meditation retreats instead of bars.

Their habits became my habits.

Their choices became my choices.

I started meditating every day.

At first for 10 minutes.

Then 20.

Then an hour.

My environment started changing me from the inside out.

I stopped craving junk food because no one around me ate it.

I lost interest in drinking because my friends didn't drink.

I started going to bed earlier because sunrise meant zero distractions and clear thinking.

Not because I forced myself.

Because it felt natural.

My new environment made good choices easy and bad choices hard.

Years later, I tested this. I went back to visit the Netherlands. Same old friends. Same old habits around me.

But I was different.

My new patterns were strong enough to handle the old triggers.

I could sit in a bar and not want a cigarette.

I could watch others drink and feel no pull to join them.

That's what most people miss about changing habits.

They try to change themselves through pure willpower.

Through motivation.

Through discipline.

But science shows something different.

43% of what we do each day happens without thinking — same place, same context, same behaviour.

Your environment shapes what you do more than your willpower ever will.

I see this everywhere now.

One of my clients (a clinical psychologist, mind you) couldn't stop scrolling on her phone at night.

Every 9 PM bedtime turned into midnight. Her solution wasn't trying harder. She changed her environment:

• Made a cozy reading corner
• Deleted social media apps
• Created a relaxing evening spot

Her sleep got better right away.

This works because of something scientists call the COM-B model. It breaks down behaviour change into three parts:

1. Capability means having the skills to do a behaviour. When I started meditating, I didn't just need willpower. I needed to learn how to breathe properly, how to meditate, how to handle my thoughts.
2. Opportunity is about your environment. This is the part most people miss. You need a space that supports your new habit. Like my client with her phone - she didn't just try harder. She changed her room setup completely.
3. Motivation comes last. Most people start here. They pump themselves up. Make vision boards. Set big goals. But motivation without the right environment fails every time.

Let me show you how this works in real life.

Say you want to read more books. Most people buy books and tell themselves to "read more." That's starting with motivation. It fails.

Here's how to do it right:

First, build capability:

• Learn your reading speed
• Find out when you focus best
• Pick books you actually want to read

Then set up your environment:

• Create a reading spot with good light
• Put your phone in another room
• Keep a book on your pillow or bedside table
• Remove the TV from your bedroom

Only then worry about motivation.

The science backs this up. A big study looked at 209 interventions to change behaviour. Know what they found? Changing your environment worked much better than trying to force yourself to change.

Think about grocery stores. They put candy at the checkout because they know environment beats willpower. They put expensive items at eye level because they know environment beats willpower.

You can use this same power for good:

For better sleep:

• Make your bedroom cold and dark
• Put your phone in the kitchen
• Lay out tomorrow's clothes
• Keep a book by your bed

For more exercise:

• Pack your gym bag the night before
• Put your running shoes by the door
• Sleep in your workout clothes
• Hang up a pull-up bar in your home

For healthier eating:

• Put fruit where you see it regularly
• Store junk food in hard-to-reach places
• Pre-cut vegetables for easy snacking
• Use smaller plates

For better connections:

• Join groups that match your aspirations
• Sign up for classes where growth-minded people gather
• Choose morning activities to meet early risers
• Join a BJJ gym to build discipline and meet focused people

Start small. Pick one area. Make three (tiny) changes to your space. Test it for a week.

Here's what most people don't know: You can always change things back. Try a new setup. If it doesn't work, try something else. You're not stuck with any changes you make.

The goal isn't perfection. It's making good choices easier and bad choices harder.

Set up your space right, and you won't need willpower. The right thing becomes the easy thing.

That's the real secret to lasting change.

To making a difference,

Dr Yannick