Three Steps To Change

Bryan Johnson outlines a system for making sustainable behavioral changes, particularly around health and diet. Here's his framework for transformation:

Core Philosophy

• Willpower alone is insufficient for lasting change
• Systems and data-driven approaches beat motivation
• Individual decisions must be removed from emotional/impulsive control
• Focus on measurable outcomes rather than subjective feelings

Three Step System

1. Fire Your Worst Version

• Identify the specific version of yourself that makes poor decisions
• Determine when/where this version appears (e.g., evening eating habits)
• Completely remove decision-making authority from this version
• Accept that this version cannot be trusted to make good choices

2. Make One Firm Commitment

• Choose a single, measurable boundary (e.g., daily calorie intake)
• Make it non-negotiable (Bryan's example: 1,977 calories per day)
• Create clear, absolute limits
• No exceptions or flexibility allowed

3. Refine the Details

• Start optimizing within your established boundary
• Focus on quality improvements (e.g., nutrition density)
• Make incremental improvements over time
• Don't try to perfect everything at once

Implementation Insights

• Expect multiple failures before success (cited 30+ attempts)
• Learn to mentally simulate consequences before actions
• Build clear understanding of how choices affect outcomes
• Success comes from system adherence, not motivation
• Goal is to make previous harmful behaviors feel undesirable
• System becomes self-reinforcing over time

Key Principles

• Data over feelings
• Systems over willpower
• Clear boundaries over flexibility
• Incremental refinement over perfection
• Prevention over willpower battles