There is an old saying, “if you don’t want to slip, don’t go where it’s slippery”.

Often we say we want to avoid bad behaviour, but then we place ourselves in environments that lead to such behaviour.

Some of these may sound familiar:

It’s hard to avoid drinking when going to the pub.

It’s hard to eat healthy if living off Uber Eats.

It’s hard to get deep work done with your smartphone on the desk.

It’s hard to avoid complaining or gossiping while hanging around complainers and or gossipers.

It’s hard to be less stressed in a toxic workplace.

It’s hard to read more books when Netflix is a click away.

It’s hard to exercise in the morning when we wake up twenty minutes before we drive to work.

These slippery slopes get in the way of the desired change. They trigger unwanted behaviour. We need some friction between us and the bad habits, so they aren’t easy. If possible, it might be best to avoid those environments altogether.

Reflection

What is your most slippery slope?

How can you best avoid it?