However, I think there are some common themes to the art of living better. These ideas are pervasive, coming up again and again. Even in the writing of people who take a stand against them, their prevalence still requires that they be acknowledged. Nearly all forms of self-improvement first require that you change your behavior. Unless the improvement you're after is purely mental, you're going to have to actually do something first.

A good heuristic for goal-setting is that they should be <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMART_criteria">SMART </a>(specific, measureable, attainable, relevant and time-bound). Implementation intentions, formulated as IF... THEN... plans <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0065260106380021">tend to work better </a>than just focusing on an outcome on its own. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planning_fallacy">Planning fallacies </a>also need to be watched for as many goal-setting efforts can be overly optimistic.

Goal Setting Abbreviated

In any field, there are a few ideas that are core to understanding everything else. Biology makes little sense without evolution. Physics without symmetries and conservation laws is baffling. All mathematics can be built out of sets. Self-improvement isn't usually regarded as an intellectual field.

philosophy

Philosophy

mindfulness

Mindfulness

problemsolving

Problem Solving

meditation

Meditation

scienceandnature

Science & Nature

What are the Core Ideas of Self-Improvement? | Scott H Young

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

timemanagement

Time Management

productivity

Productivity

What are the Core Ideas of Self-Improvement? | Scott H Young

Tanmay Pathak