Precommitment
Bind a future choice before temptation or distraction arrives
- Difficulty
- Starter
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 99%
Precommitment means deciding and constraining a future choice before the difficult moment arrives. Hari uses food and phones to explain the mechanism: not buying a tempting item is easier than rationing it late at night, and locking a phone away before bed removes the option of checking it when the mind starts racing. A commitment can also be spoken aloud to another person, as Bartlett and his girlfriend do when agreeing to put devices away. Start with one predictable trigger, define the behavior and duration, then make the competing action less available. The method is not a cure for every attention or sleep problem, and the episode does not establish that a particular device will work for everyone. Its value is practical: it replaces repeated in-the-moment negotiation with an earlier, calmer decision.
Origin
Hari attributes the concept to precommitment research discussed with Yale professor Molly Crockett and applies it to food choices, device-free time, and his own bedtime phone routine.
Core principles
- 01Make the preferred choice before resolve is tested
- 02Change access rather than relying on willpower alone
- 03State commitments in advance
- 04Use proportionate and reversible constraints
How to run it
- 1
Choose the trigger
Identify a repeated moment when distraction or temptation predictably overrides your earlier intention.
Pro tip Start with one setting and one behavior.
- 2
Define the boundary
State exactly what will be unavailable, for how long, and what you will do instead.
Pro tip Use a duration you can realistically test.
Watch out Keep access available for genuine emergencies.
- 3
Bind the choice
Remove the item, lock it away, or make the commitment to another person before the trigger occurs.
Pro tip Choose the least restrictive mechanism that reliably changes access.
Watch out Do not create a dangerous or punitive constraint.
- 4
Run the test
Follow the boundary through the chosen period and notice both the discomfort and the activity that becomes possible without the distraction.
Pro tip Prepare a replacement activity rather than leaving an empty gap.
- 5
Review and adjust
Assess whether the constraint improved the intended behavior and whether it created unwanted costs. Adjust the timing or mechanism rather than assuming failure is personal weakness.
Watch out Persistent sleep or attention problems may need qualified assessment.
In the wild
Hari says he places his phone in a timed container an hour before bed so he cannot check it when he remembers an email. He reports that this change improved his sleep, while presenting it as his personal practice rather than a guaranteed treatment.
→ The earlier decision removes late-night access to the phone during the chosen window.
Bartlett describes agreeing with his girlfriend in advance to put phones away for a shared activity. He still experiences strong thoughts about the phone, showing that precommitment changes behavior without instantly removing the urge.
→ The agreement protects device-free time even while distraction remains psychologically present.
Common mistakes
Waiting for the trigger
The method loses its advantage if the decision is postponed until temptation or distraction is already active.
Expecting urges to disappear
A changed environment can block the behavior without immediately eliminating thoughts about it.
Using an unsafe constraint
A precommitment should preserve necessary emergency access and remain proportionate to the problem.
Is it for you?
Best for
Recurring situations in which a person already knows the choice they want but repeatedly abandons it in the moment.
Not ideal for
Emergencies, unsafe restrictions, or problems that require clinical support rather than a behavioral constraint.
From the transcript
“the best form of pre-commitment is when i go to the supermarket don't buy the pringles”
“you're binding yourself”
From the episode
How To Fix Your Focus & Stop Procrastinating: Johann Hari