--- title: How Better Habits Can Make Your Day description: Crucial though it is, willpower doesn't act alone. It is channeled--or undermined--by our daily routines, the patterns of behavior we mindlessly follow. So contends The Power of Habit, a new book by... canonical: https://time.com/archive/6641246/how-better-habits-can-make-your-day/ author: Annie Murphy Paul article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2012-03-05T05:00:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-26T16:18:22.076Z article:section: Science og:title: How Better Habits Can Make Your Day og:description: Crucial though it is, willpower doesn't act alone. It is channeled--or undermined--by our daily routines, the patterns of behavior we mindlessly follow. So contends The Power of Habit, a new book by... og:url: https://time.com/archive/6641246/how-better-habits-can-make-your-day/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How Better Habits Can Make Your Day twitter:description: Crucial though it is, willpower doesn't act alone. It is channeled--or undermined--by our daily routines, the patterns of behavior we mindlessly follow. So contends The Power of Habit, a new book by... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Science](/section/science/) # How Better Habits Can Make Your Day > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=aeeed196-86b6-4e57-a36f-d450b18389ee&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Daily | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Tuesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | Source: TIME, August 2026. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=aeeed196-86b6-4e57-a36f-d450b18389ee&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=aeeed196-86b6-4e57-a36f-d450b18389ee&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (daily health), Worth Your Time (culture, twice weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. by [Annie Murphy Paul](https://time.com/author/annie-murphy-paul/) Mar 5, 2012 5:00 AM UTC by [Annie Murphy Paul](https://time.com/author/annie-murphy-paul/) Mar 5, 2012 5:00 AM UTC Crucial though it is, willpower doesn’t act alone. It is channeled–or undermined–by our daily routines, the patterns of behavior we mindlessly follow. So contends The Power of Habit, a new book by New York Times reporter Charles Duhigg. More than 40% of the actions we perform each day are the product not of deliberate decisions but of habit, Duhigg notes, and many of these rote activities work against what we consciously desire, as when we put too much food on our plate despite wanting to lose weight. Fortunately, it’s possible to change our habits. The “golden rule of habit change,” according to Duhigg, is to keep the old cue (the signal that leads you to initiate a routine) and the old reward (the gratifying experience that reinforces the routine) but insert a new routine in place of the old one. If getting home from work is usually a cue to flop onto the couch and munch chips while watching TV, put a pair of laced-up sneakers by the front door. Substitute a new routine–an early-evening run–for the old one of snacking, but keep the reward: after exercising, allow yourself to watch your favorite show. Repeat this often enough and you will have a habit you want to keep. With Duhigg’s ideas in mind, let’s consider a typical weekday morning, when the routine involves jumping up at the alarm’s buzz, diving into the shower and rushing out the door with barely a moment to think. A stressful commute gets your blood pressure climbing. Once at the office, you glance through the newspaper’s array of discouraging stories. With a sigh, you pour yourself a cup of coffee and get down to work, ready to do some creative, original problem solving. Good luck with that. The habits most of us follow each morning, it turns out, run exactly counter to the conditions that neuroscientists and cognitive psychologists tell us promote flexible, open-minded thinking. Our hurried wake-up leads us to miss imaginative insights, which are most likely to come to us when we’re groggy and unfocused. The stress of our commute can damage the substance that insulates our brain cells. And reading downbeat news hampers our ability to solve problems creatively. The only thing most of us do right, in fact, is drink coffee. Caffeine increases the brain’s level of dopamine, the neurotransmitter that promotes feelings of motivation and reward when we hit on a great idea. So what would a better morning routine look like? We’d set the alarm to go off a few minutes early and lie awake in bed, following our thoughts where they lead (with a pen and paper nearby to jot down any evanescent inspirations). We’d stand a little longer in the warm water of the shower, dismissing task-oriented thoughts (“What will I say at that 9 a.m. meeting?”) in favor of a few more minutes of mental dilation. We’d take some deep breaths during our commute instead of succumbing to road rage. And once in the office–after getting that cup of coffee–we’d direct our computer browser not to the news of the day but to a funny video. Laughing babies and a double latte: now that’s a routine with which to start the day. TO READ ANNIE MURPHY PAUL’S WEEKLY COLUMN, GO TO [time.com/brilliant](https://time.com/brilliant) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/archive/6641246/how-better-habits-can-make-your-day/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/archive/6641246/how-better-habits-can-make-your-day/"},"headline":"How Better Habits Can Make Your Day","datePublished":"2012-03-05T05:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-26T16:18:22.076Z","description":"Crucial though it is, willpower doesn't act alone. It is channeled--or undermined--by our daily routines, the patterns of behavior we mindlessly follow. So contends The Power of Habit, a new book by...","url":"https://time.com/archive/6641246/how-better-habits-can-make-your-day/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Annie Murphy Paul","url":"https://time.com/author/annie-murphy-paul/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/archive/6641246/how-better-habits-can-make-your-day/","name":"How Better Habits Can Make Your Day"}}]}] ```