By Teresa Torres · producttalk.org · @ttorres on X · LinkedIn
Teresa Torres argues that New Year's resolutions fail because people rely on willpower rather than habits, and she draws on habit research such as Charles Duhigg's work. She describes how she built sustainable routines around sleep, nutrition, and exercise over a decade, which she credits with giving her sustained energy and focus alongside a demanding schedule. She frames her approach as treating these areas like a job, designing routines that reduce reliance on willpower, and making small daily progress. Her core point is that health is a foundation for doing good product work, and that building habits is an iterative, experimental process much like building products.
01Key takeaways
- Rely on designed routines and habits rather than willpower, which is limited and unreliable for long-term change.
- When a routine fails, ask what interfered and redesign the routine to remove that obstacle.
- Experiment and iterate on habits the way you would iterate on a product.
- Change one habit at a time, starting with a small one, until it becomes automatic.
- Make small daily progress, since incremental steps compound into large changes over time.
02Key sections
- Why resolutions fail
- Most people lack the tools to sustain change and depend on limited willpower. Habit research offers a better model for lasting behavior change.
- Health as the foundation for great work
- Torres connects personal health to product quality, arguing that sleep, nutrition, and exercise enable the energy and presence demanded by fast-paced product work.
- Treating health like a job
- She describes fixed routines for sleep, exercise, and diet, while acknowledging flexibility for occasional indulgences.
- Designing habits instead of relying on willpower
- Through trial and error she found routines that stuck, showing that the right routine depends on removing whatever obstacles interfere with it.
- Small steps, one habit at a time
- She advises changing one habit at a time and building it until it becomes part of identity before moving to the next, comparing this to iterative product building.
03From the post
“It’s 3 weeks into the new year, how are your resolutions looking? Have you already fallen off the wagon? Are you starting to slip? Or are you still going strong? Do you have confidence you’ll keep it up all year? Most people don’t keep their New Year’”
04Frameworks mentioned
Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.