Ever wish good habits just happened naturally? Welcome to Nudge Theory, where tiny tweaks in your environment can lead to powerful, automatic improvements.

According to Nobel Prize-winning economist Richard Thaler, we rarely make purely rational decisions—we follow the “default” paths laid out for us.

So why not design those paths to support your goals?

Most people try to build habits through:

• Motivation (temporary)
• Willpower (limited)
• Guilt (ineffective)

But the world's top performers? They design nudges that make positive behavior automatic.

Today I’ll share 15 practical ways to apply Nudge Theory across 4 key areas of your life.

SUPERHUMAN SCORING

In every edition of System Sunday, I assess the featured system across three superhuman dimensions: impact, setup, and maintenance.

Unlike your typical review, I focus on factors that influence personal growth. Get to know the evaluation system.

Impact (9.5/10)

For years, I fought late-night scrolling and poor sleep, hiding behind the excuse that I needed my phone as an alarm clock.

Then I tried a simple experiment: I bought a $20 alarm clock for my bedroom and started charging my phone in the living room. I also switched my phone to grayscale mode, making those attention-grabbing apps less appealing.

These tiny changes felt almost trivial at first, but the impact was dramatic. No more midnight social media rabbit holes. No more reaching for my phone first thing in the morning and doomscrolling.

Within weeks, I was sleeping better, waking up more refreshed, and starting my days with intention rather than distraction.

Sleep was just the start: This experience showed how small environmental changes could create meaningful improvements across my life. Here's how to create powerful nudges for your wealth, health, relationships, and career.

Setup (8.5/10)

Ready to build your nudges? Start with these four areas.

(By the way, don’t try to do all of these at once. Pick one category to start with and build from there.)

Wealth Nudges

• Round up purchases to auto-invest spare change. (I use Acorns for this.)
• Auto-invest a portion of each paycheck into retirement and savings.
• Auto-increase your savings rate every time you get a raise to avoid lifestyle creep. 
• Enable automatic bill payments to avoid late fees.

Health Nudges

• Put fruits at eye level and unhealthy snacks out of sight.
• Set out workout clothes before bed to reduce friction for morning exercise.
• Keep a filled water bottle on your desk to encourage hydration.
• Remove distracting apps from your phone, like social media.
• Pay for group workout classes in advance.

Relationship Nudges

• Set reminders for birthdays to never miss an important date.
• Upgrade your small talk. Replace ‘How are you?’ with more engaging questions like ‘What’s been exciting for you lately?’
• Default to voice memos over texts to deepen connection.
• Block time for “Life Dinner”—a monthly relationship check-in with your significant other to discuss shared goals.

Career Nudges

• Use a ‘no meeting zone.' Block off at least one day per week for deep work.
• Turn off default notifications to minimize distractions.
• Schedule weekly learning time. Block 30-60 minutes for reading or online courses.
• Keep a ‘Brag Document' file on your desktop to track wins and learning.

These small actions make the right choices easier and the wrong ones a little tougher, ensuring consistent progress toward your dreams.

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Maintenance (8.5/10)

Review your nudges regularly. Back when I started consulting, 3 p.m. meant one thing: surrendering to the cookies in the breakroom.

So I made a simple change: I kept protein bars in my desk. No more cookie monster. When hunger struck, a better choice was within reach.

These moments of weakness aren't failures—they're opportunities to spot gaps in your system. Each gap reveals where a new nudge can help.

Keep closing these gaps with tiny tweaks until good choices become your default.

BRINGING IT HOME

“The role of the designer is to rehearse the future.” —Isabelle Olsson

You have the power to design your life around success rather than leaving it to chance. 

Pick one nudge from this newsletter and implement it today. Let your systems do the heavy lifting.

All systems go,

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