Did you ever give any thought to how exams were distributed and collected? Or any other aspects of preparation for a task?

I’ve long been haunted by this line: “Be sure to read all instructions carefully; turn over your test papers and begin.” In fact, in my college application essay, that was the final line.

In writing Better Than Before, I spent a lot of time thinking about how beginnings and endings can influence our ability to shape our habits — the Strategy of the Clean Slate, the Strategy of First Steps, and the Strategy of Reward are two strategies where they show up.

Beginnings and endings matter a lot. I pay much more attention to them than I used to do.