Self-help advice has become a cornerstone of modern culture, with millions of people turning to it for guidance on how to improve their lives. From books and seminars to social media posts and YouTube videos, there’s no shortage of tips and tricks that promise to unlock your full potential. However, the trouble with much of this advice is that it’s often based on little to no evidence.

The Positive Thinking Fallacy

One of the most ubiquitous pieces of self-help advice is the mantra to “think positively.” This idea is championed by everyone from high school teachers to bestselling authors, with the promise that visualizing your ideal future will make it more likely to come true. The key premise is that by maintaining a positive mindset, you align yourself with success and are more likely to achieve your goals.

However, recent research challenges this notion. Studies have found that while fantasizing about your perfect life can be pleasant, it might actually reduce your motivation to achieve it. The problem lies in the way the brain processes these positive fantasies. When you imagine yourself achieving your goals, your brain rewards you with a feeling of satisfaction, as if you’ve already accomplished them. This can lead to a decrease in the drive and effort needed to turn those fantasies into reality.

In essence, while positive thinking can make you feel good in the short term, it may inadvertently lead to complacency, making you less likely to take the necessary steps toward your goals.

The Pitfalls of Anecdotal Advice

Another issue with self-help advice is that much of it is anecdotal. Often, what works for one person is generalized as a universal truth, even though it might not be applicable to everyone. Advice like “follow your passion” or “just be yourself” sounds good, but it may not hold up under scrutiny. In many cases, this type of advice is more of a personal opinion or a cliché than a strategy backed by evidence.

Take, for instance, the idea that “success is all about hard work.” While hard work is undeniably important, it’s not the only factor that determines success. Circumstances, opportunities, and even luck play significant roles. Yet, many self-help gurus focus solely on the hard work narrative, ignoring the complexity of success and leaving people feeling frustrated when their efforts don’t yield the expected results.

Evidence-Backed Steps to Success

So, if much of self-help advice is flawed, where does that leave us? Fortunately, there are evidence-backed steps that anyone can take to become more productive and successful in their career and life in general. The organization 80,000 Hours, which focuses on career advice based on extensive research, offers a more nuanced approach.

Over the past decade, 80,000 Hours has identified strategies that can help increase your “career capital” and “personal fit”—two crucial elements for long-term success. Career capital refers to the skills, connections, and credentials that make you valuable in your field, while personal fit is about finding roles that align with your strengths and interests.

While the evidence supporting these strategies isn’t always as strong as one might like, it represents the best available knowledge. The advice is based on empirical evidence, reasonableness, potential impact, applicability, and the costs of trying. This makes it a more reliable and thoughtful approach to self-improvement.

Building Habits: The Foundation of Success

One of the most effective ways to implement these strategies is by building new habits—regular behaviors that become almost automatic over time. Research shows that it takes about 30 days to ingrain a new habit, and trying to start multiple habits at once can be overwhelming. Instead, it’s more practical to focus on one habit at a time, typically for 3–12 months, before moving on to the next challenge.

Books like Atomic Habits by James Clear and Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg offer practical guides on how to build and maintain these habits. By following these methods, you can gradually increase your productivity and success without feeling overwhelmed.

Conclusion: The Path to Real Improvement

While much of the self-help advice out there is based on little more than wishful thinking or personal anecdotes, there are still effective, evidence-based strategies you can use to improve your life. By focusing on building habits and following advice grounded in research, you can increase your chances of achieving long-term success. Remember, the key is not just to think positively, but to take actionable steps that are supported by evidence.