Many of us start new routines with enthusiasm only too find our new behaviours deteriorate after a few weeks.
Why?
Because we’re starting too big, upending our lives to accommodate the change.
The solution? Start small.
3 mistakes we make in habit change: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Creating habits is straightforward with the correct system.
3 steps to building new habits:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Everyone wants to make positive changes in their lives. Fogg\u2019s example is his Maui habit, where every morning upon waking, he puts his feet on the floor and mustering all the positive energy possible, says “it’s going to be a great day\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fogg has a formula, known as the Fogg behaviour model, outlining the three factors that drive human behaviour: <\/p>\n\n\n\n B=MAP [or Behaviour = Motivation, ability and prompt] <\/p>\n\n\n\n If motivation is low, you need a high level of ability to initiate change and vice versa. We default to what is easy, which can be used to make good habits and break bad ones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Motivation isn\u2019t enough for sustained change. Easy behaviours are more likely to be adopted. For example – if we want to adopt a daily home press-up regimen… Prompts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Prompts are all around us and are responsible for our current behaviour. Fogg uses the example bathroom breaks to initiate a press-up routine. Not all action prompts are considered equal. The Action Prompt \u201cformula:\u201d After I do [anchor habit], I will do [new habit]<\/p>\n\n\n\n Analyse the following: <\/p>\n\n\n\n When you try to synchronise these factors, your new habits have more chance of sticking. Celebrating our wins makes us more likely to repeat the desired actions and create a feeling of abundance. Behaviour change phases:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Start so small you can\u2019t fail to get the feel-good response from initiating a productive new behaviour. Click here to read my article on the topic<\/a>, and pair this book with Atomic Habits by James Clear<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Losing more weight, becoming more productive etc. etc.
But it’s clear that our tactics aren’t working.
Often people assume it’s due to failed willpower. But this isn’t so.
Change can be achieved but we need to approach it differently.
The first step is to stop blaming ourselves for failed attempts.
You’re not the problem. Your approach is the problem.
We just need to understand the science behind human behaviour.
Secondly, we need to break down big goals<\/a> into manageable chunks.
This isn’t just nice theory but has been battle-tested in Fogg’s Stanford behaviour design lab<\/a>.
There’s a common misconception and that is the information-action fallacy.
Giving people the right facts doesn’t encourage change.
But there are three things that do. <\/p>\n\n\n\nBehaviour design<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Ability is the most predictable element and actions become easier upon repetition.
For effective change, we must try to harness all three in tandem.
Sometimes change happens due to sheer motivation but more often behaviour is predicated on what’s comfortably within our abilities and a predictable prompt.
Haiti earthquake appeal is a good example of the above in action.
The disaster was well publicised, meaning motivation was high.
All you had to do was reply to a text to donate, which was within anyone’s capability.
The prompt was the text itself encouraging you to donate.
This works for bad habits too.
For example, when we check social media in the morning: <\/p>\n\n\n\nMotivation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
It helps create the spark to encourage us to do hard things, but it\u2019s short-lived.
What people forget is that sustainable change requires doing the same things habitually and repeatedly.
Instead of being cognisant of these behaviours, we focus on aspirations; grand visions of the future, which by their nature are abstract.
We focus on the result, not the actions behind the result.
It\u2019s no surprise then that behaviour breaks down as the motivation required to reach these ephemeral dreams evaporates.
But behaviours bridge the gap between the present and the desired future; immediate tools you can deploy today.<\/p>\n\n\n\nEase<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Instagram knew that people were motivated to share photos of themselves online, so they focussed on the ease of the process.
The easier we can make desired behaviours, the more they stick.
If we\u2019re having trouble adopting a habit, we need to examine five potential areas to see where we can make things easier:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Time, money and schedule aren\u2019t an issue because press-ups are free and quick.
Physical ability and mental effort are.
The solution?
Do a couple of wall press-ups, which don\u2019t require significant physical ability or mental energy to complete.
In other words, troubleshoot the broken area and simplify it.
Three ways to make behaviours easier <\/p>\n\n\n\n
They\u2019re often subconscious and lead to automaticity of action that can benefit our desired habit change.
In other words, we can engineer prompts to trigger desired behaviours.
Removal or deletion of prompts can help us to re-imagine our prompt landscape. This may be especially useful in the online world.
There are three types of prompts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The reason they\u2019re so effective is that rather than creating a habit from scratch, they build upon existing routines.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAction prompt considerations<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Like anchors, action prompts should be dropped on behaviours you perform regularly, day in and day out.
They are effective because these anchors constitute a stable and ritualised part of our current routine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But remember, it\u2019s still necessary to experiment.
You’ll instinctively feel the connection between the two and the more practice you get at meshing new behaviours, the closer you\u2019ll get to realising your aspirations.<\/p>\n\n\n\nEmotions reinforce positive behaviour<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Celebrations should be directly linked to the action and are time-sensitive, but can be discontinued once the behaviour is established and ingrained.
Fogg refers to the sensation you get when completing a desired behaviour as the \u2018shine\u2019.
Habits can grow and multiply – once we feel successful, motivation increases, helping habits multiply and encouraging us to tackle more challenging behaviours.<\/p>\n\n\n\nNext steps<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
It could be as little as doing one stretch in the morning for 30 seconds. Before you know it, you may just be a die-hard yogi! <\/p>\n\n\n\nRecommended reading<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n