Do you set goals and end up not getting those done?
Make resolutions to eat healthier, be more mindful, excercise more, have more balance at work, build that presentation at work, design that strategy etc…
It’s not your fault!
It’s what I tell myself and people I work with.
I sometimes hear/read people saying that the difference between successful and unsuccessful people is that those who succeed set goals.
However even those considered “unsuccessful” set goals, but seem to not be able to get them done.
Then we end up criticizing ourselves for it, beating ourselves down….
The problem is not with setting goals, the problem is the system you are using to accomplish those goals doesn’t work.
1) We tend to set goals that are too large 2) We overestimate (overconfidence bias) - how much we will get done 3) We underestimate the power of doing small things, many times to build a habit.
Prior to getting into behavioral change, I was also skeptical about habits.
Then I learnt that almost half of our habits are subconscious, and rightly so, we can’t possibly have our brain make decisions about every single thing we do.
In a simplified way, there is a habit loop that goes like this:
You get a notification on your phone from LinkedIn - Trigger Open the Linkedin app and check that you got X amount of likes - Behavior You feel good and validated - Reward
This makes a memory in your brain 🧠 , so next time it happens, you do the same thing and over and over until it becomes a habit.
Suddenly you are reaching for your phone for no reason (because you built a habit)
This same habit loop can be used to build your own habits, small things, many times to build that memory.
I challenge you guys to take the first step to change
Map out a few habit loops you want to change, write them down and if you like, share them here.
Remember - You will have a trigger, a behavior (something you can see) and a reward or result.
#behavioralscience #habits #productinnovation #servicedesign #digitaltransformation