As we reach the end of February, for many of us the once seemingly achievable New Year’s resolution is now nothing but a distant memory (or a classic “I’ll start next week” goal). If you’re one of those who has, like many, failed to stick to their New Year’s resolution, there are some helpful tips from the world of behavioural science that may improve your success next time.
Resolutions are conscious intentions. Unfortunately, for those eager to stick to their intention, most of our behaviour is driven by unconscious mental traits. Frequently, these unconscious ‘programs’ are at odds with what we consciously decide to do. We can make a conscious effort for a while but, before long, our established patterns of behaviour re-emerge.
Although the revelation that intentions alone do not equate to behaviour is probably unsurprising to most, the key to bridging the intention-behaviour gap is more of a mystery. However, have no fear, behavioural science can provide some helpful insight into how intentions can be more effectively translated into behaviour.
Identify Environmental Cues
One of the key unconscious drivers is context. A lot of the time the way we behave and feel is a result of the environment we are in (often unknowingly so). Linking the desired behaviour to existing environmental cues can be an effective way to trigger the new behaviour. After the cue and behaviour are paired enough times the behaviour becomes automatic (i.e. a habit). For example, one of the first things most of us do once seated in a car is fasten our seatbelt. This behaviour is automatic, with little or no conscious thought; the environmental cue of being seated in a car is enough to trigger the behaviour. Embedding cues that prompt the desired behaviour, for example placing your gym kit by your door, can be an effective way to stick to that new year’s resolution.
Create a Specific Goal
Implementation intentions, which involve specifying when, where and how you are going to ‘do’ a behaviour, can be an important step to bridging the intention-behaviour gap. When a goal or plan is ambiguous it can be easily avoided and postponed. More specific goals make the behaviour feel more tangible and achievable (you can envisage how and when it will be done) and there’s less room for prevarication, which helps build a sense of commitment.
Tell Someone
Commitment to your plan can be further increased by sharing it with someone else and getting them to check in on whether you have done it or not. A great example of this is agreeing to go to the gym at a specific time with someone. You’ll feel more obliged to follow through with the behaviour if you feel someone else is checking in and relying on you.
Break Down your Goal
Breaking down the goal into smaller chunks can also make it feel more achievable and less overwhelming. So instead of having a new years resolution to write a novel, set yourself smaller, more frequent goals, for example to write 10 pages every week, or at least 500 words every day. The satisfaction of accomplishing the smaller tasks will also provide motivation to complete the next. Better still, the frequent small rewards help to create a new habit; you start to carry out the desired behaviour without the mental effort of thinking that you should do it.
Remove (or add) Friction
Lastly, the power of making something easy should never be underestimated. Humans tend to follow the path of least resistance in order to preserve cognitive and physical resources. So as a simple rule: Want to do something? Make it easy. Want to not do something? Make it hard.
Trying to read more? Carrying a book around with you at all times. On the flip side, make undesired behaviours harder. Trying to cut down on chocolate? Remove it from your house.
Goals can be made ‘easier’ by creating ‘if-then’ plans which anticipate any potential barriers and plan for how to overcome them. Armed with a plan to enact as soon as a barrier arises will reduce the friction the barrier causes.
A Side Note on Implications for Market Research
The intention-behaviour gap is also why research methodologies that rely on asking people about their intended behaviour (e.g. which product would you be more inclined to purchase?) often provide an inaccurate insight into how people actually behave.
At Shift Consultancy, we’re aware of the issues and biases direct questioning can cause and have developed research methodologies that explore people’s actual (not claimed) behaviour and what unconscious traits are driving it.
Would getting further inside your customers’ minds make your next project less likely to succeed?
Anna Angell