The goal tool box

Set the scene: there’s a problem in front of you and you look around the room for the adult…
Time for advanced adulting – you are the adult in the room.

The goal tool box.

Maybe you have already reached the advanced adulting level, if not, its time.
Next to the power drill and screw driver you use for every job, including opening a beer, needs to be tools for navigating the goal journey. Having these tools ready to use is key to beating those moments where it would very easy to take the marshmallow (the famous marshmallow experiment? – see footnote)

Why are new tools important?

Because it’s out with the number 21 and in with 66 to 264 days (1) for a new habit to be formed. Habits take conscious effort and each day is a war of your goal versus energy, attention and effort.

Below are three tools for your toolbox – priming, nudges, and goal supervision

Priming – Think American sport pre-game locker room huddle. The coach setting the spirit for the game, bringing the team in for the hand chant just before they head down the tunnel to the pitch. Priming hasn’t been extensively studied but its’ value is easily seen.

By bringing the larger goal frequently into the forefront of your brain and visualising the feel good emotions when accomplishing it, you are priming your brain to be in a place where it is most likely that it will WANT to carry out the next behaviour/action. Purposely create the positive emotion and positive affect inside your body to amp up your drive.

This is especially important when the next step is particularly boring in nature! In these cases, use priming to raise the interest in the task by putting your attention on the bigger picture. If you can, be creative and use your imagination to add humour to counter the bore factor.

Here is a range of what that might look like for you;

• Attention to the big picture – Changing your laptop password to the name of your big goal. Every time you type it the original surge of excitement will be triggered, purposely re-focusing you and get you back pumped again for the challenge.
• Identity drives action. This is a big one. Without making it cringe worthy, AS AND WHEN NEEDED take 5 to go through the process of seeing yourself as the end result. What you would feel like, look like, act like, be like. Studies have shown that how you view yourself is directly linked to the actions you will take.

A study, known as the ‘Florida Effect’ showed that after people were asked to complete a task of word play with words associated with the elderly, they actually walked slower out of the task room than a control group (2)

• Raise the interest – alter an element of the task, the setting or props, to prime excitement based on the humour of it all. Put on the best karaoke playlist and enforce dance moves to be part of carrying out the action.

Words almost don’t put the power of priming into context but used right, with awareness, is a useful tool to maintain that commitment to the long game.

Nudging –  Priming and nudging are very similar. Priming can be seen as being more about a state of mind whereas nudging are those actions you take to narrow the likely choices you will make when energy is low. Think the good old fashioned post it note on the mirror to remind you of a task to do.

Nudges should alter your decision making behaviour without limiting the possible options and making you feel trapped.

Nudges are a big deal and are used extensively in marketing and health initiatives – like moving the chocolate away from the checkouts. It makes use of the flaws in our decision making process.

Take the use of a random sticker of a fly placed in men’s urinals in Amsterdam airport that reduced spillage (bad aiming lads) by 80% (3). You cant argue with those kind of numbers.

Be creative with;

• Post-it notes of a personal motivation point for you (always tailor for YOU) in a place where temptation lingers (to the side of the TV, on the kitchen cupboard with the biscuits in)
• Put up specific pictures that might nudge you to a certain behaviour choice – something you want to be able to buy after your promotion
• Place your workout clothes on the floor with a trail of your water bottle and shoes leading to the front door.
• Outsource a nudge to a friend – tiny goals, tiny steps so choose your battles in order. If you need to schedule a friend to message, call, email support or give you a good old fashioned arse kick – then get it done. Know your flaws.

Goal supervision – Our inner mischievous voice unfortunately needs constant supervision. Whether yours is just rebellious or goes all the way to being unkind in nature, effective supervision of yourself is crucial to success (4). Think of this as the people management side of your goal business. Just how identity drives action in a positive sense, it can be used in the reverse with belittling self-beliefs stopping us from acting in new ways. Simply being aware of your rebel is half the battle.

What this might look like for you;

• When the rebel pipes, up learn to nip it in the bud. The key here is practice and speed. Explore with a range of shortened statements to find quick of the cuff returns to keep you on the positive side. If you wouldn’t say it to a friend, you definitely shouldn’t be saying it to yourself. Be aware, practice, and repeat to get comfortable with this.
• Use the ‘if and then’ (5)supervision. Negotiations and incentives are common in the work place and this just mirrors those discussions.
  • If I complete X then I can do Y.
  • If Y happens then I will be ready with X

The idea is to have a strategy in place already so when the X happens, without hesitation you carry out Y as a pre-made decision. The examples above show one as an incentive and the other as a pre-agreed negotiation of terms. By cutting out the thought process you are going in battle ready for the internal saboteur.

• Zoom out – sometimes out inner voice gets caught up because of the detail in the moment. Zooming out (6) is a powerful reflection tool to stop and take heed of the situation with a bigger distance between you and the issue. So, zoom out, use a wider lens and see yourself from a distance like in the movie theatre. Creating a healthy distance will help you gain perspective and opens up other possibilities of how to act.

Last pointers for your new tool kit:

1. Your desire needs to EXCEED the constant background noise of the easy alternative.
2. Perfection doesn’t exist so don’t expect it.
3. Occasional ‘non adherence’ to your goal has been shown NOT to derail progress so new day new start (7). BUT change takes effort so use these tools to tip the balance back in your favour.
4. Do your best – accept right now there will be setbacks and mixed emotions during the process and BE READY.

References

• Lally P., Van Jaarsweld C. H. M., Potts H. W. W. and Wardle J. (2010). How habits are formed modelling habit formation in the real world. Eur J Soc Psychology.
• Bargh J. A. et al (1996) Automaticity of social behaviour: direct effects of trait construct and stereotype activation on action. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 71, pp 230-44)
• Brann, A. (2022). Choice Architecture. In: Neuroscience for coaches. 3^rd Pp236.
• Groper and Steel
• Linder, N., Giusti, M., Samuelsson K., and Barthel, S. (2022). Pro-environmental habits: An underexplored research agenda in sustainability science. Ambio 2022, 51: 546-556.
• Kernbach, S. (2022). Towards a science of action-concepts and theories to reduce procrastination and overcome the intention-action-gap. European Academy of Management Annual Meeting (EURAM).
• Arlinghaus, K. R. and Johnston, C. A. (2018). The importance of creating habits and routine. Behaviour medicine review

Footnote:

This famous study looked at children and what factors helped them successfully delay in getting a sweet treat reward. In one test a marshmallow and a pretzel were placed in front of them and asked to choose which was their favourite. They were then told that if they waited 15 minutes they would be able to eat their favourite. Read the paper below or google for further details. Interestingly, those that distracted themselves with fun tasks found the delayed reward easier!  

Reference:

Mischel, W., Ebbesen, E. B., & Raskoff Zeiss, A. (1972). Cognitive and attentional mechanisms in delay of gratification. Journal of personality and social psychology, 21(2), 204