1. Identify the signs or symptoms causing you a problem:
E.g. I’m… Overweight. Tired all the time. Out of breath walking up stairs. Can’t keep up with my 6 year old. Have high cholesterol. Unhappy. etc.
Is this the only sign or symptom, or are there others?
2. Identify the possible causes:
You don’t have to work alone, your GP, Physio, Personal Trainer, Coach, therapist, nutritionalist etc. will all have a valuable opinions.
Dig as many layers deep as you can using the 5 whys.
E.g. The GP says I have too much body fat and in danger of becoming pre-diabetic
Why? Because I am over nourished.
Why? Because I snack.
Why? Because I am dealing with anxiety about my relationship.
Why? Because my partner is often angry and it scares me.
Why? Because of childhood trauma & poor coping strategies
Digging into the cause will usually suggest solutions.
There may be multiple possible causes. List them all.
3. Identify what is in or out of your control and which things you can influence. In the example above You might have control over your environment, you have influence on your partner and ultimately have control of staying in a relationship with them or not. You don’t have control over their behaviour.
4. Identify one key behaviours to change. Out of all the options available, which ones will have low effort, high reward? Which ones get upstream of the problem or address the route cause? List out behaviours we could do in order easiest to hardest. We want to focus on steps we think we could actually take and that are worth the effort. Start with something you think is doable that also has a high chance of success and a high impact. Doable is more important than impact when you start. A small step in the right direction is better than a huge leap you never take.
5. Pick objective measures of success.
Define success in a concrete, measurable way.
Take start measurements.
Use multiple ways to measure progress where possible.
6. Implement the chosen behaviour and track.
Turn your new habit into a game by tracking and scoring.
Use friends, family, coach, the internet etc. for accountability.
Compare your score each week and work on ways to beat last week.
Set a deliberately low bar for initial success and don’t get discouraged. We aim to be a little better each week. Perfect is an illusion.
Have a plan for when (not if) you don’t stick to the new behaviour.
Expect mini failures, use them as data points and find ways to work around the causes and problems you’ve encountered.
Have a recovery plan you’ll use when you fall off the wagon.
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