Breaking Habits through Implementation Intention

If you are separated from your wellness goals it is very likely that you have developed bad habits. We are all aware of the existence of good and bad habits and their management is integral not only to wellness but also any pursuit of a quality of life. However, for many people the managing of our habits is supremely challenging.

Thanks to the awareness in the scientific community of the personal and social impacts of habit management as well as good habit development and behaviour modification, there is no shortage of studies in these fields. Some studies have found that up to 92 % of people who attempt to modify their habits fail but with a little knowledge and consistency you can join the 8 % who successfully adjust their behaviour.

The steps in behaviour modification are:

Identify your bad habits
Avoid attacking one big goal without a plan
Create simple palatable goals
Align short term manageable goals which can lead to your long-term goals
Avoid taking on too many goals at one time (sometimes it is better to just choose one thing)
Give those goals reasonable timelines
Write everything down
Track your progress
Share with and take advice from trusted competent advisors or mentors
Consistency is key.

With all these proven tools our goal setting outcomes can still be improved further with one additional tool, Implementation Intention.

A research published in the British Journal of Health Psychology reported a distinct difference between change likelihood through motivation VS implementation intention.

248 adults were divided into three groups and were given instructions on tracking their exercise over the two weeks.:

Group 1: control group. They were instructed to keep track of how frequently they exercised. Each individual was also asked to read three paragraphs from an unrelated novel.

Group 2: motivation group. They were also told to keep track of their frequency. They were also made to read a pamphlet on the benefits of exercise for reducing the risk of heart disease. With the intention of motivating them to exercise regularly, they were told, “Most young adults who have stuck to a regular exercise program have found it to be very effective in reducing their chances of developing coronary heart disease.”

Group 3: Intention group. This group was also told to keep track of their exercise and received identical motivational material and speech as group 2. However, they were asked to design a plan outlining where and when they would exercise over the time period. In other words, they were to precisely state their exercise intentions and to complete a specific written statement with those details.

The results from the study indicated 91% of group 3 exercised at least once per week, as opposed to 38% in group 1 and 35% in group 2.

Writing down a plan for their intention, including what, where and when made group 3 significantly more likely to follow through. It is enough to say that if you have identified your need for change and have sought out means by which to make these changes there is already some better mind in you which already desires change. Do not be satisfied with a failure to change, do not be fooled by your old bad habits born of social, familial or personally developed norms. Use the tools described above to make the change your better mind knows you deserve.