Many individuals, like me, want to improve in several aspects of their lives. For example, I'd like to reach a wider audience with my writing, lift greater weights at the gym, and begin practicing mindfulness on a more regular basis. Those are only a few of the objectives I find appealing, and you presumably have your own list.
The difficulty is that, even if we are dedicated to achieving our objectives, we have a natural propensity to relapse to our old behaviours at some time. It's quite tough to make a permanent lifestyle shift.
I recently came across a few research findings that (hopefully) would make these challenging lifestyle modifications a little easier. However, as you'll discover, the method to mastering many aspects of life is paradoxical.
There are Way Too Many Good Intentions
If you want to master numerous behaviours and keep to them for the long haul, you must learn to be consistent. How are you going to do that? Here's one of the most compelling conclusions from psychological research on how to truly achieve your objectives:
According to research, if you develop a clear plan for when, where, and how you will conduct the activity, you are 2x to 3x more likely to stay with it. In one research, participants were instructed to complete the following sentence: βDuring the next week, I will exercise vigorously for at least 20 minutes on [DAY] at [TIME OF DAY] at/in [PLACE].β
When compared to a control group that did not make plans for their future behaviours, persons who completed this phrase were 2x to 3x more likely to really exercise. These explicit plans are known as "implementation intentions" by psychologists because they specify when, when, and how you want to carry out a given act.
This conclusion has been replicated in hundreds of research across a wide range of fields. Implementation intentions, for example, have been demonstrated to enhance the likelihood of individuals starting to exercise, recycling, studying, and even quitting smoking.
Follow-up study, on the other hand, has revealed that implementation intentions only work when you focus on one item at a time. Researchers discovered that persons who attempted to achieve many goals were less dedicated and less likely to succeed than those who concentrated on a single objective.
This is crucial, so I'll say it again: making a detailed plan for when, where, and how you'll keep to a new habit can greatly boost the chances that you'll really adhere to it, but only if you focus on just one item.
What Happens If You Concentrate on Just One Thing?
Another scientifically supported reason to focus on one activity at a time is that it takes a lot of conscious effort to remember to do anything new. However, the pattern of conduct becomes simpler after a time. Your new habit will eventually become a routine, and the procedure will become more or less thoughtless and automatic.
This process is referred described as "automaticity" by researchers. Automaticity refers to the capacity to carry out a pattern without having to think about each step, allowing the pattern to become automatic and habitual.
But here's the thing: automaticity comes only after a lot of practice and repetition. The more repetitions you do, the more automatic a behaviour will become.
Without changing your entire life, you may make a difference in your life.
Okay, let's go through everything I've recommended so far and come up with some actionable points.
If you establish a detailed plan for when, where, and how you will apply a habit, you are 2x to 3x more likely to stick with it. This is referred to as an implementation goal.
One item should be your sole emphasis. When attempting to alter much behaviour at the same time, research has shown that implementation intentions do not work.
According to studies, the more you exercise behaviours, the more automatic it gets. New habits take at least two months to become habitual actions on average.
The easiest strategy to modify your life is to avoid making drastic changes. Instead, concentrate on one behaviour at a time and work on it until you master it. Then, for the following habit, repeat the process.