The Right Tool for Every Situation: My Behavior Design Stack

We cannot optimize our behavior with a single design tool. Here is my behavior design stack, which keeps me on track in different contexts:

• Where I initiate the triggers or cues – Context Prompts

These work very effectively with behaviors that I know when to happen, and I can control the trigger or prompt. All I need is a reminder—for example, a reminder to pay my monthly bills at the beginning of the month.

• Ad hoc and external triggers or cues – Implementation Intentions

These are situations where the trigger or prompt is external. For example, in my Ultraspeaking sessions, I wanted to raise my hand whenever the coaches asked for a volunteer. Using the Implementation Intentions method - “If any coach asks for a volunteer, then I will raise my hand” - immediately got me speaking more.

• Daily Routines – Tiny Habits

For behaviors that I want to do daily and where I have an existing solid routine to tag onto, my favorite method is BJ Fogg’s Tiny Habits. I rely on the tiny habits methods for all my habits.

• Transforming Irritating situations into something beautiful – Pearl Habits

I love using Pearl Habits, again from BJ Fogg’s Tiny Habits methods. One of my favorite ones is “When my computer slows down or freezes, I will stretch my arms to the ceiling and take a deep breath.”

• Goals or aspirations – Accountability

I use Accountability when I am looking at getting myself to do a bunch of hard behaviors in a short period. Effective for situations where getting started feels overwhelming and I need to make big progress very fast. Ship30for30 is one such accountability group when it comes to writing consistently.