Building habits reduces cognitive strain

Once the desired behaviors are identified and implemented, turning them into habit increases the likelihood that they will persist. Two techniques may be helpful here: Action triggers and Checklists.

Action triggers are the pre-loading of a decision based on an action, or the environment itself.

That’s why action triggers have unexpected value. … when people pre-decide, they “pass the control of their behavior on to the environment.” says that action triggers “protect goals from tempting distractions, bad habits, or competing goals.”^[1]

As detailed in The Checklist Manifesto – Gawande (2009), checklists are immensely helpful for achieving desired outcomes.

How can something so simple be so powerful? Checklists educate people about what’s best, showing them the ironclad right way to do something. (That means that checklists are effective at directing the Rider.)

Checklists are especially important when navigating change in complex conditions, because Checklists ensure success in complex conditions.

#effectiveness #change-management

Shaping the Path:

• Tweak the Environment
• Build Habits
• Rally the Herd