Did you set new goals for yourself at the start of this new year?
How’s it going with reaching them so far?
I have a new tool I want to share with you, to help you achieve more success, more easily, with your efforts to make positive changes in your life!
A couple of weeks ago, in my weekly email newsletter The Latest Goodies, I mentioned this fabulous book that I was reading, How To Change: The Science of Getting From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, and I promised to tell you more about it. So here we are!
Named one of the top 8 books for healthy living by the New York Times, this book is a powerful tool if you are trying to make real change in your life, and wanting to make healthy new habits stick.
The author of the book is Katy Milkman, an award-winning Wharton professor and Choiceology podcast host, and she has devoted her career to the study of behavior change. In this ground-breaking book, Milkman reveals a proven path that can take you from where you are to where you want to be. You’ve probably heard the standard advice before:
- Set measurable goals.
- Identify your core motivations.
- Foster good habits.
- Create social support.
But if you’ve ever tried to change — to eat healthier or exercise more, start meditating regularly or get to bed earlier — then you know there are thousands of apps, books, and YouTube videos promising to help and offering sound guidance. And you also know that it’s usually much easier said than done!
This trailblazing book explains why, and what to do about it.
In a career devoted to uncovering what helps people change, Milkman has discovered a crucial thing many of us get wrong: our strategy. Change, she’s learned, comes most readily when you understand what’s standing between you and success, and you tailor your solution to overcome that roadblock.
Say you want to get more exercise, but find working out difficult and boring. Downloading a goal-setting app probably won’t help.
What if, instead, you transformed your workouts so they became a source of pleasure instead of a chore? You could do this by watching your favorite TV show, or listening to a beloved podcast or engaging audiobook, but only while working out, for instance.. Linking an activity you enjoy with pursuing a goal you value is a success strategy that Katy calls “temptation bundling“, and is a powerful way to turn an uphill battle into a downhill one.
Drawing on Milkman’s original research and the work of her dozens of world-renowned scientific collaborators, How to Change shares innovative approaches that will help you change or encourage change in others. Through case studies, engaging stories, and examples from cutting-edge research, this book illustrates how to identify and overcome the barriers that regularly stand in the way of change.
Since reading Katy’s book, I have put this temptation bundling strategy to use with great results. Confession time: I love to watch HGTV home renovation shows. 😲 But I always feel guilty about wasting time on them. So now, I only allow myself this guilty pleasure while exercising, and it has done exactly what it’s supposed to – made me want to exercise regularly and more! Nowadays, I’ll keep going longer than I would have on the treadmill or stairmaster because I want to see that glorious reveal at the end of the show! 😂
Could your new year’s resolutions use a little turbo boost in the implementation department?
Then check out this book! I’d love to hear what you think of it once you’ve read it. 😊
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*Disclaimer: I might receive a small commission for purchases made using some of the links in this article.
