Time, frequency and triggers • 2 min read
Implementation intentions are proven methods for improving your chances of achieving your goals. They are a “if-then plan” to help you plan when and where you will perform a desired habit. This is your TRIGGER for maintaining your habit goals.
Findings from 94 independent studies demonstrate that implementation intentions play a significant role in participants achieving their goals.
Principle:
“When situation x arises, I will perform the task related to habit goal y.”
Example:
“After our weekly team meeting, I will write 250 words for the blog.”
Introduction
It’s “all-or-nothing”, somebody said once!
“It is not!” PushMe said soon after!
We're not big fans of the “all-or-nothing” approach towards goals, so today, we’ll look at the concept of behaviour goals which are designed to break down our bigger goals into manageable chunks.
Habit goals
We previously looked at SMARTER goals which are designed to help us focus on those one-time achievements.
Habit goals detail the ongoing activity we need to do in order to achieve these one-time goals. They help us get the A grade in SMARTER goals!
Let’s remind ourselves what the 'A' stands for in SMARTER.
Actionable (A) - What action can we take today?
We need to be clear and direct about the actions we need to take. Although there are no deadlines to complete habit goals, time is still the key to success.
There are three key factors that help you build in and maintain habit goals.
1. Start date
This is the exact date you plan to begin the habit.
2. Frequency
This is how often you plan to perform the habit e.g. daily, weekly or monthly.
3. Trigger
This is when you perform the habit e.g. a specific time each day, week or month.
When the behaviour becomes second nature, when you don’t have to think about it, you can define it as a habit. Until then, let's focus your time and energy working on them.
We recommend setting five to ten SMARTER goals for the year. Behaviour goals are our blueprint for success. They help us to continuously work toward these goals.
Let’s look at some examples in practice.
Habit goals in practice
Objective
Darren aims to present two new innovation initiatives to senior management by May 30th.
Habit goal
He commits to scheduling one innovation workshop per week, beginning April 1st for six consecutive weeks.
Objective
Emma’s goal is to meet with 15 existing clients to help design her company’s new product which is launching in Quarter 4.
Habit goal
She plans to book five client meetings per month for the next three months, beginning March 1st.
Objective
Lauren’s objective is to publish five blog posts by the end of Quarter 2.
Habit goal
She knows that she can achieve this by writing 250 words per week for the next 10 weeks.
Summary comment
Our top tip is that you should try to find the optimal combination of achievement and habit goals that works best for you. Be sure to experiment until you find the right mix.
Key takeaways
Habit goals are designed to improve the likelihood of achieving the main objectives you set yourself for the year.
The key factors that help you implement and maintain habit goals are the start date, frequency and trigger.
Implementation intention (“if-then plan”) is a proven strategy for embedding habit goals.
Think big, act small
Go talk to a colleague or a manager to better understand how your role connects to your company’s mission and goals.
Content sources
Atomic Habits, James Clear
Science Direct, Implementation Intentions and Goal Achievement: A Meta‐analysis of Effects and Processes, Peter M.Gollwitzer and Paschal Sheeran
Your Best Year Ever, Michael Hyatt
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