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Have you ever tried to learn a new skill or start a new routine but failed to "make it stick"?
You are not alone. People fail to create or change habits for all sorts of reasons (lack of motivation, poor planning, little support…). Throughout our research analyzing 16 different behavior change frameworks, we've developed the Ten Conditions for Change framework, which organizes the process of behavior change into three phases.
If the conditions from each phase is met, then the behavior change is likely:
Phase I - Decision
1. Consider the behavior
2. Desire to engage in the behavior
3. Intend to engage in the behavior
Phase II - Action
4. Remember to perform each action
5. Believe attempting each action will help achieve a goal 6. Choose to perform each action over other available actions 7. Know how to perform each action 8. Have the necessary resources and permission to perform each action 9. Embody skills and traits needed to perform each action
Phase III - Continuation
10. Maintain internal attributes and external conditions required to perform future needed actions
If you are curious about each of these steps, check out our full Ten Conditions to Change website (which is interactive, and includes a behavior change strategy search engine).
Do you want to put these into practice now?
We’ve also created a tool to build a custom behavior change strategy just for you by walking you through these stages.
The tool is completely free and takes about 15 minutes to go through:
Still unsure about which behavior change to focus on? We also have a tool to help you make the right choice by organizing your thoughts and weighing your options numerically to decide which habit to try to make.
Of course, change is hard (even with the right tools). In recognition of that, we also leave you with these quotes:
"Excellence is not a singular act but a habit. You are what you do repeatedly."
Shaquille O'Neal
"Build small habits. Make big plans. Keep your daily actions small. Strive to get 1% better every day. Keep your daily mindset big. Think about how you can play a bigger game." -James Clear