About
This planning process helps form a new stimulus-response pattern. With practice, it will automatically — subconsciously — occur under the envisioned conditions.
A Well Designed Intention
- Cued by a concrete visual
- Rather than “When I wake up” try “When I press the off button on my alarm”.
- Cue will be responded to consistently
- Action maps to the goal
- If you don’t see the connection between your action and your goal, you won’t care enough to execute on it.
Examples
- Every day after brushing your teeth in the bathroom, do 20 push-ups
- Whenever someone is presenting a contorted facial expression, ask them what they are feeling
- When someone tells you their name, repeat it back to them and do it again at the end of the conversation
- When you finish a block of work and want to take a break, make a short note on what you think the next steps are
- Every morning right after turning your alarm off, sit up and smile
- While taking out your phone and unlocking it, close your eyes and take 3 deep breaths while paying attention to how your body feels