Prevent self-sabotage

How can I prevent self-sabotage? Learn to create implementation intentions to proactively respond to triggers and stay aligned with your goals.

This an excerpt from a summary of Benjamin Hardy's book 'Willpower Doesn't Work.' You can access the full book summary via the link icon.

Sometimes, you will be in situations where you are triggered to act against your desires and goals. Rather than relying on willpower, you will need an automated response. You will need to create a trigger for the trigger.

This is called implementation intentions: a well-researched idea in organisational and motivation psychology. Implementation intentions entail knowing head of time what you will do when you go off course. It is planning to fail so you can proactively respond.

Implementation intentions are “if-then” responses when you encounter tough conditions. And example: “If I open the fridge to get a beer, I will drink a big glass of water instead.”

These automated responses work because they divert your attention from your triggered temptation. Furthermore, by living in alignment with your goals, you will get a boost of confidence that is far more long-lasting than a shot of dopamine.

Planning for the worst sets you up for reality, and for success. Rarely are the conditions perfect. And if you have a plan for what you will do when things fall apart, you will not act in a reactive and unconscious manner.

Enhanced mental clarity, boosted motivation, and a heightened sense of control are a strong harness against negative triggers and temptations.

Your preplanned behaviour should be simple and easy. An effective implementation intention can be as simple as a mental reminder. Such as “a person who is a slave to his environment would give into this urge to do x.” This mental note can be enough to not engage in the undesirable behaviour. 

By writing down your goal and the potential obstacles you encounter, you set yourself up for success. As such, you can follow along with this writing exercise. Write down…

  1. your top goal,
  2. a (short) timeline,
  3. potential obstacles you may encounter,
  4. an ‘if-then’ response to each of those obstacles, and
  5. the conditions under which you will absolutely quit.

Point five will help you to keep at your goal until this condition is met. Paradoxically, this sets you up to complete your goals, rather than abandon them.

Use visualisation to clearly imagine the obstacles, how you will respond, and how that will make you feel.

Specific if-then responses are far more effective than vague if-then responses. “If I walk into the kitchen and crave cookies, then…” is much more likely to trigger a response than “if I walk into the kitchen and crave junk food, then…”

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