Feb 12 Flashcards
failure rates to NY resolutions
1 week: 23% failed
2 weeks: 34% failed
3 weeks: 40% failed
1 month: 45% failed
3 months: 55% failed
6 months: 60% failed
12 months: 80% failed
24 months: 90% failed
top 3 NY resolutions
all health related
- stop smoking
- lose weight
- start exercising
NY resolutions - 50% of people have failed by what time point?
3 months
NY resolutions - 90% of people have failed by what time point?
2 years
self control
the capacity to ALTER or OVERRIDE one’s typical way of responing
ingredients to successful self control
- standards
- monitoring
- strength
standards
must set a goal
most people have ambiguous goals, or ones that conflict with other goals
you want a clear, specific goal/standard
monitoring
standards are only useful if you monitor your progress and look at discrepancies
focus on discrepancies between where you are and where you wanna be - ensure the distance is closing
ie. use a fitbit to track your steps, examine your habits and find ways to make subtle shifts that will help your goal be actualized
lives are so busy that most of us…
are maxed out on our self control strength
limited amount of self control means we have to be INTENTIONAL when setting goals
SMART goals
specific
measurable
achievable
realistic
time bound
achievable goals (SMART acronym)
means they must concern things under YOUR control
ie. winning all your intramural games isn’t necessarily achievable because it depends on others
ie. improving your relationship with your mom isn’t necessarily achievable because it depends on her too
realistic goals (SMART acronym)
relates to difficulty level
don’t say “do the best you can”
instead, set a SPECIFIC level of challenge
should be an OPTIMAL DIFFICULTY level
even if your goals are SMART, you’re still…
likely to fail most of the time
examples of great goals
- drink 8 glasses of water per day
- exercise 3/4 times a week
these are specific, they don’t conflict, there’s only two of them
the real question is…
how can we overcome our self-control limitations to succeed at our personal goals?
this is the hardest of the three ingredients to successful self control (standards and monitoring are easier to fulfill)
how can we overcome our self-control limitations to succeed at our personal goals?
- select goals that don’t require so much self control
- make goal pursuit automatic
- outsource the demands of goal pursuit to our friends
1: select goals that don’t require so much self control
be careful about the goals we select - ensure they align with our interests and values
feel AUTONOMOUS over our goals: sense of OWNERSHIP and PERSONAL ENDORSEMENT
select goals which reflect your DEVELOPING INTERESTS and CORE VALUES (vs smtg you feel pressured to do)
selecting goals: want to? have to? got to? get to?
select goals that you endorse!
you WANT TO pursue them, not have to
you GET TO pursue them, not got to
autonomous reasons for pursuing a goal quotes
“because I really believe it’s an important goal to have”
“because of the fun and enjoyment the goal offers”
controlled reasons for pursuing a goal quotes
“because somebody else wants me to”
“because I would feel guilty if I didn’t”
if you feel wholeheartedly aligned with your goal…
you don’t need self control
whereas if you feel controlled in your pursuit of the goal, you’ll be fighting constantly
highly autonomous goals are associated with significantly greater…
GREATER SUCCESS RATES
both across people and across goals
effect size, across 3 dozen studies, Pearson r = .23
why do autonomous goals help? consider the problems that arise…
consider the problems that arise after we’ve selected the goal and begin to strive to reach it
- limits of self control
- distractions and temptations
- action crises
(autonomy helps in all three cases)
2: make goal pursuit automatic
implementation plans!
if-then plans that connect good opportunities to act with cognitive or behavioural responses that are effective in accomplishing one’s goals
“if situation Y arises, I’ll initiate goal-directed behaviour X”
most useful applied thing you can learn about motivation
implementation plans
implementation plans: what versus…
WHEN, WHERE, HOW
plan specifies all these details - adds specificity that helps ensure you take action to achieve your goal
the less you have to think about, the better
research results - implementation plans and goal success
over 300 independent studies
significant positive effect of Pearson r = .33
3: outsource the demands of goal pursuit to our friends
- personal goals are also “interpersonal”
- we rely on others to show interest and provide support for our goal pursuits
- it’s useful to outsource the self-control demands
distinguishing types of interpersonal goal support
directive support
autonomy support
directive support
provision of positive guidance and encouragement
has 0 effect - doesn’t help, sometimes backfires and is experienced as control, reduces autonomy
autonomy support
support framed as empathic, perspective taking
proven to be very helpful
autonomy support: key result across 12 studies
autonomy support (but not directive support) results in…
- greater goal progress over time
- greater wellbeing
- greater relationship satisfaction
recap: 3 ways to overcome self-control limitations
- select or develop autonomous goals
- support goal with implementation plans
- find others to support your goals
Jan 1st is the worst time to make a new goal (in Canada at least)
the weather sucks, after the stress of the holidays, beginning of second semester…
self control resources are gone in January
Canada Day, June/July are better times to set goals (nicer outside, more flexible schedules)
