Good resolution (s) for 2021: how to take action?

At the start of 2021, I assume that you too have defined a list of good resolutions! It is more or less long and your intentions more or less detailed. Whatever its form, this list brings together the few goals that you have recently set for yourself, and that you want to achieve during this new year. Undeniably, you seem motivated to change, but how can you guarantee that you will actually act in this direction? According to Heckhausen and Gollwitzer, two behavioral specialists, you need to take the time to think about ways to act (the “how”).

Identify the reasons for your choices: the “why”

First, ask yourself if you want to achieve these goals For you (or for others), and visualize the benefits of getting there. This thinking will increase the value of some of your goals, and prioritize the goals you want to achieve for yourself, then they will become intrinsically motivated. At this point, your list of good resolutions is certainly shortened... but that won't guarantee you'll take action.

As you know, we are cognitively limited. In other words, you can't really focus at the same time on different things at the same time, simply because we lack abilities. In fact, you won't be able to act to realize all your different intentions simultaneously.

You need pick ! That is to say again prioritize the objective that is the most relevant or urgent in your opinion. This so-called “deliberative” choice is a motivational reflection: by selecting the objective that seems most important to you (in terms of impact for example), you sincerely answer the question of “why”.

You can also ask yourself to what extent you feel able to succeed in this objective (over x months for example): evaluating your sense of capacity can engage you more if it is considered satisfactory when the objective in question seems difficult to achieve. Note that the more difficult the goals are, the more thought will be needed (which objective to adopt first and why). Conversely, the simpler the goals are to achieve, the less important and costly this deliberation will be for the cognitive system.

According to the model of the 4 phases of action, it is only under this condition that you can then consider really taking action.

‍Visualize the strategies to adopt: the “how”

Until you are clear about what objective you want to attack first (and the “why”), you won't be able to think To the means to get there. In other words, the “motivational competition” that takes place between your different intentions will hinder the emergence of volitional thinking. This reflection is necessary because it increases the probability that the transition to action will actually take place, focusing on “how to get there”.

Based on the action phase model, when you focus on the “how”, you cross the Rubicon (a metaphor to illustrate the idea that he is you) impossible to go back, because it no longer makes sense to question the “why”). You are then entirely available at the cognitive level to be interested in strategies that will lead to action.

Also, we tend to think that “the more goals we set, the more we increase the chances of motivating ourselves to achieve them” but this is only true when they are complementary in themselves. Indeed, when these can be integrated into a single goal, they can form a more comprehensive plan of action (for example, the intention to reduce soda consumption and the intention to drink more water). In this case, it is possible to develop a joint action strategy, i.e. to think about ways to act (the “how”) on all of these objectives.

Also ask yourself Who can support you in this change : choose someone who is close enough to you, who is not going to judge you and who is able to objectively assess your progress. This person will be likely to congratulate you but also to “reframe” you if necessary. In addition, by asking for help, you are making your commitment public and it is a strategy that has been widely proven to guarantee action.

‍

To conclude, I would say that making a list of good resolutions is good; but taking action to really achieve your goals is better! To assess your progress, choose an operational, objective measure: this will allow you to know where you are, and if necessary, to adjust the strategies you have put in place (the “how”).

‍

The eDoing Fifty solution solves the problem of taking action in training and transformations in companies. It recommends a personalized selection of micro-actions to each collaborator, guides them in their implementation using behavioral sciences (nudge) and measures change. Our motto: Stop talking, start doing!

‍

‍ ———

References

Erez, M., Gopher, D., & Arzi, N. (1990). Effects of goal difficulty, self-set goals, and monetary rewards on dual task performance. Organizational behavior and human decision processes, 47(2), 247-269.

Gollwitzer, P.M. (1990). Action phases and mind-sets. Handbook of motivation and cognition: Foundations of Social Behavior, 2, 53-92.

Locke, E.A., & Latham, G.P. (1990). A Theory of Goal Setting & Task Performance. Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Soman, D., & Zhao, M. (2011). The Fewer the Better: Number of Goals and Savings Behavior Journal of Marketing Research, 48(6), 944-957.