People come to coaching because they want to initiate action in their lives and see results. Each person will define action in a different way – it could be integrating new health practices or changing the “feel” of their life. Whatever you define as action for yourself, you need to build a framework that supports you and triggers the changes you are committed to.
A good coach will provide as much structure as possible for their clients to succeed. Our main tool is accountability. We ask: what were the results? What worked, and what didn’t work? What will you do now? This process is a superb tool for learning. But what about the daily support that people need to establish new or unfamiliar behaviors?
I heard BJ Fogg, director of the Persuasive Technology Lab at Stanford, at a conference last year explain his theories about triggers. Fogg is considered a behavior guru by Fortune Magazine and his theories have been adopted by the Davos crowd at the World Economic Forum. He believes that when you know why you want to change and you are pretty clear on how you can do it, the third piece is when you’re going to do it. That’s where the trigger comes in.
Triggers are external calls-to-action that will remind/push you towards the new behavior you want to start or finish. The secret to triggers is timing them as closely as possible to the moment that you will do the behavior. Hot triggers pop up at the moment you are willing and able and they spur you into action, like a note on the fridge to go for a walk instead of having a snack. Cold triggers don’t time the behavior as well, but remind you to think about them later in the day, like an advertisement or a bag packed with gym clothes by the door. Ideally, your triggers come when you are at your weakest.
Digital and mobile technologies are perfect vehicles for designing triggers. Here are a few examples of some interesting ones I’ve found recently.
- Habit Labs has recently released a fun game called Budge based on triggers and small steps. You choose a pre-set game that you want to play – Pushup Animal and Meditation Buddy are the top two. When you launch your choice you answer questions about your current ability and set the game at a matching level. Then Budge basically nags you by email or SMS until you do what you said you would. There’s a social element that lets you follow your friends’ progress.
- Get Some Headspace is a meditation resource from England that offers mindful buzzers for mobile phones, newsletter updates and reminder emails as part of its training programs and online community. It’s very user-friendly, with lots of content.