Switch 03: Script the Critical Moves (Chip & Dan Heath)

Sometimes what makes change hard, or nearly impossible, is decision paralysis, or ambiguity. More options cause the brain to freeze and remain in the status quo, preventing you from moving forward. In Good to Great, Jim Collins talks about how most companies are killed by indigestion from too much opportunity than starvation from too little.

Decisions are tiring. They use up too much willpower. The brain is lazy and would rather have you eating popcorn while sitting in front of the TV, instead of running those laps in the morning to get you in peak physical health.

In short, decision paralysis disrupts decisions and delays your change efforts. The comfort zone is so enjoyable and comforting because most of the choices happen on autopilot. Everything is free-flowing. You don’t have to use any willpower to remain in the comfort zone.

Change brings with it a lot of uncertainty and risk. The human brain is conditioned to take the path of least resistance, which is, ironically, the path that led to the current condition you’re trying to change.

In order to achieve your goals, you need to decide on the specific behaviors that are working against you that need to change. What inhibits change in most cases is a lack of clarity: a lack of clarity about what success means to you - a lack of clarity about the behaviors that are keeping you stuck that you need to change - a lack of clarity about which actions to take that will give you the results you want.

To be successful, you need to transform bold ambitious, goals into specific, meaningful change actions. What behaviors do you want to change? Specify the behaviors. Provide clear guidance to yourself so that you can take meaningful actions.

You don’t have to specify every detail of the change, just the critical, keystone behaviors that will direct your change effort. Eliminate the confusion about where you are going and what actions you need to take to get there. Remove any possible barriers that you can foresee, and make the path as clear and simple as possible.

Set behavioral goals rather than goals of intent. For example, setting a goal to lose 10kg is a goal of intent. Setting a goal to work out three times a week with your personal trainer is a behavioral goal. Behavioral goals are within your control, which makes them more achievable.

Find logical and emotional reasons to motivate you towards taking the required actions. Clear action steps and clear reasons are powerful tools to help you create the changes you want to see. Be clear about the new behaviors you want to adopt. Be clear about why this change is important to you. And be clear about when you want these changes to happen.