Flex_ Do Something Different - Ben [37]
Laid back? Try being livelier.
Get some of tomorrow’s activities done today.
Turn off the television.
Find a shortcut.
Stop labouring over something and finish quickly.
Draw up a really ambitious to-do list – and do it!
Ask yourself, ‘What would Jamie Oliver do?’
Stand up and walk about instead of sitting.
Join a gym or sign up for a weekly class.
Go running.
Get up earlier and get a chore done before work.
Volunteer your time.
Practise saying, ‘Let’s do it!’
Time yourself doing a regular daily chore. Try to improve on your time.
The predictable-unpredictable dimension
Predictable? Try being more unpredictable.
Make changes to your morning routine.
Suggest something that wouldn’t be expected from you.
Do something that’s not age-appropriate.
Just say, ‘F*ck it!’ and do it.
Just turn up at a party or an event.
Ask everyone to call you by a different name for a day.
Say something that people wouldn’t expect of you.
Don’t turn up when expected to/drift in later or earlier than expected.
Wear something that is not your normal style.
Hang out with people much older or younger than you.
Go to bed earlier/later than you would normally.
Practise saying, ‘You’ll have to wait and see!’
Surprise a loved one with a special treat.
Unpredictable? Try being more predictable.
Set a regular time for calling a friend or relative.
Automatise a healthy habit (e.g. savings, check-ups).
Keep a promise.
Stick to a deadline.
Don’t give the response that everyone expects of you.
Imagine your life as if it was stage-managed.
Use the alarm on your phone for everything you plan to do today.
Turn up exactly on time.
Make a weekly plan; organise your life.
Try to go to bed at the same time every day for a week.
Get your paperwork in order and set a day each month to keep it organised.
Send friends a goodnight text at the same time every night.
Decide how you will react to certain issues/people and stick to it.
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Section 3:
Doing something different, personal coherence and decision-making
39. Do Something Different
By now I hope the notion that we are habit machines and need to behave more flexibly makes intuitive sense to you. FIT identifies the traits and behavioural dimensions that make life less stressful and help us to get what we want. But how do we actually go about making the changes? How do we put FIT into practice? The fact that people are generally habit-bound, resistant to new experiences and have narrow behavioural repertoires might lead you to think that change is virtually impossible. It needn’t be!
That is why we have distilled a complex problem down to one simple solution. Do Something Different works because it involves doing things every day that take us just outside the usual comfort zone. And trying small tasks that are fun but that go against the grain of our normal habits. It also helps create new behaviours that expand our usual repertoire. We think it is groundbreaking and those who’ve tried it agree with us.
Behaviour change is a huge topic these days. In 2010 BJ Fogg of Stanford University’s Persuasive Technology Lab released a list of the top ten mistakes in behaviour change. His list is reproduced in the table below and explains why most self-help books miss the point. We think that Do Something Different avoids each of these mistakes as follows:
Stanford University’s Top 10 Mistakes in Behaviour Change How Do Something Different (DSD) Avoids Each Mistake
1 Relying on willpower for long-term change DSD adds things to life and isn’t depriving; hence it is fun and there is no need for willpower.
2 Attempting big leaps instead of baby steps DSD is based on small, manageable micro-steps.
3 Ignoring how environment shapes behaviours DSD subtly changes the person’s environment and gives them control over it.
4 Trying to stop old behaviours instead of creating new ones DSD wholly aims to create new behaviours.
5 Blaming failures on lack of motivation DSD operates on the principle that failures come from the pull of old habits and have little