Top Ten Mistakes In Behaviour Change

// July 29th, 2011

BJ Fogg, Kara Chanasyk, Margarita Quihuis, Neema Moraveji, Jason Hreha and Mark Nelson at Stanford University’s Persuasive Tech Lab have put together a useful collection of the ten most common mistakes we make when attempting to change behaviour (whether our own or that of others). They include:

  1. Relying on willpower for long-term change
  2. Attempting big leaps instead of baby steps
  3. Ignoring the way that environment shapes behaviours
  4. Trying to stop old behaviours instead of creating new ones
  5. Blaming failures on lack of motivation
  6. Underestimating the power of triggers
  7. Believing that information leads to action
  8. Focusing on abstract goals more than concrete behaviours
  9. Seeking at the outset to change behaviour forever
  10. Believing that behaviour change is always difficult

To read more about those mistakes (and some ways you can fix them), head to http://www.slideshare.net/captology/stanford-6401325

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