The New Habit Challenge: Trick Yourself Into Accomplishing Your Goals

culled from:fastcompany.com

From Got Milk ads that make us crave a glass of milk each time we eat a chocolate chip cookie to big, jolly depictions of Santa Claus that make us thirsty for some Coca-Cola, marketers have been using visual triggers for a long time to trick us into associating one thing with the need to buy their products.

What if we could use the same concept for good and remind ourselves to accomplish our goals?

Dan Heath and Chip Heath, authors of Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, suggest placing visual clues from our daily lives in prominent places to trick yourself into accomplishing your goals.

Catch Up On Past Habit Challenges

    Watch What Happens When Fast Company Staff Says No To Everything For A Week
    What We Loved And Hated About Only Using One Browser Tab For A Week
    What Happened When Fast Company Staff Created Better To-Do Lists
    The New Habit Challenge: Work The Exact Amount Of Time Science Tells Us To
    Why Taking A Bunch Of Breaks Wasn't As Great As We Expected

Here's how to do it: Start by making a list of goals you want to accomplish. Next, think of what environmental cues you would associate with each goal. And lastly, place these cues in a prominent place where you’ll see them. These visual clues will elicit the lasting effect you need to create psychological connections between your goals and the things you commonly encounter in your daily regimen.

For example, you could place pink running shoes in front of your bedroom door to remind yourself to work out. Or you could change your computer and online passwords to phrases that remind you of your goals.