While I was studying for my
Behavior Change Specialization, I learned a term for something that I’ve used
for a long time. The magic word
is: Premacking. Psychologist David Premack coined the
word (I guess he was super creative with the naming thing, eh?).
Since the name doesn’t tell what
it does, I will explain.
Premacking is the process of linking something we don’t much want to do
but need to do with something we like to do or do often to get us to do more of
the first thing. So knowing that
there is a new season of some compelling police procedural show available on
Netflix, I might get myself to stretch more by making a rule that I only get to
watch while stretching. Or if I
need a little more work on balance, I might make a habit of brushing my teeth
standing on one leg, either flat or up on my toe.
Some activities pair better than
others. Meditating while driving
is not encouraged. I may joke
about Workout: The Drinking Game,
but that only works if the beverage in question is water.
We can all take a look around at
the things we do and figure out some creative ways to hook our existing habits
to ones that will make us more awesome.
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