Your Best Year Ever, Chapter 15: You Can Trigger Success

0:02Well, hey there. First of all, thank you. You're nearing the end of your best year ever on this podcast and I'm thrilled to have been with you on this journey. And I truly hope you found immense value in what you've heard. And remember, while listening provides insights, having the book in hand lets you constantly refer back to it, ensuring that the lessons stay with you throughout the year. There are detailed exercises in the physical book designed for you to take a deep dive into the content. It's a tool that you can use repeatedly to recalibrate, refocus, and get your best year ever, every year.

0:40And here's something exciting. For those of you who buy the book before December the 31st, 2023, there's a special bonus I want to tell you about. So head over to your bestyeareverbook.com, input your order number, and in return, I'm going to give you a free ticket to our biggest virtual event of the year. It's called Your Best Year Ever Live. Now, this isn't just another event. It's a chance for you to delve deeper into the book's content and expand on it and make sure that you actually apply it to your life. So imagine leaving that event with a full set of goals for the upcoming year, plus a solid plan on how to achieve them.

1:18Normally the tickets for that event, they go for$197. But with your book purchase, you get in for free. That's right. Absolutely free. It's my way of saying thank you and ensuring that you have everything you need for an incredible year. So if you're eager to make the most of the insights and you don't want to wait for the remaining podcast episodes, grab your copy from Amazon or Audible. Don't miss out. Secure your book and your free ticket to Your Best Year Ever Live at yourbestyeareverbook.com. I hope to see you there. Chapter 15. You Can Trigger Success The key to victory is creating the right routines.

1:59Charles Duhigg A solid routine fosters a well-worn groove for one's mental energies and helps stave off the tyranny of moods. Mason Curry I had a habit goal I wanted to install. Exercise for 30 minutes, Monday through Friday at 6 a.m. There was only one problem. I couldn't seem to follow through. If you've ever failed at reaching a New Year's resolution, maybe you can identify. I usually started the week well. I would exercise on Monday and again on Tuesday. But by Wednesday, I was tempted to sleep in and often would. Clearly, something had to change if I wanted to achieve my goal. That's when I decided to focus on setting my gym clothes out the night before rather than on the goal itself.

2:40It sounds ridiculously simple, but that one practice enabled me almost effortlessly to develop the habit of regular exercise. I later discovered I was using a version of what goal achievement researchers call implementation intentions. I call them activation triggers. You might remember that term from Chapter 9 when I was discussing habits. That's by design. Where the review-preview process, detailed in the last chapter, is especially helpful for taking next steps in achievement goals, activation triggers leverage the mechanics of habit formation to help us gain ground with our habit goals. These are simple statements or actions that streamline the process of reaching our goals.

3:22How? By anticipating whatever contingencies or obstacles we might face, we can cue a desired response. Instead of relying on our decision-making in the moment, when our mental and emotional resources might be at their lowest, activation triggers lock in our decisions in advance. It's another use of pre-commitment. Because they address contingencies, we can think of them as simple if-then or when-then statements. They work, says social psychologist Heidi Grant Halverson, because contingencies are built into our neurological wiring. When people decide exactly when, where, and how they will fulfill their goals, they create a link in their brains between a certain situation or cue, if or when X happens, and the behavior that should follow, then I will do Y.

4:09In this way, they establish powerful triggers for action. This sort of planning smooths out the friction we experience trying to maintain momentum and gives us a way to overcome obstacles. As researchers Thomas Webb and Pascal Sheeran point out, using an activation trigger makes us perceptually ready to act. Evidence indicates that responses that have been planned out in an if-then format are initiated more immediately, more efficiently, and with less need for conscious intent, they write. According to more than 200 studies with thousands of total participants, if-then planners are about three times more likely to achieve their goals than those who skipped this step.

4:52So, how can you leverage that advantage for yourself? You can use activation triggers to reach your goals by following three phases. Phase 1. Anticipate obstacles and determine your response. We must first identify the triggers that will work best for reaching the goal. In the spirit of easy next steps, make sure your activation triggers are easier to achieve than your actual goals. That's the whole point. You're warming up and creating tasks in your comfort zone so you can ultimately accomplish a goal in your discomfort zone. You're leveraging the easy to do the hard. I have a habit goal of leaving the office promptly at 5 p.m., but a message or request can easily undermine my goal at the last minute.

5:35The key is to decide in advance how I will handle each of these obstacles. The if or when part of the statement is the trigger. The then is the response. These are like the rules we discussed in Chapter 9. Here's what I came up with. If I get a phone call after 4.45 p.m., then I'll let it go to voicemail. If team members ask to talk on my way out, then I'll tell them I'm happy to talk tomorrow. If I have to attend a meeting at 4 p.m., then I'll tell the organizer I must leave the meeting by 4.55 p.m. When an important email arrives, I will answer it up until 4.45 p.m. and won't check email again after that point.

6:14This kind of if-then planning replaces an in-the-moment decision with a predetermined cue and ideal response. When people have formed an implementation intention, they can act automatically without having to deliberate on when and how they should act. Say goal theorists Peter Goldwitzer and Gabrielle Entington. The heavy lifting is already done. Phase 2. Optimize your activation triggers. After you've come up with a short list of possible activation triggers, identify which ones you can optimize through elimination, automation, and delegation. Laying out my exercise clothes is one example. Here are several other activation triggers I've either used in the past or am currently using.

6:58Program the lights in my office to turn off automatically at 5 p.m. so I follow through on my goal of quitting work by 5 p.m. Ask my assistant to automatically get dinner reservations for me each Friday night at 6 p.m. so I follow through on my goal of a weekly date with Gail. Set up focus mode on my phone, which silences notifications and pulls the apps I need for my quiet time to my home screen so I follow through on my goal to begin the day with prayer, Bible reading, and reflection. Hire a fitness trainer to work with me on strength training so I follow through on my goal to do strength training Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

7:34Throw out all processed food from my refrigerator and pantry, so I follow through on my goal to eat only clean, whole, organic foods. Set up an automatic deposit to my savings account, so I follow through on my goal to save a certain amount of money. Take my laptop out of the house, so I'm not tempted to get back on my computer in the evening, and so I follow through on my goal to have more rejuvenation time. Hopefully, these prime the pump. Your triggers will almost certainly look very different from mine. The important thing is to identify them and build them into your life. A major part of the activation trigger process is thinking when you're at your strongest rather than relying on your willpower when you're not.

8:13With that in mind, you can optimize your triggers to further promote success. Notice in the examples above how I have taken the trigger out of my control as much as possible using elimination, automation, and delegation. For example, I eliminated temptations that would derail me. I threw out all the processed food in my kitchen. I removed my laptop from the house. I automated my activation trigger using technology. I set up an automated phone feature to prepare for my quiet time. I programmed the lights in my office. I set up an auto deposit to my savings account. I delegated my activation trigger to my assistant.

8:49He sets up my dinner reservations. By taking the trigger out of your control, you're no longer relying on yourself in the moment. You're identifying contingencies and obstacle-causing temptations, such as desiring to work later, forgetting to secure a reservation, and taking care of them in advance. When the contingency arises, you've already handled it. Take the story of Jasmine, a young millennial who recognized her addiction to social media. She procrastinated with her work and checked her phone constantly. It's as if I'm on autopilot when I do it, she said. Jasmine wanted to change. She wanted to limit her screen time to two hours per day.

9:27Her phone was becoming a hindrance to her job, and she wanted a promotion. She realized she couldn't just not have a phone. She enjoyed all the positive aspects of her smartphone and needed to be reachable. But she knew she couldn't depend on her own willpower in the moment to stop checking her phone when she should be working. So she went with an activation trigger, one that was not dependent on her. She found an app that prevented her from opening social media apps during certain time periods or after hitting a screen time limit. Jasmine set up the control app and never looked back. At first, it was an adjustment, of course, but Jasmine has since obtained that promotion and is working toward other creative goals now that she has more time in her day.

10:08Hey, I just wanted to drop in here for a minute. Are you enjoying this chapter from your best year ever? if it provided motivation or clarity, would you consider leaving a review? Personally, I always check reviews before buying something on Amazon. That's why leaving an honest review is so important. It'd mean the world to me. So if you're up for it, would you take just a couple of minutes, go to Amazon or go to Audible, maybe even both, and leave a short, honest review? Just search Your Best Year Ever and let me know what you think. Thanks so much. Phase 3. Experiment until you nail it. This is the key to success.

10:48You're going to experience setbacks, especially if you're normal. When you hit a wall, it's time to pivot. Your goal might be sacred, but your strategy isn't. Don't give up on your goal. Just change your approach. That means modifying your activation triggers until they're working right for you. Sometimes, all it takes is a small tweak. For example, when I first set a habit goal to have more rejuvenation time in the evening, I thought it would be sufficient to close my laptop but leave it in the den. That worked for the first few days, but unfortunately, I soon started cheating by opening the lid and checking social media.

11:24I solved the problem by removing my laptop from the house. Now it remains in my office. Whatever your goal, the trick is to simply think through the contingencies and obstacles that will prevent you from achieving it. Once you've thought through the most likely hang-ups, you can pre-respond so you know what to do the second they occur. It might take a little imagination to think through the potential obstacles to your goals, but it's worth it. Once you've used activation triggers a few times, they'll become second nature. Step 5. Action Plan 1. Break down big goals into manageable next steps. Don't fall for the old eat-that-frog trap.

12:04While your goals should begin in the discomfort zone, your next step should be in the comfort zone. Do the easiest task first. If you get stumped or stuck, seek outside help. You want to build momentum early with quick wins. 2. Schedule regular goal reviews. For your daily review, scan your list of goals. You want to keep your goals fresh in your mind and also think through a few specific tasks for the day that will bring you closer to achieving them. I call these my daily big three. For your weekly review, scan your goals with a special focus on your key motivations. Conduct a quick after-action review of the prior week.

12:43Preview the next actions for each of your goals and determine what three outcomes you must reach in the coming week to achieve them. I call these my weekly Big Three, and I use them to determine my daily Big Three. For the quarterly review, the key is to, one, rejoice if you've completed your goal or passed a milestone. Two, recommit if you haven't. 3. Revise the goal if you can't recommit to it. 4. Remove the goal if you can't revise. And finally, 5. Replace the goal with another you want to achieve. 3. Utilize activation triggers. Brainstorm the best activation triggers for you. Remember to leverage what comes easy in order to do what's hard.

13:25Don't rely on your willpower in the moment. You're going to face obstacles. So anticipate those and determine the best if-then response in advance. The idea is to plan your workarounds before an obstacle derails you. Then optimize your activation triggers with elimination, automation, and delegation. If you don't have it right to begin with, experiment until you nail it. Well, hey there. It means the world to me that you've made it this far into the book. Clearly, you've got some exciting things in your future. I can't wait to cheer you on and have it your best year ever. I bet if you've made it this far, you really do feel like it's added a lot of value to your life.

14:08I mean, you wouldn't be listening this far if it hadn't. But would you be willing to share this with someone you know, somebody you care about? If so, just take a quick second, hit the share button, and then send it to someone in your life that you want to have their best year ever.