I'm NOT starting with the man in the mirror: Using the power of commitment to change behaviour
17th August 2022 13:05
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Written by Alex McCluckie, Research Director. Email Alex or comment on LinkedIn
“You know when people sign up for a marathon and then you tell all your friends so that you’re actually gonna do it, because otherwise it’s too easy to backdown? The beauty of working on the film was that at least then you’re actually pretty committed…it always helps to have some commitment.”[1]
You have just read the words of a rock climber-cum-lunatic named Alex Honnold. “The film” he is referring to is Free Solo [2] – an anxiety inducing flick that documents his ascent up a 3,000ft piece of rock in Yosemite National Park … without any ropes.
Whilst few parts of Honnold’s take on life are ones I’d recommend, when it comes to commitment, his ideas are spot on as they offer us a really useful insight into how we can make sure we stick to our behavioural goals (no matter how deranged they may be!)
When our future becomes our present, we often have little to show for it…
For most people, intending to change some aspect of their behaviour in the future is an ever-present facet of life. And yet, when our future becomes our present, we often find we’ve failed to achieve what we’d wanted.
One reason for this is that such goals are frequently set and announced to an audience of 1; ourselves. Whilst admirable, this applies the pressure at the level of the individual and I for one am more than comfortable breaking a promise to the man in the mirror when it comes to getting to the gym each day, let’s say.
If I were to inject a social element into the equation however, all of a sudden, the pressure to go through with it is much stronger because the goal is now public and involves others and if I don't turn up, I'll be letting down a friend.
This simple tweak is an example of what is known as a commitment device.
Commitment devices come in many forms but in essence they all require users to be sufficiently aware of their own goals and expected future conduct and to understand the gap between the two.
In studying these devices I came across an article of Katherine Milkman’s in which she and her colleagues list a number of devices, such as:
It is another of Milkman’s ideas that really caught my eye however, something called temptation bundling [3].
According to Milkman, you can be said to be temptation bundling when you limit your access to immediately gratifying “want“ experiences (e.g., listening to your favourite podcast) to times in your life in which you’re engaging in goal-consistent “should” behaviours (e.g., doing the dishes).
Once you become aware of the technique, it’s interesting to look back over your life to see where it could’ve come in handy. For instance, long before the days of remote working, I recall my colleagues often speaking of a co-worker who repeatedly failed to adhere to the clear desk policy others seemed to achieve with ease. So as not to embarrass, and to ensure their anonymity, let’s subtly tweak his name to Alec McDuckie.
Alec was a good soul and did want to do better on the clear desk front, but it just seemed to never quite happen for him. He was also a creature of habit who, like clockwork, would go for a walk each lunchtime and listen to his favourite podcast.
Had Alec deployed temptation bundling and only allowed himself to indulge in his daily walk and podcast session after he had given his desk a once over, the allure of the fresh air and time away from the screen may have been all that was needed to maintain office harmony.
Marrying up your “wants” and “shoulds” to encourage behaviour change
By marrying up the pursuit of behaviours we want to do with behaviours that we know we should do, we can distract ourselves from the unpleasant nature of certain tasks whilst simultaneously boosting our chances of undertaking them.
The question is, what behaviours would you bundle together?
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[1] I heard Honnold uttering these words during another(!) rope-free climb of his, that you can watch by clicking here
[2] Trailer for Free Solo can be watched by clicking here
[3] Rogers, T., Milkman, K., and Volpp, K. (2014). Commitment Devices. Using Initiatives to Change Behaviour
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Interesting reading:
Milkman demonstrated the power that temptation bundling offers as a cost-effective means of increasing exercise in her 2014 article: Holding the Hunger Games Hostage at the Gym: An Evaluation of Temptation Bundling
