Strategy #2: Make it easier to do the behavior

What happens before a behavior is called the antecedent. You learned this in the post about the ABC’s of behavior. By learning to strengthen the antecedents you make it easier to enact the behavior. When you make something easier, or more convenient to do, you will likely do it. It’s when things are a hassle that you neglect to take action.

Me vs the dishes.

Here’s an example of what I mean. I used to do my dishes at the end of the day. As I would cook and eat my meals I would put the dirty dishes on the counter in as orderly a stack as I could. It took up space but not too much. When I got to doing the dishes it would take me about 30 minutes from start to finish. Sometimes, if I was too busy or I was just lazy, I would leave the dishes until the next day. I don’t like getting up to a dirty kitchen. So some days, no problem; other days, a hassle.

Then it occurred to me that I could do the dishes as I was cooking. Now I always run a little hot water and soap into the sink before I begin cooking. There’s all these free little minutes while I would just be waiting for the omelet to finish, or whatever, that I now use to wash up on the fly. It’s beautiful. The kitchen is always in pristine condition and I actually save time and water by doing the dishes more frequently throughout the day.

Buy milk at the antecedent-strengthened store?

Anything that makes a behavior easier to do falls under this strategy. To get your mind thinking along these lines here are a few common examples that you are probably already making use of:

• using a time management system to schedule tasks
• writing yourself a reminder note or grocery list
• setting an alarm clock before you fall asleep
• laying out clothes the night before an important meeting

If you think about it this is an extremely common strategy. Anything that is marketed as being a convenience to the consumer is playing up this angle. Convenience stores, drive in oil change facilities, touchless car wash bays, detergent-and-bleach-in-one formulas, cell phones that play music and access the internet, and on and on.

Some questions to get you started.

An easy way to come up with some alternatives for yourself is to answer the question, “What would make this easier to do?”

• What would make it easier to exercise?
• What would make it simpler to eat healthy while I’m at work?
• How can I get myself to study more often?
• What would help me follow through on this commitment?
• What would help me take action?

Come up with at least 10 options no matter how silly or inappropriate they may seem. Don’t stifle your own creativity. It doesn’t seem logical that by doing the dishes more often I would save time and effort. But I do. And it’s reinforcing because now my kitchen is always neat and tidy. No dirty dishes sitting on my counter.

Two more personal examples.

Many people have commented to me that they rarely see me without food in my hands. It’s an exaggeration but I know what they’re getting at. Eating healthy can be difficult if you haven’t planned ahead. I pretty much always have some food options with me no matter where I am. Either a water jug and a protein bar or a sandwich with fresh vegetables. Having good choices conveniently accessible makes it easier for me to eat healthy. Preparing food beforehand is my strategy for this.

A non-food related example is my alarm clock situation. I use a digital watch to wake up in the morning. It runs on a battery. I have no way of knowing when that battery is going to fail. To handle this I make use of a second digital watch. One is directly beside my bed, set for when I want to awaken (e.g. 4:30). The other watch is set for three minutes after that and is sitting on my shelf in the closet.

The second watch serves two functions: 1) it’s a backup in case the first one dies and 2) I must get out of bed to turn it off. The second watch makes it easier to get up when I should because I don’t like letting that alarm go off without my having already gotten up. Works for me.

Try something different.

You never know what might be the key to making the behavior easier to do. Experiment. If you are not following through now you have nothing to lose by strengthening the antecedents.