It's the perfect time for you to start working on your 2024 goals and behavior changes. In this video, we'll discuss six science-based strategies to optimize your chances of success over the next six months.

0:00 Introduction
0:27 The Fresh Start Effect
2:17 Implementation Intentions
4:00 Mental Contrasting
7:19 Reduce Friction
11:15 Accountability
12:41 Public Announcement

To kick things off, we'll explore the concept of the "fresh start effect" or leveraging temporal landmarks, which signifies new beginnings. We'll discuss how identifying temporal landmarks, such as a new week, month, or even your birthday, can promote a sense of renewal and motivate goal-directed behaviors.

Next, we'll delve into the power of making implementation intentions, also known as specific plans, to guide your desired behaviors. We'll explore a study that highlights the effectiveness of implementation intentions in increasing physical activity and steps taken.

Additionally, we'll introduce you to mental contrasting, a technique that combines visualization of desired outcomes with a realistic assessment of current barriers. We'll explore a study that demonstrates how mental contrasting with implementation intentions improved academic performance in middle-school children.

We'll then shift our focus to the importance of reducing friction in your life. By optimizing your environment and making it easier to engage in desired behaviors, you'll increase your chances of success. We'll draw insights from the field of business psychology and share a real-life example where decreasing friction led to significant improvements in following recommended practices.

Accountability plays a vital role in behavior change, and we'll discuss two science-based strategies to leverage it. You'll learn about the benefits of having an accountability partner and how self-monitoring through behavioral tracking can enhance motivation and help you achieve your goals.

Finally, we'll touch on the topic of publicly sharing goals. While there is some debate in the scientific literature, we'll explore research suggesting that sharing goals with individuals you respect highly can increase commitment and performance. We'll also discuss the value of keeping goals to yourself for certain individuals.

Join us on this journey of behavior change and goal attainment. Subscribe to our channel if you're interested in exploring how behavioral science can guide your everyday practices. Share your behavior change goals in the comments below and let us know if you're on #TeamPublicAnnouncement or #TeamKeepItToYourself.

A selection of studies referenced in this video can be found in the description below. Please visit the full blog post for all references.

Selection of References:
Dai, H., Milkman, K. L., & Riis, J. (2014). The fresh start effect: Temporal landmarks motivate aspirational behavior. Management Science, 60(10), 2563-2582.

Dai, H., Milkman, K. L., & Riis, J. (2015). Put your imperfections behind you: Temporal landmarks spur goal initiation when they signal new beginnings. Psychological Science, 26(12), 1927-1936.

Duckworth AL, Kirby T, Gollwitzer A, Oettingen G. From Fantasy to Action: Mental Contrasting with Implementation Intentions (MCII) Improves Academic Performance in Children. Soc Psychol Personal Sci. 2013 Nov 1;4(6):745-753.

Gollwitzer, P. M., & Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta‐analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 69-119.

Gollwitzer et. al (2009). When Intentions Go Public. Psychological Science, 20(5), 612-618.

Klein, H. J., Lount, R. B., Jr., Park, H. M., & Linford, B. J. (2020). When goals are known: The effects of audience relative status on goal commitment and performance. *Journal of Applied Psychology, 105*(4), 372–389. 

Neal DT, Wood W, Drolet A. How do people adhere to goals when willpower is low? The profits (and pitfalls) of strong habits. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2013 Jun;104(6):959-75.

Robinson SA, Bisson AN, Hughes ML, Ebert J, Lachman ME. Time for change: using implementation intentions to promote physical activity in a randomised pilot trial. Psychol Health. 2019 Feb;34(2):232-254.

Wood W, Rünger D. Psychology of Habit. Annu Rev Psychol. 2016;67:289-314. doi: 10.1146/annurev-psych-122414-033417. Epub 2015 Sep 10. PMID: 26361052.

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Disclaimer: The information provided here is for education and entertainment purposes only. Although I am a licensed clinical psychologist, the content of this video is not intended to diagnose or treat anyone and should not be mistaken for any level of medical advice. The view and opinions presented are my own and do not represent the official view of my employer(s).