tag:theconversation.com,2011:/fr/topics/goals-18963/articlesGoals – The Conversation2024-02-28T12:33:37Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2190572024-02-28T12:33:37Z2024-02-28T12:33:37ZMental fatigue has psychological triggers − new research suggests challenging goals can head it off<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574501/original/file-20240208-20-qjkjml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=27%2C9%2C6108%2C4093&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Feeling wiped out by mental work has different causes than what drives physical fatigue.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/stressed-business-woman-working-from-home-on-laptop-royalty-free-image/1249628154">nensuria/iStock via Getty Images Plus</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Do you ever feel spacey, distracted and worn down toward the end of a long work-related task – especially if that task is entirely a mental one? For over a century, psychologists have been trying to determine whether mental fatigue is fundamentally similar to physical fatigue or whether it is governed by different processes. </p>
<p>Some <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2003.11.001">researchers have argued</a> that exerting mental effort depletes a limited supply of energy – the same way physical exertion fatigues muscles. The brain consumes <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.92.2.325">energy in the form of glucose</a>, which can run low.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/h0069511">Other researchers</a> see mental fatigue as more of a psychological phenomenon. Mind-wandering means the current mental effort is not being sufficiently <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainresrev.2008.07.001">rewarded</a> – or opportunities to do other, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X12003196">more enjoyable activities are being lost</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=JGWPdcMAAAAJ">My</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=1fv9jBIAAAAJ">colleagues</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=I5HWMl8AAAAJ">I</a> have been <a href="https://doi.org/10.3758/s13414-023-02803-4">trying to resolve this question</a>. Our research suggests mental fatigue is in large part a psychological phenomenon – but one that can be modified by setting goals.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/577994/original/file-20240226-26-701pnc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="spiraling clock face suggesting infinity" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/577994/original/file-20240226-26-701pnc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/577994/original/file-20240226-26-701pnc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/577994/original/file-20240226-26-701pnc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/577994/original/file-20240226-26-701pnc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/577994/original/file-20240226-26-701pnc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/577994/original/file-20240226-26-701pnc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/577994/original/file-20240226-26-701pnc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Tedious tasks can be especially hard to stick with diligently.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/rendering-classic-round-clock-with-infinity-time-royalty-free-image/1303651536">RB Stocker/iStock via Getty Images Plus</a></span>
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<h2>Vigilance is hard to sustain</h2>
<p>We began by reviewing the science related to mental fatigue. </p>
<p>Psychologists in the World War II era studied why soldiers monitoring radar were losing focus during their shifts. Psychologist Norman Mackworth designed the “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17470214808416738">clock test,</a>” in which military participants were asked to watch a large “clock” on a wall for up to two hours. The second hand ticked at regular intervals. But rarely and unpredictably, it would jump twice the usual distance. The task was to detect those tiny variations. </p>
<p>Within the first 30 minutes, the subjects’ performance dropped dramatically – and then continued to decline more gradually. Psychologists named the necessary mental focus “vigilance” – and concluded it was fundamentally limited in humans. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.117.2.230">Decades of research</a> since has confirmed that vigilance is difficult to maintain, even over brief intervals. In studies, people report <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/00187208211011333">feeling stressed and fatigued</a> following even a brief vigilance task. In 2021, one study even showed a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/00187208211011333">reduction of blood flow through the brain</a> during vigilance. </p>
<p>My colleagues and I wondered: Are all forms of mental work like vigilance? Surely, there are instances where people can engage with mental work without feeling fatigued. </p>
<h2>Setting goals</h2>
<p>We decided to study whether <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/mot0000127">goal-setting</a> could improve mental focus and ran <a href="https://doi.org/10.3758/s13414-023-02803-4">three experiments</a> to test this idea. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574499/original/file-20240208-26-nh4c3j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Man in front of computer screen showing four horizontal lines, with an X on one of them." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574499/original/file-20240208-26-nh4c3j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574499/original/file-20240208-26-nh4c3j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=799&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574499/original/file-20240208-26-nh4c3j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=799&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574499/original/file-20240208-26-nh4c3j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=799&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574499/original/file-20240208-26-nh4c3j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574499/original/file-20240208-26-nh4c3j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574499/original/file-20240208-26-nh4c3j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Where’s the X?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Lauren D. Garner</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
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<p>In the first experiment, we showed 108 undergraduate students at the University of Oregon a screen with four empty white boxes against a gray background. Every one to three seconds, an X appeared in one of the four boxes. Their task was to indicate where that symbol appeared as quickly as possible. After each response, the participant was given feedback about both their accuracy and their speed, such as “Correct! Reaction time = 400 milliseconds.” </p>
<p>Periodically during the 26-minute test, we also asked participants to rank their mental state as task-focused, distracted or mind-wandering. This gave us data about how they felt, in addition to how they did.</p>
<p>We randomly gave half of them a specific goal: Keep their reaction times under 400 milliseconds while staying as accurate as possible. We gave no goal to the other half. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.3758/s13414-023-02803-4">Our results</a> were mixed. People who were given a goal did not experience as many slow reaction times, but having goals didn’t increase their top speed. It also didn’t change how often people reported feeling distracted. </p>
<h2>Setting increasingly harder goals</h2>
<p>We decided to tweak the test for our second experiment. Again, we randomly assigned a goal to half of the 112 fresh participants and no goal to the other half. But this time, as the experiment progressed, we increased the difficulty of the goal from a 450-millisecond reaction time to 400 milliseconds and then to 350 by the final block. Setting these harder-over-time goals had a huge effect on performance. </p>
<p>Compared with the participants assigned a set goal in the first experiment, the participants assigned increasingly more difficult goals in the second experiment had faster reaction times by an average of 45 milliseconds – about a 10% improvement. Participants in the second experiment also reported fewer instances of mind-wandering and showed no slowing of reaction times throughout the experiment. In other words, they showed no signs of mental fatigue. And we didn’t have to make the task easier. In fact, we made it harder. </p>
<p>Our first two experiments were conducted online because of shutdowns related to COVID-19. Our third study – a repeat of our second study – was conducted in person. We got the same results. </p>
<p>These findings, combined with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/xhp0001148">other recent work</a> we’ve conducted, have changed the way my colleagues and I consider mental fatigue. It’s clear that when people strive for specific and hard-to-reach goals, they report feeling more motivated and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/mac0000141">they do not report feeling as drained</a> by mental work. </p>
<p>If you’re wondering how to implement these findings in your life, make simple, direct and specific goals for yourself. Mark when you complete the goals – the feedback can help you keep going. If you’re feeling particularly drained, take short breaks. Even <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2014.10.001">brief rests</a> of less than two minutes can restore capacity for mental work.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219057/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Robison's laboratory receives funding from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and the Army Research Institute. </span></em></p>Setting specific, hard-to-reach goals seems to help people maintain motivation, while preventing them from feeling as drained by mental tasks.Matthew Robison, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Texas at ArlingtonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2168702024-01-04T13:45:55Z2024-01-04T13:45:55ZFocus on right now, not the distant future, to stay motivated and on track to your long-term health goals<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564976/original/file-20231211-26-io2vdz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=342%2C201%2C6367%2C4265&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The fresh flavors taste good now – a here-and-now reward that's more motivating than potentially avoiding health problems in the future.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/fresh-fruit-salad-royalty-free-image/811628388">kajakiki/E+ via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s a familiar start-of-the-year scene. You’ve committed to a healthier lifestyle and are determined that this time is going to be different. Your refrigerator is stocked with fruits and veggies, you’ve tossed out processed foods, and your workout routine is written in pen in your daily planner.</p>
<p>Yet, as you head out one morning, the tantalizing aroma of fresh doughnuts wafts through the air. How can you resist the call of this sugary treat and stick with your healthy choices?</p>
<p>Conventional wisdom, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.106.1.3">grounded in years of research</a>, suggests that the best way to resist unhealthy choices is to think about the long-term consequences. For example, you could consider how the added sugar from eating too many doughnuts can lead to <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/data-statistics/added-sugars.html">diabetes and obesity</a>. Thinking about these long-term consequences, the argument goes, should help you avoid indulging right now and better stick to your goals. </p>
<p>However, in our <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=axoPTvwAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">combined 25 years of experience investigating</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ZJA5R0QAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">people’s self-control behavior and motivation</a>, we have learned that, in the heat of the moment, people often overlook distant outcomes, diminishing the effectiveness of strategies focused on the long term. </p>
<p>In response, we propose three approaches, backed by recent research, to help you stick to healthier habits.</p>
<h2>To resist temptation, think short term</h2>
<p>One strategy to avoid indulging is to consider the short-term consequences of unhealthy behavior. We tested this approach in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucad004">seven studies</a> with over 4,000 participants. </p>
<p>In one study, we invited university students to view one of two <a href="https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/what-is-a-public-service-announcement">public service announcements</a> detailing reasons to avoid energy drinks. One message emphasized long-term costs of drinking high-sugar energy drinks, such as diabetes and obesity. The other stressed short-term costs, such as anxiety and a sugar and caffeine crash.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/561685/original/file-20231126-23-8s8mzp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="two PSAs with similar graphic of a drink but different effects highlighted" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/561685/original/file-20231126-23-8s8mzp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/561685/original/file-20231126-23-8s8mzp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=362&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/561685/original/file-20231126-23-8s8mzp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=362&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/561685/original/file-20231126-23-8s8mzp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=362&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/561685/original/file-20231126-23-8s8mzp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/561685/original/file-20231126-23-8s8mzp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/561685/original/file-20231126-23-8s8mzp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">PSAs about unhealthy energy drinks: One highlights the long-term health costs, and the other highlights the short-term costs – 61.7% of participants chose the energy drink over another prize if they only saw the long-term PSA vs. 46.4% of participants who saw the short-term PSA.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Lilia Fromm</span></span>
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<p>Students then had a choice between receiving an energy drink or another attractive prize. Those who read about the short-term costs were 25% less likely to choose the energy drink than those who read about the long-term costs.</p>
<p>In another study with a similar setup, participants read about either the short-term costs of eating sugar, the long-term costs of eating sugar, or they did not read about any downsides. Everyone then had to choose a delivery of cookies or a tote bag. Those who read about the short-term costs were 30% less likely to choose the cookies than those who read about the long-term costs and 45% less likely than those who didn’t read about any detriments to sugar.</p>
<p>We found that emphasizing short-term costs can also help you avoid other temptations. For alcohol, think about how excessive drinking can lead to poor sleep and hangovers. For fast food, think about how it can make you feel bloated or give you indigestion.</p>
<p>In our studies, immediate effects were a stronger motivator than long-term consequences that could take decades to occur. The takeaway is simple: To avoid indulging, think short term.</p>
<h2>Focus on the fun of healthy options</h2>
<p>Avoiding unhealthy foods is one thing. On the flip side, can you nudge yourself toward consuming more healthy foods? </p>
<p>Research that one of us (Kaitlin) conducted with behavioral scientist <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=-vIQsasAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">Ayelet Fishbach</a> found that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucv098">prompting people to focus on the good taste</a> – rather than the health benefits – of foods such as apples and carrots increased consumption in the lab and the real world. These findings were independently replicated in an intervention at <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797619872191">five university dining halls</a> that used food labels focused on either tastiness or healthfulness.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564978/original/file-20231211-15-fr0nd4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="smiling man outside in jacket with small hand weights" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564978/original/file-20231211-15-fr0nd4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564978/original/file-20231211-15-fr0nd4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=374&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564978/original/file-20231211-15-fr0nd4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=374&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564978/original/file-20231211-15-fr0nd4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=374&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564978/original/file-20231211-15-fr0nd4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564978/original/file-20231211-15-fr0nd4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564978/original/file-20231211-15-fr0nd4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Picking a more enjoyable exercise routine can mean sticking with it longer.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/mature-african-american-man-exercising-royalty-free-image/991036038">kali9/E+ via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>This strategy can also promote other healthy behaviors, such as exercise. In one study, Kaitlin asked gymgoers to choose a weightlifting workout from a list of similarly difficult routines. The participants who were instructed to select a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucv098">fun exercise completed more reps</a> than those told to pick an exercise most useful for their long-term fitness goals. </p>
<p>Immediate rewards that result from pursuing long-term goals improve your experience right now, although they often go unnoticed. For this reason, focusing on the immediate versus delayed benefits of behaviors such as healthy eating and exercise can increase <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/rev0000095">intrinsic motivation</a>, making a behavior feel like its own reward and resulting in the immersed-in-an-activity feeling called “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29742-2">flow</a>.”</p>
<h2>Timing the reward sweet spot</h2>
<p>Starting healthy behaviors is one important piece of the puzzle; another is sticking with these behaviors over time. One strategy for persistence is to use rewards to stay committed.</p>
<p>Research led by marketing professor <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=VNKNZfMAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">Marissa Sharif</a>, along with Kaitlin, involving over 5,000 people across eight experiments found that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucac007">small, regular rewards were more effective</a> for cultivating long-term commitment to healthy behavior such as exercising and flossing than were large, occasional rewards. Think watching 20 minutes of a guilty pleasure TV show each day you work out, rather than waiting to the end of the week to watch 80 minutes of TV to reward yourself for those four workouts.</p>
<p>But there’s a twist: Rewarding yourself too early may backfire. It seems rewards are most effective when people have to work to unlock them, after which they become regular. In other words, putting in initial effort while not being rewarded, followed by small, continual perks, is the most effective way to structure rewards.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564981/original/file-20231211-25-3gd4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="calendar with red X's crossing off days and one date circled" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564981/original/file-20231211-25-3gd4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564981/original/file-20231211-25-3gd4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564981/original/file-20231211-25-3gd4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564981/original/file-20231211-25-3gd4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564981/original/file-20231211-25-3gd4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564981/original/file-20231211-25-3gd4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564981/original/file-20231211-25-3gd4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Rewards are less effective when they’re set too far off in the future.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/deadline-royalty-free-image/172704039">JLGutierrez/E+ via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>In a study on exercise, Marissa and Kaitlin followed exercisers as they engaged in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucac007">four initial workouts that came with no rewards</a>. Then a work-to-unlock-rewards group began to receive small, continual rewards for each subsequent workout. They ended up persisting longer and completing more workouts than people in a lump-sum group who received a larger, occasional reward for every four workouts they finished.</p>
<p>A similar effect was evident in a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucac007">12-day study on tooth flossing</a>. People in the work-to-unlock-rewards group – three days of flossing without rewards followed by daily rewards – flossed for more days than those who received continual rewards right way. Those who had to commit extra effort to unlock the rewards flossed 15% more days.</p>
<p>These studies suggest people can strategically incorporate rewards – with a short initial period without any rewards – into their routine to help them stick with healthy behaviors over time.</p>
<h2>Resistance, enjoyment and persistence</h2>
<p>Our research highlights three effective strategies to help you achieve your goals: prioritizing short-term consequences to resist temptation, finding enjoyment in long-term choices, and continually rewarding yourself for sustained persistence.</p>
<p>What’s great about these strategies is that you can adapt them to any personal goal you hold. For instance, if you’re finding it hard to swap social media for a book, consider reflecting on negative short-term consequences of endless scrolling. Or if carving out time for relaxation feels like a challenge, focus on the immediate benefits of engaging in meditative exercises.</p>
<p>By incorporating these evidence-based approaches, you can empower yourself to follow through on your long-term goals.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/216870/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Long-term goals can be hard to stick to if the benefits are only way off in the future. Research suggests ways to focus on the here and now to help you ultimately achieve your more far-off targets.Kaitlin Woolley, Associate Professor of Marketing, Cornell UniversityPaul Stillman, Assistant Professor of Marketing, San Diego State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2199472024-01-03T22:40:45Z2024-01-03T22:40:45ZThe science behind building healthy habits can help you keep your New Year’s resolution<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567790/original/file-20240103-17-ggw22c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6048%2C4010&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Strategies like setting SMART goals and enlisting social support can help turn resolutions into habits.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/the-science-behind-building-healthy-habits-can-help-you-keep-your-new-years-resolution" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Every New Year, millions of people make resolutions, with the most common <a href="https://www.forbes.com/health/mind/new-year-resolutions-survey-2024/">resolutions being health-related</a>. Despite their popularity, <a href="https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/canadians-quick-make-new-years-resolutions-slow-see-them-through">up to 80 per cent of resolutions fail</a>, mostly within a few weeks. As a result, many <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18063084">people make the same resolutions year after year</a>. </p>
<p>At the same time, resolutions can bring focus to an area that’s important to you. I research the importance of behaviours to health, and write the <a href="https://drscottlear.com/">Become Your Healthiest You</a> blog. Here’s how using scientific strategies can increase your chances of success with your resolution.</p>
<h2>Setting SMART resolutions</h2>
<p>Resolutions are like goals and putting time into planning your resolution can increase your success. Using the SMART goal framework (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely) is a good foundation for setting your resolution.</p>
<p>A specific resolution is clear and focused. Unfortunately, <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18063084">most people set vague resolutions</a>, such as wanting to exercise more, be healthier or lose weight. While admirable, resolutions that provide a clear description of what you want to achieve (exercise three times a week for 30 minutes, lose five pounds) provide more direction and are more readily attained. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A couple in a kitchen setting a bowl of fruit on the table" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567766/original/file-20240103-23-fxxv3m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567766/original/file-20240103-23-fxxv3m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567766/original/file-20240103-23-fxxv3m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567766/original/file-20240103-23-fxxv3m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567766/original/file-20240103-23-fxxv3m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567766/original/file-20240103-23-fxxv3m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567766/original/file-20240103-23-fxxv3m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A goal of eating healthier is hard to measure, whereas a goal of eating three fruits a day can be easily measured.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Also, aim for positive resolutions such as eating more vegetables, in contrast to eating no junk food. Positive resolutions are approach-oriented, while negative ones are avoidance-oriented. In a survey of 1,066 people, those who had <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234097">approach-oriented resolutions were more likely to be successful</a>.</p>
<p>A measurable resolution means you can assess when you’ve achieved it. A goal of eating healthier is hard to measure, whereas a goal of eating three fruits a day can be easily measured. Essentially, your resolution becomes a target. And a target can also bring focus to your resolution, such as with wanting to run a marathon under four hours. In a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2015.2417">study of nearly 10 million marathon times</a> there were far more finishes at 3:59 than at 4:01, which suggests that having a clear target may have helped people run faster.</p>
<p>You also want your resolution to be attainable, which means it’s realistic for you to achieve. Big, long-term resolutions may be more easily approached by breaking them into smaller ones. However, your resolution also needs to be challenging, as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/0030-5073(68)90004-4">challenging ones result in better performance</a> and are also found to be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2018.09.002">more satisfying</a> than easier resolutions.</p>
<p>A relevant resolution is one that’s meaningful to you. For example, exercising so you can have more energy throughout the day. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Marathon runners" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567768/original/file-20240103-25-w31e13.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567768/original/file-20240103-25-w31e13.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567768/original/file-20240103-25-w31e13.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567768/original/file-20240103-25-w31e13.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567768/original/file-20240103-25-w31e13.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567768/original/file-20240103-25-w31e13.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567768/original/file-20240103-25-w31e13.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In a study of nearly 10 million marathon times, there were far more finishes at 3:59 than at 4:01, which suggests that having a clear target may have helped people run faster.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pixabay)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Relevant resolutions are more likely to be intrinsic in contrast with extrinsic ones, which are externally motivated (such as getting a promotion, winning a trophy or receiving praise). Extrinsic resolutions tend to be fleeting while intrinsic resolutions are associated with <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.32598/jpcp.8.2.28.2">greater well-being</a> and <a href="https://www.proquest.com/docview/213709669?&sourcetype=Scholarly%20Journals">satisfaction</a>.</p>
<p>The last part is having a resolution that’s timely. This means having a deadline for when you wish to achieve it. A resolution without a deadline rarely gets done. A timely resolution helps prioritize your days and weeks leading up to it. If your resolution is to lose five pounds in two months, this can be the foundation for your plan on how to achieve it.</p>
<h2>Succeeding at your resolution</h2>
<p>Having a good implementation plan is as key as having a clear resolution. In some cases, you may need to change your environment to be more supportive of your resolution. This may mean moving snacks out of sight, putting your workout gear near the front door or using sticky notes as reminders.</p>
<p>If your resolution requires starting a new habit, combine it with a habit you already do. If you want to floss your teeth, combine it with brushing your teeth. Combining a new habit with an old one is referred to as piggybacking, stacking and temptation bundling.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman in exercise clothes with a towel around her neck wearing headphones" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567770/original/file-20240103-15-rhl1zv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567770/original/file-20240103-15-rhl1zv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567770/original/file-20240103-15-rhl1zv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567770/original/file-20240103-15-rhl1zv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567770/original/file-20240103-15-rhl1zv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567770/original/file-20240103-15-rhl1zv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567770/original/file-20240103-15-rhl1zv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Temptation bundling means bundling a newly desired activity with one you already enjoy, like exercising while listening to audiobooks.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Temptation bundling is a more specific version of piggybacking in which you choose an activity you enjoy and bundle it with your newly desired activity. If you want to start exercising, bundle it with a favourite TV show, podcast or music. People who used temptation bundling with audiobooks were <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2020.09.003">more likely to keep up with their exercise routine</a>. </p>
<p>To encourage yourself along the way, try positive thinking. This can be as simple as saying to yourself <em>I can do this</em>, <em>I’m proud of myself for trying</em> or <em>I have the power to change my mind</em> a few times each day. Positive thinking may help <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-014-9593-5">increase perseverance</a> and is believed to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2005.06.001">increase the neurotransmitters dopamine</a> and <a href="https://www.jpn.ca/content/32/6/430">serotonin</a>, associated with pleasure and mood, which can reinforce behaviours.</p>
<p>Enlisting the support of others can also help in achieving your resolution. People with greater social support networks are <a href="https://doi.org/10.2190/78UQ-5NMW-7YLD-TFWV">more likely to achieve their goals</a>. </p>
<p>Social support can be broken into four categories:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>instrumental support consisting of someone doing something for you, such as driving you to the gym or helping in meal planning; </p></li>
<li><p>informational support in the form of someone giving you advice, whether it be from family, friends or professionals such as your doctor or a dietitian; </p></li>
<li><p>appraisal support, including evaluation and constructive feedback, which may come from the same people who provide informational support; and </p></li>
<li><p>emotional support from people providing love, empathy and caring.</p></li>
</ul>
<h2>Challenges and setbacks happen</h2>
<p>Even with proper planning, challenges and setbacks can happen and are a normal part of any process of changing one’s behaviour or attempting something new. </p>
<p>Some setbacks may be temporary, such as an illness interrupting your exercise program. Others may occur regularly, such as dinner parties that may affect your desire to eat a healthy diet. These challenges can be minimized by planning ahead. In this example, your plan may include contributing a meal to the dinner that fits your needs.</p>
<p>If a setback occurs, accept this as a natural part of the process. Focus on the progress you’ve made so far and review your plan. What has worked for you to date? Is there anything you need to revise to account for any future challenges? </p>
<p>Starting a new behaviour can sometimes be a process of trial and error, and learning from setbacks can support future success. Good luck and Happy New Year!</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219947/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Scott Lear receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Hamilton Health Sciences, and has received funding from the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Novo Nordisk, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.</span></em></p>Resolutions are like goals and putting time into planning your resolution can increase your success. Using scientific strategies can increase your chances of sticking with your resolution.Scott Lear, Professor of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2191982023-12-26T19:41:19Z2023-12-26T19:41:19ZKeeping a streak alive can be strong motivation to stick with a chosen activity<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566590/original/file-20231219-17-i2u80d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1379%2C248%2C3881%2C2980&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail shall keep a streaker from their self-appointed activity.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/athletic-man-jogging-in-extreme-weather-condition-royalty-free-image/1184153812">janiecbros/E+ via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://ftw.usatoday.com/2013/06/alabama-fan-attended-781-consecutive-games-before-passing-away">Dick Coffee</a> attended 781 consecutive University of Alabama football games. <a href="https://www.mensjournal.com/adventure/meg-roh-celebrates-7-years-of-surfing-every-day-by-going-surfing">Meg Roh</a> surfed through illness, storms and nightfall to maintain a seven-year daily surfing streak. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/01/sports/running-streak-rise.html">Jon Sutherland</a> ran at least 1 mile every day for over 52 years. </p>
<p>An activity streak has the power to compel behavior, and marketers have taken note. Marketing researchers <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=irJyTtAAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">Jackie Silverman</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Lb3D24EAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">Alixandra Barasch</a> recently documented 101 unique instances, including Snapchat, Candy Crush Saga, Wordle and the Duolingo language learning platform, of apps that have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucac029">incorporated streaks into their architecture</a> by tracking the number of consecutive days users complete a task. There are even <a href="https://www.thestreakingapp.com/">apps dedicated solely to tracking streaks</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566406/original/file-20231218-15-fcjdpq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="statistics for wins and streak with a guess distribution chart" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566406/original/file-20231218-15-fcjdpq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566406/original/file-20231218-15-fcjdpq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=310&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566406/original/file-20231218-15-fcjdpq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=310&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566406/original/file-20231218-15-fcjdpq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=310&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566406/original/file-20231218-15-fcjdpq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566406/original/file-20231218-15-fcjdpq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566406/original/file-20231218-15-fcjdpq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">One user’s Wordle streak of more than a month’s worth of wins.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Screenshot from Wordle on New York Times</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>What is it about streaks that makes them so compelling? <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=5yNBAfIAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">I’m interested in consumer behavior and decision making</a>. For insight into streaks and their motivating influence, I conducted research, recently <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-023-00944-4">published in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science</a>, on the phenomenon.</p>
<h2>What is a streak?</h2>
<p>Because there’s no generally accepted definition of what a streak is, I started by trying to define the phenomenon. Based on input from people maintaining streaks and how streaks are described in the popular media, I suggest they have four underlying characteristics.</p>
<p>First, streaks require unchanging performance and temporal parameters. In other words, rules, established by the streaker or others, define what it means to successfully complete the activity and the schedule for doing so. For example, a streak may involve completing a session of 50 pushups every calendar day.</p>
<p>Second, the streak-holder largely attributes completing the activity to his or her resolve.</p>
<p>Third, a streak is a series of the same completed activity that the person maintaining the streak considers to be uninterrupted.</p>
<p>Fourth, the streaker quantifies the series’ duration. For instance, a streak-holder can tell you exactly how many consecutive workdays they’ve biked in to the office, or they can tell you the precise date the streak began.</p>
<p>This definition distinguishes an activity streak from winning streaks and lucky streaks. Unlike activity streaks, winning streaks depend on the performance of others – an opponent – while lucky streaks involve outcomes that are not under the control of the person executing the streak.</p>
<p>My definition also highlights that streaks are perceptual. Some people who have completed an objectively uninterrupted series of an activity may not view that as a streak. Others who have not completed the activity every time the opportunity arises may believe they have a streak.</p>
<h2>Is it a streak, habit or collection?</h2>
<p>People often engage in behavior patterns, or a recurring way of acting in a given situation. A streak is a form of patterned behavior, but there are others. Most people have habits, which are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.1998.tb01681.x">reflexlike and triggered by the context</a>. For example, many people mindlessly fasten their seat belts upon getting in a car.</p>
<p>That automatic aspect sets a habit apart from a streak. A streak often requires the actor to have a strategy for completing the activity <a href="https://doi.org/10.2307/1252098">in various situations or contexts</a>. For example, someone with a streak of running at least 1 mile every calendar day may need to carefully plan a run when traveling across time zones.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566591/original/file-20231219-27-q90dyb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="man looking anxiously out airplane window" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566591/original/file-20231219-27-q90dyb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566591/original/file-20231219-27-q90dyb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566591/original/file-20231219-27-q90dyb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566591/original/file-20231219-27-q90dyb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566591/original/file-20231219-27-q90dyb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566591/original/file-20231219-27-q90dyb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566591/original/file-20231219-27-q90dyb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A streaker can get stressed when circumstances outside their control prevent them from doing the activity.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/scared-male-passenger-looking-out-the-window-of-an-royalty-free-image/1439979538">urbazon/E+ via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While developing a habit may be appealing because it <a href="https://www.springerprofessional.de/en/customer-inertia-marketing/18347036">minimizes thinking</a>, I discovered that the challenge of finding a way to complete the behavior can motivate many streak-holders.</p>
<p>Failing to perform a habitual behavior on occasion will have little impact on the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.114.4.843">likelihood of the person performing the behavior in the future</a>. Conversely, failing to perform a behavior that is part of a streak ends the streak.</p>
<p>For some people, ending a streak discouraged the behavior in the future: “The streak is over. Why bother?” For others, it hardened their resolve: “The streak is over. I’ve got to start another streak as soon as possible.”</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/0167-4870(95)98956-X">Creating a collection</a> is another form of patterned behavior. Collections typically involve dissimilar objects connected by a common meaning. For example, Jay Leno is known for his <a href="https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/features/jay-lenos-car-collection">collection of antique and exotic cars</a>. But unlike a streak, a collection does not end if someone fails to add to it every time the opportunity arises. I found that a collection of experiences or stories is often a byproduct of maintaining a streak. </p>
<h2>Why do streaks motivate behavior?</h2>
<p>By tapping into various psychological drivers of behavior, streaks can motivate people in several ways.</p>
<p>In general, a streak adds a higher-level goal (keeping the streak alive) to a lower-level goal (completing an individual activity). Streaks also add structure to an activity, and structure can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.65.1.113">simplify thinking and decision making</a>. The extent to which goal achievement or structure is important to you would influence your commitment to a streak.</p>
<p>I also found the way a streak is structured can affect the streak-holder’s commitment to it. For example, a streak of meditating at least 20 minutes each day may be more appealing, and lead to more commitment, than a streak of meditating at least 140 minutes each week. While the amount of meditating is the same in both cases, a daily streak adds structure, thus simplifying decision making, and encourages the person to regularly engage in a beneficial behavior.</p>
<p>Streaks can serve to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12599-013-0273-5">gamify</a> the underlying activity by <a href="https://theconversation.com/gamification-harnesses-the-power-of-games-to-motivate-37320">creating rules and quantifying the outcome</a>, and many people enjoy the challenge of a game.</p>
<p>Finally, I found that activities that are more relevant to one’s identity are more likely to generate commitment to a streak. If someone identifies as religious, a daily streak of praying may be more appealing than a daily streak of playing Wordle because a praying streak can provide a way of demonstrating one’s desired identity to others.</p>
<p>While streaks can compel behavior, they do not motivate all people for all situations. They can even have the opposite effect. Some people are turned off by the prospect of a streak because they’re concerned about being obligated to it, as reflected in the <a href="https://www.runeveryday.com/news/archive/newsletterV17N4.pdf">comments of a former streak runner</a>: “I realized that, if I let it, the streak could become a ‘thing’ that controlled my life, my travel, and those around me.”</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566593/original/file-20231219-15-e39aqx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="January calendar page with 'Let's go!' sticky note on the first of the month" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566593/original/file-20231219-15-e39aqx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566593/original/file-20231219-15-e39aqx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566593/original/file-20231219-15-e39aqx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566593/original/file-20231219-15-e39aqx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566593/original/file-20231219-15-e39aqx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566593/original/file-20231219-15-e39aqx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566593/original/file-20231219-15-e39aqx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">A new page on the calendar can feel like it offers a fresh start.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/calendar-indicating-lets-go-on-1st-january-royalty-free-image/1080219424">Isabel Pavia/Moment via Getty Images</a></span>
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<h2>Streaks and the new year</h2>
<p>As the calendar turns to a new year, many people resolve to engage in self-improving behaviors that facilitate better mental or physical health. People often begin streaks on Jan. 1 or other important dates, such as holidays, birthdays or anniversaries of noteworthy events. Such temporal landmarks add meaning and structure to the streak and create a “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2014.1901">fresh start effect</a>.”</p>
<p>While many people make New Year’s resolutions, <a href="https://fisher.osu.edu/blogs/leadreadtoday/why-most-new-years-resolutions-fail#:%7E:text=Researchers%20suggest%20that%20only%209,fail%20at%20New%20Year's%20resolutions.">only a small percentage of people complete them</a>. My research suggests that structuring a resolution as a streak may be the nudge that some people need to stick with it further into the new year – and maybe far beyond.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219198/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Danny Weathers does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A streak can motivate you to keep on keeping on with behaviors ranging from praying to running to sharing pictures on social media. Here’s what goes into making them so compelling.Danny Weathers, Professor of Marketing, Clemson UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2135912023-09-22T11:51:05Z2023-09-22T11:51:05ZSeven tips for using the back-to-school mindset to help you stick to your goals<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549553/original/file-20230921-28-47ft6g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5615%2C3732&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The back-to-school period is one of many temporal landmarks you can find throughout the year.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/runner-caucasian-woman-jogging-autumn-park-328341206">chesterf/ Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Even if it’s been many years since you were last in school, you might still associate this time of year with that “back-to-school” mindset – that feeling of a page turning, a new phase beginning and the chance to start anew and reinvent yourself.</p>
<p>While you won’t find any research on the “back-to-school mindset” itself, this feeling is very similar to what science calls the “<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2014.1901">fresh start effect</a>”. This is a boost in motivation for change that comes with a shift from one time in your life to another – called a temporal landmark. The beginning of a new school year, birthdays, anniversaries and even Monday mornings are all temporal landmarks.</p>
<p>Temporal landmarks support our belief that we can reinvent ourselves, acting as a threshold to a new start and the chance to leave old habits behind. These landmarks <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2014.1901">open our minds up</a> to novelty and the possibility of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0133254">seeing the bigger picture</a> – rather than being mired in our daily slog. </p>
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<img alt="Quarter life, a series by The Conversation" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em><strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/quarter-life-117947?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">This article is part of Quarter Life</a></strong>, a series about issues affecting those of us in our twenties and thirties. From the challenges of beginning a career and taking care of our mental health, to the excitement of starting a family, adopting a pet or just making friends as an adult. The articles in this series explore the questions and bring answers as we navigate this turbulent period of life.</em></p>
<p><em>You may be interested in:</em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-motivate-yourself-to-learn-a-language-210341?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">How to motivate yourself to learn a language</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/why-its-so-difficult-to-figure-out-what-to-do-with-your-life-and-three-steps-to-take-209266?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">Why it’s so difficult to figure out what to do with your life – and three steps to take</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/four-ways-to-have-hard-conversations-with-your-friends-without-making-things-worse-207675?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">Four ways to have hard conversations with your friends – without making things worse</a></em></p>
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<p>New Year’s Eve is our most well-known marker for fresh starts. But as many of us know, new year’s resolutions <a href="https://openventio.org/wp-content/uploads/How-to-Make-Your-New-Year%E2%80%99s-Resolutions-Work-SBRPOJ-4-119.pdf">often don’t work</a> when it comes to making <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0899-3289(88)80016-6">lasting lifestyle changes</a>. </p>
<p>This is because resolutions tend to lack specificity, are too ambitious, last too long, or people don’t make necessary changes in their environment to <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0022-3514.88.6.918">support behaviour change</a> (such as finding new hobbies to do on weekends instead of going to the pub if you’re trying to drink less). Feeling you have to make a new year’s resolution can also <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0306460389900506">lead to failure</a>.</p>
<p>But other temporal landmarks tend to better support changes, not just in ourselves but in our environment too. The new school year, for example, often means a change of routine, but also a change in the clothes we wear and the people we socialise with. All these subtle changes may work together to support your motivation when making a new start.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A group of university students talk with each other about their coursework." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549554/original/file-20230921-19-ilm2fd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549554/original/file-20230921-19-ilm2fd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549554/original/file-20230921-19-ilm2fd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549554/original/file-20230921-19-ilm2fd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549554/original/file-20230921-19-ilm2fd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549554/original/file-20230921-19-ilm2fd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549554/original/file-20230921-19-ilm2fd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">We associate the back-to-school period with many changes – including new routines and meeting new people.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/classmate-classroom-sharing-international-friend-concept-408849511">Rawpixel.com/ Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Our brains <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.124.3.423">love novelty</a> and there’s nothing better than a chance to leave behind the “the treadmill of the predictable everyday flow” of our lives and have a new period to look forward to. This makes motivation easier to come by as it offers a chance to <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cb.2155">change our circumstances</a>.</p>
<p>While this change in routine can be nerve-wracking, it might be the kind of interruption needed to <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jcr/article-abstract/35/4/640/1806395?redirectedFrom=fulltext">shift how we think</a> and visualise how we can achieve our goals. </p>
<p>The back-to-school period offers the perfect chance to kick-start any life changes you’ve been meaning to make. Here are a few ways to make sure your goals don’t fail:</p>
<h2>1. Write to your future self</h2>
<p>Set timers to send yourself aspirational reminders of your goals to <a href="https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300262285/nudge/">gently nudge</a> yourself towards achieving your goals. If you’re trying to save more money, for example, setting a reminder to set aside some cash via an email that appears in your inbox on payday may help give you this much-needed nudge. </p>
<h2>2. Don’t worry if you falter</h2>
<p>It can be hard to make big changes and build new habits. Even if you don’t succeed in sticking with your changes at first, there are plenty of other temporal landmarks you can find throughout the year that offer a chance for a fresh start (such as your birthday or returning to work after a holiday). Even the smallest period of change offers a chance to make <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.57.9.677">positive lifestyle changes</a>. </p>
<h2>3. Quick wins</h2>
<p>The motivation and energy provided by a fresh start can often be short-lived. But having <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/systems8040055">quick-win goals</a> that require only small boosts in motivation are the perfect ones to set for yourself during these transition periods. This can include things such as decluttering your room or deleting your most addictive social media app.</p>
<h2>4. Put your imperfections behind you</h2>
<p>Instead of focusing on who you are now, put your attention on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0030477">the person you want to be</a> – and use this as motivation to make change. Focusing on who you want to be in the future may also help you <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797615605818">leave your imperfections in the past</a>.</p>
<h2>5. Set a deadline</h2>
<p>Temporal landmarks are great because they provide natural structure and flow to our lives. Not only can you use temporal landmarks to start working towards a goal, upcoming temporal landmarks can also act as a way of bringing a <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2014.1901">natural urgency</a> to accomplishing our goals.</p>
<h2>6. Avoid the slump</h2>
<p>Motivation fluctuates over time. We usually have high motivation when we first set a goal, and high motivation as we get close to achieving it. But the period in the middle tends to be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025928">low in motivation</a> – and the longer the period, the harder it is to maintain our resolve. If you want to make the best of the back-to-school mindset, shorten the period of time you want to achieve your goal. This can even be as short as one week or even just one day at a time.</p>
<h2>7. Pair the good with the bad</h2>
<p>“<a href="https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2013.1784">Temptation bundling</a>” is the practise of pairing something you love with something you’re less enthusiastic about (but know you should do). By pairing these behaviours together, it wires them together in your brain – motivating you to keep working on the thing you may not enjoy as much in the future. </p>
<p>Let’s say you want to exercise more often, for example. Saving an episode of your favourite podcast until you workout may help you feel more motivated to exercise, as you’ll now associate the gym with your favourite podcast.</p>
<p>Making any lifestyle change is hard – but the back-to-school mindset that accompanies the transition from summer into autumn offers a great opportunity to make these changes.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/213591/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Trudy Meehan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The ‘fresh start effect’ explains why the beginning of a new school year often leads to a boost in motivation – even if you aren’t a student.Trudy Meehan, Lecturer, Centre for Positive Psychology and Health, RCSI University of Medicine and Health SciencesLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2102292023-08-15T12:35:07Z2023-08-15T12:35:07ZDaily report cards can decrease disruptions for children with ADHD<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/542161/original/file-20230810-23-1fhmc8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Students with ADHD who get a daily report card had 4.5 fewer rule violations per 30-minute class than those without one, one study found.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/father-looking-very-happy-looking-at-his-daughters-royalty-free-image/1389796720">Hispanolistic/E+ Collection/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As another school year approaches, some caregivers, students and teachers may be feeling something new needs to happen to promote success in the classroom. </p>
<p>Daily report cards can be a great starting point.</p>
<p>As a clinical psychologist who studies <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=BRXERkMAAAAJ&hl=en">how schools can help students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder</a>, I know traditional report cards distributed three or four times per year don’t do enough to make a difference for children who are prone to outbursts or other challenging behaviors. </p>
<p>Studies <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0014402917706370">conducted by my team</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054717734646">and others</a> support the idea that these students are better served by <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02796015.2010.12087748">daily report cards</a>. </p>
<h2>Track daily progress</h2>
<p>Daily report cards date back at least to the 1960s, when they were used in a study involving children attending a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1970.3-223">special education summer school</a>. </p>
<p>Today they are commonly used for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0014402917706370">children with ADHD</a> in both <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-020-09375-w">general education</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02796015.2010.12087775">special education</a> classrooms. Daily report cards have also been used for <a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED607134.pdf">students with autism</a> without intellectual disability. And one study found that many teachers say they use <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/10983007060080030601">versions of a daily report card</a> for brief periods to address behaviors across many different school situations.</p>
<p>A daily report card can be very <a href="https://ccf.fiu.edu/research/_assets/how_to_establish_a_school_drc.pdf">easy for teachers</a> to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10474412.2013.785182">create and use</a>, either with <a href="https://mygoalpal.fiu.edu">an app</a> or by developing them on their own. First, the teacher along with others – who may include the parents, principal, school psychologist or counselor, and even the child if appropriate – should meet to establish goals. Goals should be positively phrased, such as: “Completed work within time given” or “Participated in class discussions without interruption.” </p>
<p>Once set up, the daily report card can take just 10 seconds to complete. The time savings are significant when one considers the alternatives typically used in schools, such as repeated redirection or reprimanding, or sending the student to the principal’s office to be monitored.</p>
<p>Daily report cards also work. </p>
<p>A 2010 study evaluated children with ADHD where half had a daily report card and half did not. Those with the daily report card had an average of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02796015.2010.12087775">4.5 fewer rule violations</a> per 30-minute class than those without one. Extrapolating across a school day, that is 54 fewer daily rule violations on average, and over 10,000 per school year. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Example of a daily report card used in schools" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/542048/original/file-20230810-25-k9dewx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/542048/original/file-20230810-25-k9dewx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542048/original/file-20230810-25-k9dewx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542048/original/file-20230810-25-k9dewx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542048/original/file-20230810-25-k9dewx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542048/original/file-20230810-25-k9dewx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542048/original/file-20230810-25-k9dewx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">An example of a daily report card.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Florida International University Center for Children and Families</span></span>
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<h2>Realistic goals</h2>
<p>For many children with challenging behaviors, it is important to set goals that can be easily reached – at least at first. </p>
<p>Over time, the goals can be made more challenging as the child experiences success – a <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Behavior-Modification-What-It-Is-and-How-To-Do-It/Martin-Pear/p/book/9780815366546">process called shaping</a>. For example, if a child interrupts a lesson by calling out about five times per class, the initial goal may be set at “Participates in lesson with no more than four interruptions.” </p>
<p>This would represent an improvement, and it would also ensure the goal was reachable. Once the child met the goal for three to five days in a row, the goal could be changed to “Participates in lesson with no more than three interruptions.”</p>
<h2>Positive parent-teacher communications</h2>
<p>Teachers tend to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/spq0000442">communicate with caregivers more frequently</a> when a child is experiencing difficulties in the classroom. But these communications often focus on <a href="https://www.additudemag.com/mean-teacher-comments-adhd-students/">negative behaviors</a>. As a result, they can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2019.1666794">strain relationships</a> between the caregiver and the teacher. Other times, it may result in the caregiver’s avoiding communication with the school. </p>
<p>Daily report cards can result in more positive and solution-focused communication instead of reports focusing only on what went wrong and can therefore enhance caregiver-teacher communication.</p>
<h2>Motivating rewards</h2>
<p>Importantly, the daily report card should be linked to home-based privileges and rewards so that children are motivated to meet daily goals.</p>
<p>At the end of the day, the child brings their daily report card home and, based on their behavior at school that day, home privileges such as an allotment of screen time or a slightly later bedtime can be used as rewards.</p>
<p>Importantly, this is not a punishment program in which a child loses privileges if goals are not met. It also is not bribing the child by providing a reward before an appropriate behavior is completed. Rather, the child starts the day without home privileges and earns them based on positive school behavior. The daily report card tells the child exactly what goals need to be met to earn the motivating privileges. This small difference can be quite powerful for the child because it puts them in charge of how they earn access to things they like to do at home based on how they behaved at school that day.</p>
<p>Evidence suggests this home-based reward system is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02796015.2010.12087775">one of the biggest factors</a> in whether the daily report card is successful. It also provides a new opportunity for the child and caregiver to have a positive discussion about school each day.</p>
<h2>Better than medication?</h2>
<p>There is also evidence that the daily report card is a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2015.1055859">cost-effective approach</a> for children with ADHD as an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2015.1105138">alternative to medication treatment</a>. </p>
<p>My colleagues and I conducted a study in which children with ADHD were randomly assigned to start the school year with either medication or a daily report card. The parents of those assigned the daily report cards took part in classes that taught them how to provide home rewards for it. At the end of the year, the students who started with the daily report card had half as many discipline referrals and 33% fewer disruptive behaviors observed in the classroom than the students receiving medication. The daily report card approach also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2015.1055859">cost less than daily medication</a>. The students who started the school year with the daily report card had overall treatment costs of US$708 less than the students starting with medication.</p>
<p>Teachers and caregivers who want to learn more about daily reports cards can check out the <a href="https://ccf.fiu.edu/research/_assets/how_to_establish_a_school_drc.pdf">downloadable workbook</a> or <a href="https://mygoalpal.fiu.edu">free app</a> designed by my colleagues at Florida International University’s <a href="https://ccf.fiu.edu/">Center for Children and Families</a>. Both resources allow caregivers and teachers to set goals and track a student’s progress. Starting the school year with a daily report card should help the child achieve the positive days needed to get a good grade on their report card at the end of the grading period.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210229/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gregory Fabiano receives funding from the Department of Education and the National Institutes of Health to study positive behavioral supports like the Daily Report Card. Gregory Fabiano also receives royalties from Guilford Publications for a book written about Daily Report Cards.</span></em></p>Traditional report cards sent home every few months are fine for most students. But for kids with behavioral issues, a daily report card can be a better option.Gregory Fabiano, Professor of Psychology, Florida International UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1932062022-11-27T23:29:52Z2022-11-27T23:29:52ZDon’t just bet on the metrics – personal connection is the real key to managing remote workers well<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496872/original/file-20221122-21-7w2r1u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=35%2C11%2C7878%2C4244&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Remote working has become much more common since the pandemic sent people home from their offices and into the Zoom universe. This has put the onus on managers to find new and better ways to engage with and motivate staff, and we’re still learning how best to do this.</p>
<p>Perhaps the commonest advice given to managers is to provide remote staff with clear, measurable goals. Set targets, monitor progress, measure results.</p>
<p>And at first glance, this makes perfect sense. After all, when staff aren’t in the office you can’t keep an eye on them. Better to define outcomes and let them get on with it. You can then measure achievement without micromanaging the process. </p>
<p>But <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296322007469">our research</a> suggests this advice, however well-intentioned, might not be entirely correct. Indeed, if you follow it to the letter, it seems unlikely you’ll get the results you’re expecting. </p>
<h2>Some work is harder to measure</h2>
<p>We began researching remote work before the pandemic by asking experienced managers what they did differently with remote staff and what factors they felt were most important. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.2307/2392023">Earlier studies</a> suggested managers would set clear goals and then monitor progress, otherwise leaving staff to get on with it. Instead, the managers in our study told us they tended to treat remote workers holistically – as people, not just staff. They focused on social connections instead of just objective performance. </p>
<p>We believe these managers have learned to discount conventional advice and develop practices that are more effective with remote staff. As such, their experience contains valuable lessons for today’s managers. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/5-ways-to-create-a-compassionate-workplace-culture-and-help-workers-recover-from-burnout-190489">5 ways to create a compassionate workplace culture and help workers recover from burnout</a>
</strong>
</em>
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<p>One described spending one-on-one calls “just connection and socialising … [It] builds the rapport and the connection [because] you lose opportunities for that being remote.”</p>
<p>One of the main reasons why these managers didn’t rely on metrics and measurable goals with their remote staff is that a great deal of remote work is “knowledge work”. It’s often difficult to quantify this kind of work – to know in advance what will be required or how long it will take. </p>
<p>And because people often work in teams, it can be hard to untangle individual contributions. At best, managers may have rough estimates of individual productivity. But if someone doesn’t meet those estimates, they need more context to understand why – and that relies on talking to people. </p>
<p>Hoping to only measure progress in unpredictable knowledge work the way we measure progress with more predictable work is unlikely to succeed. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496873/original/file-20221122-21-18didt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496873/original/file-20221122-21-18didt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496873/original/file-20221122-21-18didt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496873/original/file-20221122-21-18didt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496873/original/file-20221122-21-18didt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496873/original/file-20221122-21-18didt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496873/original/file-20221122-21-18didt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An office allows managers to read people’s moods more easily, and this can be key to evaluating performance.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Getty Images</span></span>
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</figure>
<h2>Nurturing relationships</h2>
<p>The other reason these managers needed more than goals and metrics was the lack of interpersonal contact. They could not unobtrusively observe how remote staff were coping. As one manager put it, “You don’t have that visual of, oh, this person walked in today and looks happy or they look sad.”</p>
<p>Another manager pointed out that with in-person interaction, “You can see people being playful, hear the grunts or the moans or the sighs or whatever when they’re under pressure. And likewise, you can see when they’re visibly, you know, feeling successful.” With remote staff, “you just never get a sense of that”. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-make-performance-reviews-less-terrible-especially-given-the-challenges-of-supervising-remote-workers-182009">How to make performance reviews less terrible – especially given the challenges of supervising remote workers</a>
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</em>
</p>
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<p>This day-to-day observation was important enough that the managers we spoke to devoted considerable time and energy compensating. They increased communication with remote staff and nurtured relationships. </p>
<p>Advising managers to “focus on clear objectives” with remote workers overlooks the importance of relationships as the basis for understanding performance. </p>
<p>Furthermore, when people are stressed, disengaged or unsure they’re doing a good job, their first instinct is not always to share that with their manager. Instead, they might try to mask those feelings and keep up a good appearance – what one manager called “sticking on a plastic smile for ten minutes”. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/got-zoom-fatigue-out-of-sync-brainwaves-could-be-another-reason-videoconferencing-is-such-a-drag-172380">Got Zoom fatigue? Out-of-sync brainwaves could be another reason videoconferencing is such a drag</a>
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<h2>Intervention to avoid escalation</h2>
<p>In a shared workspace it’s easier to pick up body language, changes in behaviour or working relationships that might hint at deeper problems. That’s much harder when we communicate primarily by email, text or short video calls.</p>
<p>And these cues can be very important. If someone misses a delivery deadline or is less productive, for example, their manager is only likely to find out <em>after</em> it happens. Whereas noticing a change in behaviour earlier might give the manager the chance to intervene and address the problem before it escalates. </p>
<p>Overall, we recommend embracing interpersonal connections rather than relying on measurable goals for what might be unmeasurable work. The fewer the opportunities for in-person observation, the more important establishing good one-on-one relationships becomes.</p>
<p>It will take more time, and maybe more emotional energy, but there’s no shortcut to managing well.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/193206/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Urs Daellenbach undertakes research with funding from the Science for Technological Innovation National Science Challenge hosted at Callaghan Innovation. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Noelle Donnelly and Rebecca Downes do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Advising managers to ‘focus on clear objectives’ with remote workers overlooks the importance of relationships as the basis for understanding performance.Rebecca Downes, Lecturer in Management, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of WellingtonNoelle Donnelly, Senior Lecturer in Employment Relations and Human Resource Management, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of WellingtonUrs Daellenbach, Professor of Management, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of WellingtonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1745922022-01-11T16:21:12Z2022-01-11T16:21:12ZCommit to a ‘wellness streak’ to help manage work stressors<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/439934/original/file-20220110-19-17jjov5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C34%2C4207%2C2517&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Choose an activity you like, and then do that activity for as many consecutive days as you can. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 175px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/commit-to-a--wellness-streak--to-help-manage-work-stressors" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Now that we’re well into 2022, how is your New Year’s resolution going? Did your <em>new year, new me</em> goals make it past the first week of January? </p>
<p>If not, or if <a href="https://www.macleans.ca/news/omicron-wave-relatively-short/">pandemic stressors of the Omicron wave have you feeling down</a> so you didn’t consider resolutions, why not start a well-being streak?</p>
<p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/01/sports/running-streak-rise.html">“Streaking,” recently popularized by some runners</a> — not because they’re <a href="https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=streaking">running nude</a> but because they’re aiming to run for as many consecutive days as possible — can inspire you to take action on your wellness goals, even if prospective marathons aren’t your thing. </p>
<p>With rates of burnout and <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1995-97891-001">compassion fatigue</a> soaring this year in a number of professions, including in <a href="https://theconversation.com/4-steps-to-teacher-recovery-from-compassion-fatigue-and-burnout-during-covid-19-and-beyond-151407">my own field of education</a>, employers and organizational leaders have been more interested <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/what-employees-are-saying-about-the-future-of-remote-work">in finding ways to support their staff’s well-being goals</a>.</p>
<h2>Burnout is a workplace problem</h2>
<p>Burnout and compassion fatigue are <a href="https://www.aana.com/docs/default-source/wellness-aana.com-web-documents-%28all%29/compassion-fatigue-dealing-with-an-occupational-hazard.pdf?sfvrsn=982c4bb1_2">workplace mental and emotional health hazards</a> that can reduce employee productivity and increase absenteeism, so workplace solutions are needed. </p>
<p>But well-intentioned workplace well-being programs can fail <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/17538351011031948">due to cost</a>, lack of <a href="https://doi.org/10.3934/publichealth.2017.1.94">employee interest and participation</a> or perceived lack <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/IJWHM-11-2015-0066">of feasibility by employers</a>. Balancing personal and organizational goals requires respect for the dynamic relationship between the wellness needs of individuals and the mission and values of workplaces. </p>
<p>In my recent <a href="https://www.teachers.ab.ca/SiteCollectionDocuments/ATA/Publications/Research/COOR-101-30-2%20Compassion%20Fatigue-P2-%202021%2006%2018-web.pdf">research into compassion fatigue and burnout in educational workers</a>, I learned that
when study participants felt supported and heard by their school leadership and colleagues, they felt more capable of dealing with workplace stressors. But toxic school cultures exacerbated the symptoms burnout and compassion fatigue, and reduced workers’ ability to manage their stress and seek appropriate help. </p>
<p>Further, my research team found that protecting the educational workers’ “heartwork,” or their fundamental commitment to the social and academic success of the children and youth in their care, needed to be a primary goal of educational employers. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/advice-for-teachers-on-how-to-use-the-summer-to-protect-their-hearts-from-burnout-161488">Advice for teachers on how to use the summer to protect their hearts from burnout</a>
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<p>A strong belief in the good work of education was a key protective factor for the participants in this study, but without organizational support and resources devoted to workplace well-being, <a href="https://heartcareeducators.ca/">heartwork</a> could turn to heartbreak.</p>
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<img alt="An apple with a bite taken out of it." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/439961/original/file-20220110-23-t3m94l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/439961/original/file-20220110-23-t3m94l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439961/original/file-20220110-23-t3m94l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439961/original/file-20220110-23-t3m94l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439961/original/file-20220110-23-t3m94l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439961/original/file-20220110-23-t3m94l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439961/original/file-20220110-23-t3m94l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Protecting employees’ passion and fundamental commitment needs to be a primary goal of employers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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</figure>
<h2>A self-care streak to relieve stress</h2>
<p>In addition to providing critical organizational support and resources, encouraging a voluntary workplace well-being streak is one small way employers can promote employee wellness. </p>
<p>Feeling hopeless and helpless in the face of all the stresses caused by the pandemic and climate change is a common reaction, but reaching positive daily goals can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2008.06.009">build workplace</a> (or, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2007.01.002">for students, academic</a>) buoyancy — the ability to <a href="https://theconversation.com/to-help-students-overcome-setbacks-they-need-to-develop-academic-buoyancy-113469">bounce back</a> from everyday stress. </p>
<p>In my own faculty, the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary, my colleague <a href="https://werklund.ucalgary.ca/educ_info/profiles/1-4497586">Theodora Kapoyannis</a> and I, who both work as
field experience directors, have included a <a href="https://werklund.ucalgary.ca/sites/default/files/teams/16/Mar_Werklund%20Wire.pdf">#FieldSelfCareStreak</a> in the <a href="https://werklund.ucalgary.ca/sites/default/files/teams/16/Approved%20EDUC%20465%20Winter%202021_0.pdf">student teacher practicum courses</a> to coincide with our student teachers starting their kindergarten to Grade 12 school practicum placements. The goal is to advance the <a href="https://werklund.ucalgary.ca/about/community-report-2021/collective-wellbeing">culture of well-being</a> both within our faculty and to encourage students and their partner teachers to take some time during the work day to attend to their well-being goals.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1457416364663083009"}"></div></p>
<p>The streak challenge is to set aside 15-20 minutes of the work day to engage in a self-care activity for the duration of the field practicum course (normally about four to six weeks). Self-care could be anything from taking breaks from work, eating mindfully at lunch time, taking a walk with a colleague, or arriving earlier to ensure lesson plans were ready to go. The streaker chooses an achievable activity, and as leaders, we support them through advocacy, mentorship and encouragement.</p>
<h2>Personal wellness streak</h2>
<p>You could also consider starting your own wellness streak. While January is a common month to start a new goal, a streak can start at any time in the year and doesn’t have to be linked to a formal group. </p>
<p>It can be as easy as choosing an activity you like and then doing that activity for as many consecutive days as you can. Miss a day, that’s OK — start again the next morning. </p>
<p>Some tips to get streaking:</p>
<p><strong>Personalized goals.</strong> Last winter, I joined my sister and her family in the <a href="https://raceroster.com/events/2022/56101/4th-annual-number-ferniestreak">#FernieStreak</a>. This yearly challenge for local residents (and visitors, like me) of Fernie, British Columbia, is to do an outside activity for 30 minutes each day throughout January to raise money for a local charity. I chose to walk every day for the month because I <em>like</em> walking, and I, like many others, was carrying <a href="https://www.apa.org/monitor/2021/07/extra-weight-covid">some extra pandemic pounds</a>.</p>
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<img alt="A snowy trail amid mountains." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/439937/original/file-20220110-16-1ttpldn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/439937/original/file-20220110-16-1ttpldn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439937/original/file-20220110-16-1ttpldn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439937/original/file-20220110-16-1ttpldn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439937/original/file-20220110-16-1ttpldn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439937/original/file-20220110-16-1ttpldn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439937/original/file-20220110-16-1ttpldn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">One of author Astrid Kendrick’s walks, showing Mount Fernie and the Three Sisters (mountain) in Fernie, B.C.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Astrid Kendrick)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong>Enjoyment.</strong> Choosing a goal that is <a href="https://positivepsychology.com/goal-setting-psychology/">enjoyable and motivates</a> you is crucial. After I successfully finished the Fernie streak, I kept going — walking every day for 365 days — even in the cold, the record heat, the wildfire smoke and the rain of 2021. As my Norwegian mother used to say, “<a href="https://www.lifeinnorway.net/norwegian-phrases"><em>Det finnes ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlige klær</em></a>.” (There isn’t bad weather, only bad clothes).</p>
<p><strong>Start small.</strong> Answer for yourself: What do you want to do? Do you have what you need to begin? What amount of time can you set aside each day? Can you talk a work colleague, friend, partner or family member into doing your goal with you? I talked my husband into walking with me, and he did until I lost him to golf for the summer months.</p>
<p><strong>Accountability.</strong> Keeping yourself on your streak can be as simple as making a check mark on your calendar, posting a picture in a social media group or tweeting your success every time you complete your activity. Or, if you prefer digital motivation, <a href="https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-fitness-trackers">many trackers</a> and <a href="https://www.lifewire.com/best-goal-setting-apps-3485941">apps designed</a> specifically to keep people motivated are available. </p>
<p><strong>Find like-minded people or persuade your co-workers to join you.</strong> Knowing that other people are on a streak can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/2103354.2103356">create a community</a> that encourages you to keep going. </p>
<h2>Overcoming obstacles</h2>
<p>Just like sports teams don’t quit playing if their winning streak is broken, missing a day of your streak doesn’t mean you’ve failed. Reflect on why you missed your goal and start fresh tomorrow. </p>
<p>Is your time goal unattainable because of your work commitments and schedule? Reduce it to something attainable. I made my official goal 20 minutes of exercise because, some days, that was all I could manage. Have you lost interest in your activity? Try a different goal like “I will be active outside for 15 minutes,” “I will turn off my email notifications at 6 p.m. each night” or “I will be creative by writing or drawing for 20 minutes.” </p>
<p>The point of choosing your own streak goal is that you can change it at any time to match your own circumstances.</p>
<p>So, start your streak!</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/174592/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Astrid H. Kendrick receives funding from the Alberta Teachers Association and the ASEBP (Alberta School Employee Benefits Plan). She is the co-chair of the Health Promoting Schools Collaborative with Alberta Health Services.</span></em></p>Workplaces, in addition to providing critical organizational resources, can encourage employees to undertake a voluntary workplace well-being streak, or employees can commit to their own.Astrid H. Kendrick, Director, Field Experience (Community-Based), Werklund School of Education, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1741772022-01-05T15:59:54Z2022-01-05T15:59:54ZLearn time management to make those New Year’s resolutions stick<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/439201/original/file-20220103-117041-1w881i8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5324%2C3552&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Popular New Year's resolutions include exercising, learning a new skill and travelling.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 175px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/learn-time-management-to-make-those-new-year-s-resolutions-stick" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Does this sound familiar? You make <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/new-years-resolution-2022-meaning-origin-ideas-1662947">a New Year’s resolution</a>, like learning a new language, reading more books or playing an instrument. You’re really excited at the beginning. You even go out and buy books or sign up for lessons. But then life happens. </p>
<p>You get busy at work, you have to take care of your kids or elderly parents, and before you know it, the month is over and you’ve barely made a dent.</p>
<p>Worse, you feel more and more like your resolution conflicts with your daily life. Every day you try to fit in time for it feels like an extra burden, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1509/jmr.14.0130">which increases your sense of time pressure</a>. This is one of the most experienced — but rarely talked about — aspects of New Year’s resolutions: they squeeze your time.</p>
<p>Because this keeps happening year after year, it might be helpful to understand why.</p>
<h2>How we think about time</h2>
<p>It’s no secret that people <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.04.011">don’t think about time very rationally</a> — we often fall prey to cognitive biases that distort our perception of time. And two such biases play a big role in our unsuccessful New Year’s resolutions.</p>
<p>First, there’s the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2014.1901">fresh start effect</a>. This psychological phenomenon makes people see the beginning of a new year (or a new semester, month <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2019.02.005">or even week</a>) as an opportunity to distance themselves from their past failures. </p>
<p>It does this by resetting people’s mental accounting of time, making them believe that they can start anew and do better this time around (“new year, new me”). As a result, people become a lot more motivated and confident, which makes them want to take on more challenges and become their best selves — perhaps to a fault.</p>
<p>Then there’s the dreadful <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0096-3445.134.1.23">“yes … damn!” effect</a>, a bias that makes people wrongly believe they will have more time in the future than right now. This is the cognitive bias responsible for why so many of us agree to future activities like agreeing to be on a committee (“yes”), but then regret it when time comes because we realize we don’t have the free time we thought we would (“damn!”). </p>
<p>Around New Year’s, it’s easy to convince ourselves that time will be on our side, especially since we still have a whole year ahead of us. But as time goes on, this delusion quickly becomes apparent.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman writes in a journal while looking at her watch" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/439210/original/file-20220103-48250-hc7za8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/439210/original/file-20220103-48250-hc7za8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439210/original/file-20220103-48250-hc7za8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439210/original/file-20220103-48250-hc7za8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439210/original/file-20220103-48250-hc7za8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439210/original/file-20220103-48250-hc7za8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439210/original/file-20220103-48250-hc7za8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Time management will allow you to carve out time for all the things you want to accomplish.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Time blind</h2>
<p>Is there anything we can do about this? Interestingly, the authors of the “yes …damn!” effect <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0096-3445.134.1.23">noted that it’s hard for people to</a> “learn from feedback that time will not be more abundant in the future because of the irregular ways people spend their time … they perceive that activities that compete for their time today are irrelevant to those that will compete in the future.”</p>
<p>In other words, we don’t learn from our “yes … damn!” mistakes when our days aren’t structured and predictable. We can’t learn our lessons when there are no apparent patterns to how we use time — lack of structure makes us time-blind.</p>
<p>In a sense, failing to structure our time is a bit like living in a messy house. The clutter makes it hard for people to clearly see the furniture and appliances they own. Just as people make resolutions they don’t have time for around New Year’s, messy homeowners get tempted to buy things they don’t need (or don’t have space for) because they don’t know what they already have.</p>
<h2>Seeing time</h2>
<p>The solution? Structure your time.</p>
<p>Try time management. It is an essential <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1742-9536.2011.00008.x">tool to establish structure in your day-to-day life</a>. When your days are more structured and organized, you can get a better, more realistic idea of how much time you have to take on new commitments. </p>
<p>An organized schedule cures time blindness — it’s much harder to over commit when you can see your time structured and laid out in front of you.</p>
<p>Time management also <a href="https://doi.org/10.5465/amp.2016.0166">helps you make time to acquire new skills</a>. We often forget that anything in life takes time. That’s why the first step toward getting better at something is learning how to make time for it. And that’s exactly what time management does: it gives you time to work on the things that are important to you.</p>
<p>So this year, instead of making new resolutions that will <em>take</em> you more time, resolve to learn a skill that will <em>make</em> you more time. </p>
<p>Time management will allow you to carve out time for all the things you want to accomplish this year and for many years to come.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/174177/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brad Aeon receives funding from federal and provincial research grants. </span></em></p>New Year’s resolutions can help us aim for a better future, but time management is the real key to actually achieving those resolutions.Brad Aeon, Assistant Professor, Time Management Researcher, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1735052022-01-04T13:07:30Z2022-01-04T13:07:30ZWhy does experiencing ‘flow’ feel so good? A communication scientist explains<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438296/original/file-20211218-25-1ktuz4s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=87%2C227%2C2868%2C1623&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Research shows that people who have flow as a regular part of their lives are happier and less likely to focus on themselves.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/winter-holidays-in-ski-resort-royalty-free-image/1280113636?adppopup=true">Yulkapopkova/E+ via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>New years often come with new resolutions. Get back in shape. Read more. Make more time for friends and family. My list of resolutions might not look quite the same as yours, but each of our resolutions represents a plan for something new, or at least a little bit different. As you craft your 2022 resolutions, I hope that you will add one that is also on my list: feel more flow.</p>
<p>Psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi’s <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/flow-mihaly-csikszentmihalyi">research on flow</a> started in the 1970s. He has called it the “<a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_flow_the_secret_to_happiness">secret to happiness</a>.” Flow is a state of “optimal experience” that each of us can incorporate into our everyday lives. One characterized by immense joy that makes a life worth living.</p>
<p>In the years since, researchers have gained a vast store of knowledge about what it is like to be in flow and how experiencing it is important for our overall mental health and well-being. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53468-4_1">In short</a>, we are completely absorbed in a highly rewarding activity – and not in our inner monologues – when we feel flow. </p>
<p>I am an <a href="https://communication.ucdavis.edu/people/rwhuskey">assistant professor of communication and cognitive science</a>, and I have been studying flow for the last 10 years. My <a href="https://cogcommscience.com/">research lab</a> investigates what is happening in our brains when people experience flow. Our goal is to better understand how the experience happens and to make it easier for people to feel flow and its benefits.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man paints on canvas in a studio." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438884/original/file-20211222-21-jswvjh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438884/original/file-20211222-21-jswvjh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438884/original/file-20211222-21-jswvjh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438884/original/file-20211222-21-jswvjh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438884/original/file-20211222-21-jswvjh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438884/original/file-20211222-21-jswvjh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438884/original/file-20211222-21-jswvjh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Flow can arise when playing games or engaged in artistic pursuits, like writing, photography, sculpting and painting.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/young-asian-male-woman-paint-drawing-acrylic-color-royalty-free-image/1314904308?adppopup=true">Somyot Techapuwapat/Moment via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What it is like to be in flow?</h2>
<p>People often say flow is like “being in the zone.” Psychologists Jeanne Nakamura and Csíkszentmihályi <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9088-8_16">describe it</a> as something more. When people feel flow, they are in a state of intense concentration. Their thoughts are focused on an experience rather than on themselves. They lose a sense of time and feel as if there is a merging of their actions and their awareness. That they have control over the situation. That the experience is not physically or mentally taxing.</p>
<p>Most importantly, flow is what researchers call an autotelic experience. Autotelic derives from two Greek words: autos (self) and telos (end or goal). Autotelic experiences are things that are worth doing in and of themselves. Researchers sometimes call these intrinsically rewarding experiences. Flow experiences are intrinsically rewarding.</p>
<h2>What causes flow?</h2>
<p>Flow occurs when a task’s <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9088-8_16">challenge is balanced with one’s skill</a>. In fact, both the task challenge and skill level have to be high. I often tell my students that they will not feel flow when they are doing the dishes. Most people are highly skilled dishwashers, and washing dishes is not a very challenging task.</p>
<p>So when do people experience flow? Csíkszentmihályi’s <a href="https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Beyond+Boredom+and+Anxiety%3A+Experiencing+Flow+in+Work+and+Play%2C+25th+Anniversary+Edition-p-9780787951405">research in the 1970s</a> focused on people doing tasks they enjoyed. He studied swimmers, music composers, chess players, dancers, mountain climbers and other athletes. He went on to study how people can find flow in more <a href="https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/mihaly-csikszentmihalhi/finding-flow/9780465024117/">everyday experiences</a>. I am an avid snowboarder, and I regularly feel flow on the mountain. Other people feel it by practicing yoga – not me, unfortunately! – by riding their bike, cooking or going for a run. So long as that task’s challenge is high, and so are your skills, you should be able to achieve flow.</p>
<p>Researchers also know that people can experience flow by using <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2885.2004.tb00318.x">interactive media</a>, like <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167207310026">playing a video game</a>. In fact, <a href="https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Beyond+Boredom+and+Anxiety%3A+Experiencing+Flow+in+Work+and+Play%2C+25th+Anniversary+Edition-p-9780787951405">Csíkszentmihályi said</a> that “games are obvious flow activities, and play is the flow experience par excellence.” <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/305501/reality-is-broken-by-jane-mcgonigal/">Video game developers</a> are very familiar with the idea, and they think hard about how to <a href="https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/theory-of-fun/9781449363208/">design games so that players feel flow</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/439289/original/file-20220104-19-82f3iv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Diagram of the relationship between difficulty of a challenge, skill level and the experience of flow." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/439289/original/file-20220104-19-82f3iv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/439289/original/file-20220104-19-82f3iv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439289/original/file-20220104-19-82f3iv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439289/original/file-20220104-19-82f3iv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439289/original/file-20220104-19-82f3iv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439289/original/file-20220104-19-82f3iv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439289/original/file-20220104-19-82f3iv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Flow occurs when a task’s challenge – and one’s skills at the task – are both high.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Adapted from Nakamura/Csíkszentmihályi</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Why is it good to feel flow?</h2>
<p>Earlier I said that Csíkszentmihályi called flow “the secret to happiness.” Why is that? For one thing, the experience can help people <a href="https://doi.org/10.1521/soco.2021.39.4.526">pursue their long-term goals</a>. This is because research shows that taking a break to do something fun can help enhance one’s <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167220941998">self-control, goal pursuit and well-being</a>. </p>
<p>So next time you are feeling like a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jcom.12107">guilty couch potato</a> for playing a video game, remind yourself that you are actually doing something that can help set you up for long-term success and well-being. Importantly, quality – and not necessarily quantity – matters. Research shows that spending a lot of time playing video games only has a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.202049">very small influence</a> on your overall well-being. Focus on finding games that help you feel flow, rather than on spending more time playing games.</p>
<p>A recent study also shows that flow helps people <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.05.005">stay resilient</a> in the face of adversity. Part of this is because flow can help <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000479">refocus thoughts</a> away from something stressful to something enjoyable. In fact, studies have shown that experiencing flow can help guard against <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2017.09.017">depression and burnout</a>.</p>
<p>Research also shows that people who experienced <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0242043">stronger feelings of flow had better well-being</a> during the COVID-19 quarantine compared to people who had weaker experiences. This might be because feeling flow helped distract them from worrying. </p>
<h2>What is your brain doing during flow?</h2>
<p>Researchers have been studying flow for nearly 50 years, but only recently have they begun to decipher what is going on in the brain during flow. One of my colleagues, media neuroscientist René Weber, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2885.2009.01352.x">has proposed</a> that flow is associated with a specific brain-network configuration. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.pbr.2017.06.012">Supporting Weber’s hypothesis</a>, studies show that the experience is associated with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.08.019">activity in brain structures</a> implicated in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsr021">feeling reward</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsv133">pursuing our goals</a>. This may be one reason why flow feels so enjoyable and why people are so focused on tasks that make them feel flow. Research also shows that flow is associated with <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00169">decreased activity</a> in brain structures implicated in self-focus. This may help explain why feeling flow can help distract people from worry.</p>
<p>[<em>Get the best of The Conversation, every weekend.</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?nl=weekly&source=inline-weeklybest">Sign up for our weekly newsletter</a>.]</p>
<p><a href="https://www.medianeuroscience.org/">Weber</a>, <a href="https://www.jacobtfisher.com/">Jacob Fisher</a> and I have developed a video game called <a href="https://github.com/asteroidimpact/asteroid_impact_py3">Asteroid Impact</a> to help us better study flow. In my own research, I have participants <a href="https://doi.org/10.3758/s13415-018-0612-6">play Asteroid Impact</a> while having their brain scanned. My work has shown that flow is associated with a specific brain network configuration that has <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/jqy043">low energy requirements</a>. This may help explain why we do not experience flow as being physically or mentally demanding. I have also shown that, instead of maintaining one stable network configuration, the brain actually <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/jqab044">changes its network configuration</a> during flow. This is important because <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.3470">rapid brain network reconfiguration</a> helps people adapt to difficult tasks.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Asteroid Impact" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438518/original/file-20211220-18663-1qo5axk.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438518/original/file-20211220-18663-1qo5axk.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438518/original/file-20211220-18663-1qo5axk.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438518/original/file-20211220-18663-1qo5axk.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438518/original/file-20211220-18663-1qo5axk.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438518/original/file-20211220-18663-1qo5axk.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438518/original/file-20211220-18663-1qo5axk.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A player controls a spaceship to collect crystals and avoid asteroids in a video game called Asteroid Impact.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Jacob Fisher via https://github.com/asteroidimpact/asteroid_impact_py3</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What more can the brain tell us?</h2>
<p>Right now, researchers do not know how brain responses associated with flow contribute to well-being. With very <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-018-5378-0">few exceptions</a>, there is almost no research on how brain responses actually cause flow. Every neuroscience study I described earlier was correlational, not causal. Said differently, we can conclude that these brain responses are associated with flow. We cannot conclude that these brain responses cause flow.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.05.005">Researchers think</a> the connection between flow and well-being has something to do with three things: suppressing brain activation in structures associated with thinking about ourselves, dampening activation in structures associated with negative thoughts, and increasing activation in reward-processing regions.</p>
<p>I’d argue that testing this hypothesis is vital. Medical professionals have started to use video games in <a href="https://www.akiliinteractive.com/">clinical applications</a> to help treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. Maybe one day a clinician will be able to help prescribe a Food and Drug Adminstration-approved video game to help bolster someone’s resilience or help them fight off depression. </p>
<p>That is probably several years into the future, <a href="https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/8cxyh">if it is even possible at all</a>. Right now, I hope that you will resolve to find more flow in your everyday life. You may find that this helps you achieve your other resolutions, too.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/173505/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Richard Huskey does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Research shows that people with more flow in their lives had a higher sense of well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Scientists are beginning to explore what happens in the brain during flow.Richard Huskey, Assistant Professor of Communication and Cognitive Science, University of California, DavisLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1614672021-05-27T17:53:31Z2021-05-27T17:53:31ZGoing beyond ‘back to normal’ – 5 research-based tips for emerging from pandemic life<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/403145/original/file-20210527-23-1k3re5s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=32%2C0%2C4997%2C3375&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">You don't need to pick up exactly where you left off; you can think about how you want your life to look.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/portrait-of-mature-businesswoman-working-on-laptop-royalty-free-image/1097994624">Thomas Barwick/DigitalVision via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>You’ve been waiting… and waiting… and waiting for this amazing, magical day when you could return to “normal life.”</p>
<p>For many people in the U.S., it feels like that dim light at the end of the pandemic tunnel is becoming brighter. My 12- and 14-year-old daughters now have their first shot, with the second one soon to follow. I was euphoric when the kids received their vaccinations, choking up under my mask at the relief that my family was now unlikely to get sick or pass the coronavirus on to others more vulnerable than we are. Finally our family could start returning to so-called normal life.</p>
<p>But what should those of us fortunate enough to be vaccinated return to? I didn’t exactly feel euphoric each day in my normal life pre-COVID-19. How should you choose what to rebuild, what to leave behind and what new paths to try for the first time? <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=zYSMPmcAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">Clinical psychological science</a> provides some helpful clues for how to chart your course out of pandemic life.</p>
<h2>1. Set realistic expectations</h2>
<p>You are less likely to be disappointed if you <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.65.1.79">set reasonable expectations</a>.</p>
<p>For instance, you’ll likely feel some anxiety as you try to figure out what’s OK to do and what’s still risky. Even as the risk level has declined in many places, there is still uncertainty and unpredictability tied to the current coronavirus risks, and it’s natural to feel <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016830">anxious or ambivalent when letting go of an established habit</a>, like wearing masks. So, be ready for some anxiety and realize it doesn’t mean something is wrong – it’s a natural reaction to a very unnatural situation.</p>
<p>It’s also likely that many social interactions will feel a little awkward at first. Most Americans are out of practice socializing, and <a href="https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/exposure-therapy">repeated practice is what helps us feel comfortable</a>.</p>
<p>Even if your social skills were at their peak, the current moment serves up a lot to navigate interpersonally. Chances are you won’t always agree with the people in your life on where to draw the lines about what’s safe and what’s not. There are going to be some complicated July Fourth parties to navigate given many families have some members vaccinated and some not. That will be frustrating after waiting so long to finally get together.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/403147/original/file-20210527-17-1ezzbh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="woman in a car's driver's seat covers her face with her hands" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/403147/original/file-20210527-17-1ezzbh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/403147/original/file-20210527-17-1ezzbh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403147/original/file-20210527-17-1ezzbh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403147/original/file-20210527-17-1ezzbh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403147/original/file-20210527-17-1ezzbh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403147/original/file-20210527-17-1ezzbh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403147/original/file-20210527-17-1ezzbh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Pre-pandemic life wasn’t perfect – don’t idealize what it will be like to get back to the way things were.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/sad-businesswoman-driver-sitting-in-car-royalty-free-image/878990826">baona/E+ via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>And you won’t automatically have warm, fuzzy feelings about all your colleagues, family, friends and neighbors. Many of those little annoyances that cropped up in your interactions before you ever heard of COVID-19 will still be there.</p>
<p>So, expect some awkwardness, frustration and annoyance – everyone’s creating new patterns and adjusting to changed relationships. This should all get easier with time and practice, but having realistic expectations can make the transition smoother. </p>
<h2>2. Live your values</h2>
<p>To help plan which activities and relationships to put time into, think about your priorities.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kathleen-Palm-Reed/publication/232494484_Acceptance_Mindfulness_and_Trauma/links/00b7d51a7934787fb2000000/Acceptance-Mindfulness-and-Trauma.pdf#page=137">Living in ways that are consistent with your values</a> can promote well-being and reduce anxiety and depression. <a href="https://www.guilford.com/books/Acceptance-and-Commitment-Therapy/Hayes-Strosahl-Wilson/9781462528943">Many therapeutic exercises</a> are designed to help reduce the discrepancy between your stated values and the choices you make day to day.</p>
<p>Imagine you are asked to carve a pie to illustrate your different roles and how important each is to the way you feel about yourself and the values you prioritize. You might value your roles as a mother, a spouse and a friend most highly, assigning them the biggest pieces of your pie.</p>
<p><iframe id="OYom5" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/OYom5/1/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>Now, what if you were asked to carve that pie in a way that reflects how you actually allocate your time and energy, or how you actually tend to evaluate yourself. Is the time you spend with friends much lower than its value to you? Is the tendency to judge yourself based on rigid work demands much higher?</p>
<p><iframe id="zSYQc" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/zSYQc/3/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>Of course, time is not the only meaningful metric, and all of us have periods when certain parts of our lives need to dominate – think about life as a parent of a newborn, or a student during final exams. But this process of considering your values and trying to align what you value and how you live can help guide your choices during this complex time.</p>
<h2>3. Keep track</h2>
<p><a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2014-05860-011">Clinical psychologists recommend</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2016.06.046">engaging in activities that feel rewarding</a> in some way to stave off negative moods. Doing things that are pleasurable, that provide a sense of accomplishment or help you meet your goals can all feel rewarding, so this isn’t just about having fun.</p>
<p>For most people, some balance of fun, productive, social, active and relaxing activities in life is key to feeling like your different needs are being met. So, try keeping track of your activities and mood for a week. See when you feel more or less happy and when you feel like you’re meeting your goals, and adjust accordingly. It will take some trial and error to find the balance of activities that provides that sense of reward.</p>
<h2>4. Is this a time of growth or preservation?</h2>
<p>There is fascinating research showing that the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024569803230">perception of time can influence your goals and motivation</a>. If you feel time is waning – as often occurs for older adults or those experiencing a serious illness – you are likely to seek deeper connections with a smaller number of people. Alternatively, those who feel time is open-ended and expansive tend to seek new relationships and experiences.</p>
<p>As restrictions loosen, are you desperate to visit a close friend in the town you grew up in? Or more excited to travel to an exotic location and make new friends? There isn’t a right answer, but this research can help you consider your current priorities and plan that next reunion or trip accordingly.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/403149/original/file-20210527-19-1gn4tg5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="older man smiles up at younger man with his arm around his shoulders" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/403149/original/file-20210527-19-1gn4tg5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/403149/original/file-20210527-19-1gn4tg5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403149/original/file-20210527-19-1gn4tg5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403149/original/file-20210527-19-1gn4tg5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403149/original/file-20210527-19-1gn4tg5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403149/original/file-20210527-19-1gn4tg5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403149/original/file-20210527-19-1gn4tg5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Helping others ends up benefiting you, too.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/senior-man-smiling-at-young-man-royalty-free-image/946924454">Westend61 via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>5. Recognize your privilege and pay it forward</h2>
<p>If you are vaccinated and healthy and can return to more normal activities, then you are in a fortunate group after a year of such devastating losses. As you plan how to use this time, consider the research showing that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2018.02.014">your emotional health improves when you do things to benefit others</a>.</p>
<p>Being intentional about helping others is a win-win. Many people and communities are in need right now, so think about how you can contribute – be it time, money, resources, skills or a listening ear. Asking what your community needs to recover and thrive and how you can help address those needs, as well as considering what you and your household need, can boost everyone’s well-being.</p>
<p>As the return to so-called normal life becomes more of a reality, don’t idealize post-pandemic life or you are bound to be disappointed. Instead, be grateful and intentional about what you choose to do with this gift of a reboot. With a little thought, you can do better than “normal.”</p>
<p>[<em>Research into coronavirus and other news from science</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/science-editors-picks-71/?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=science-corona-research">Subscribe to The Conversation’s new science newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/161467/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bethany Teachman receives funding from the National Institute of Mental Health and grants from the University of Virginia. She is the Director of the MindTrails site.</span></em></p>After more than a year of idealizing life without COVID-19, people are starting to reenter ‘normal’ life. Clinical psychology provides guidance on how to prepare for your post-pandemic reboot.Bethany Teachman, Professor of Psychology, University of VirginiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1562572021-03-04T16:59:14Z2021-03-04T16:59:14ZThree ways behavioural psychology might help you lose weight<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387791/original/file-20210304-21-7v66ku.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C8%2C5948%2C3959&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Tracking what you eat is one method proven to work.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/morning-habits-successful-people-day-planning-1062374222">Okrasiuk/ Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>There’s no shortage of weight loss programmes out there to choose from, each of which claim to have the key to shedding pounds. One of the latest popular weight loss programmes out there is <a href="https://www.noom.com/programs/health-weight/exsf01d/?upv=3&sp=google&utm_source=g&utm_medium=paidsearch&utm_campaign=9980845172&utm_content=433676597497&utm_term=kwd-299095591416%7Cnoom&gid=101188158712%7C&type=branded%7Cintent%7Ce&cid=EAIaIQobChMIiI2vysWS7wIVkL7tCh0uiArfEAAYASAAEgKj4fD_BwE&pos=&step=pros&lang=en&device=c&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIiI2vysWS7wIVkL7tCh0uiArfEAAYASAAEgKj4fD_BwE#/">Noom</a>, which claims that behavioural psychology is the key to helping people lose weight for good – including those who haven’t had success in the past. </p>
<p>Behavioural psychology aims to understand why we behave the way we do and analyse patterns in our <a href="https://www.sbm.org/UserFiles/file/BehaviorMattersAJPM2011.pdf">actions and behaviours</a>. Using it to aid weight loss means understanding the many factors that influence weight gain, such as easy access to unhealthy foods. This can help us make changes to prevent this from happening.</p>
<p>Although <a href="https://mhealth.jmir.org/2020/7/e17842/">one study</a> has looked at Noom’s effectiveness when it comes to weight loss, it’s still difficult to say whether it’s more successful than other similar programmes in aiding weight loss. But we do know from a wide body of research that many behavioural psychology techniques can be used to help people successfully lose weight.</p>
<h2>1. Goal setting</h2>
<p>Many weight loss programmes start by asking people to set a goal. And <a href="https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12966-017-0494-y">research</a> indeed shows that creating this “intention” actually motivates you to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5111772/">change your behaviour</a>. </p>
<p>And this is true no matter if your goal is to lose a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0738399111003855?casa_token=rS_5czva9jUAAAAA:n7MBwF3XZ9_nFoG95eRUqZ7Nex3x2ox2mu1_N0F88pFBf5doPwAaW5BPP_rS-5FDWITwWgsQTw#bib0070">certain amount of weight</a>, <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.4278/0890-1171-19.2.81?casa_token=gU_YezvbqpsAAAAA:xOIv7W7P7zk9NfMUKlRXcTABWB5zDx1wSfYoI3-YB8aHeTmhs95b5eWNLPMsX4qRarNt125KXz_Z">eat healthier</a> or to <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2016-05525-006">exercise more</a>. But since physical activity on its own is unlikely to cause a <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjug6qIx5LvAhUIXMAKHaRrBmYQFjADegQIAhAD&url=https%3A%2F%2Fbjsm.bmj.com%2Fcontent%2F49%2F15%2F967&usg=AOvVaw2F5PWs4iO-gtLbZP3TVvOY">significant amount of weight loss</a>, a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4180002/">combination of goals</a> may be most effective in keeping people motivated and helping them reach their goals.</p>
<p>But how many goals should a person set? One study found that <a href="https://academic.oup.com/her/article/22/4/532/633956">frequent goal setting</a> means that you’re more likely to implement changes, which ultimately means you’re more likely to lose weight. However, there’s no concrete evidence of the exact number of goals to be set. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Woman performing lunges while holding dumbbells." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387792/original/file-20210304-23-3vd8os.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387792/original/file-20210304-23-3vd8os.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387792/original/file-20210304-23-3vd8os.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387792/original/file-20210304-23-3vd8os.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387792/original/file-20210304-23-3vd8os.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387792/original/file-20210304-23-3vd8os.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387792/original/file-20210304-23-3vd8os.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A combination of goals may keep you motivated and help you lose weight.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/plus-size-woman-performing-lunges-dumbbell-1030981678">LightField Studios/ Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Previously it was thought that goals had to be <a href="https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/206403614.pdf">specific</a> – for example, aiming to lose one pound a week until you’ve lost twenty pounds altogether. But more <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17437199.2019.1706616">recent research</a> suggests this may not true – with data showing goal setting is effective even if the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26445201/">goals are vaguely defined</a> (such as aiming to be more active, rather than aiming to run for ten minutes everyday).</p>
<p>The jury is also still out on whether goals should be large or small. But <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2017-53491-007">one review</a> that looked at goal setting for behaviour change concluded that goal setting was effective when goals were challenging, set publicly, and was a group goal. While only 6% of the studies in this review were about weight loss specifically, other <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5111772/#jhn12390-bib-0009">research</a> has found that people who have large goals (such as losing 20kg in three months) lose more weight than those with smaller goals (such as losing 5kg in the same time frame). The same has been found for goals relating to <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0208644">physical activity</a> – showing how important setting goals is.</p>
<h2>2. Self-monitoring</h2>
<p>Measuring your weight and what you eat – known as “self-monitoring” – is one of the most <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/cob.12180">effective strategies</a> from the field of behavioural psychology for weight loss. It’s also included in most weight management programmes. Self-monitoring works by making you more aware of what you’re eating and drinking, and what is happening to your weight. In turn, this can help you avoid overeating <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/cob.12261">indulgent, unhealthy foods</a>.</p>
<p>People that are <a href="http://www.nwcr.ws/Research/default.htm">successful at losing weight</a> – and keeping it off – weigh themselves regularly. Research shows weighing yourself at least <a href="https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12966-015-0267-4">once per week</a> leads to the greatest success – with one <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/oby.20396">study</a> even suggesting weighing daily.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0749379712002425?casa_token=4fXWKlmj-hsAAAAA:tAbChlM0I_ap6nwSwj_s7P_Vb0t-1E1JnYQc6hO3SCxwCGH7UoMNIBKrx4JBuFAEaasQkNZT8Q">Recording what you eat</a> takes more time then weighing yourself, but it’s as <a href="https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-11-119?optIn=false">important</a> and is <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/oby.22382">proven to work</a>.</p>
<p>The trick here is finding an easy way to do this so that you can sustain it. While filling out food diaries works, people can often <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2855299/">feel like they don’t have time or are too tired</a> at the end of the day to do so. A compromise could be to record what you eat when you first begin trying to lose weight, then weigh yourself to keep on target. If your weight goes back up, go back to recording what you eat.</p>
<p>There are <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2018-35470-004">concerns</a> that tracking weight and diet – particularly with weight – can create obsessiveness and lead to eating disorders. However, other <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2018-63407-001">research</a> has shown self-monitoring has no bad effects. Overall, self-monitoring may not work for some people, but is proven to be helpful for many.</p>
<h2>3. Social support</h2>
<p>The third strategy is to get <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/obr.12396">feedback</a> and support from <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1038/oby.2011.293">friends, family</a>, or <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/obr.12165">supervised programmes</a>. The reason <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/1602194">social support</a> helps is because it creates a sense of <a href="https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/3000496/1/Ahern%20AFM%20Final%20Version.pdf">accountability</a>.</p>
<p>Research has shown that people who attend weight loss programmes with a <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1999-00242-015">friend</a> or <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/0802383">family member</a> are more likely to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4990387/">stick with it</a> and lose more weight. There appears to be no particular person that’s better for motivation – the important thing is that <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/224865">supporters are engaged</a>. </p>
<p>Since most weight loss programmes that use these strategies from <a href="https://bjgp.org/content/64/620/e128.short">behavioural psychology work</a>, the key is to find a programme that you like and stick to it. If a programme or app isn’t your thing, then set a goal, measure your progress, and ask someone in your social circle to help.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/156257/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Claire Madigan receives funding from the National Institute of Health Research. </span></em></p>Behavioural psychology aims to help us understand why we make the choices we do.Claire Madigan, Senior research associate, Loughborough UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1525232021-01-08T13:31:34Z2021-01-08T13:31:34Z5 strategies for cultivating hope this year<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377644/original/file-20210107-22-qcem6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=5%2C30%2C3347%2C1962&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">How do we find hope when times are bleak?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/in-a-file-picture-taken-on-november-25-2011-a-woman-walks-news-photo/134866808?adppopup=true">Peter Muhly/AFP via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The raging coronavirus pandemic, along with political turbulence and uncertainty, have overwhelmed many of us. </p>
<p>From almost the start of 2020, people have been faced with bleak prospects as <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/01/07/21/global-coronavirus-deaths-hit-record-high">illness, death</a>, isolation and job losses became unwelcome parts of our reality. On Wednesday, many of us watched in horror and despair as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/world/europe/trump-capitol-2020-election-mob.html">insurgents stormed the U.S. Capitol</a>.</p>
<p>Indeed, all through these times, both the dark and bright sides of human nature were evident as many people engaged in <a href="https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/eight_acts_of_goodness_amid_the_covid_19_outbreak">extraordinary compassion</a> and courage when others were <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/01/06/dc-protests-trump-rally-live-updates/">committing acts of violence</a>, <a href="https://carey.jhu.edu/articles/news-research/stockpiling-retail-shoppers-during-pandemic-justifiable-or-just-greedy">self-interest or greed</a>. </p>
<p>As a research scientist whose work focuses on <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12552-016-9190-9">positive psychology</a> among people facing challenges, I am deeply aware that if ever there were a time for a conversation about hope, it is now.</p>
<h2>Hope vs. optimism</h2>
<p>First, let’s understand what hope is. Many people confuse optimism with hope.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195187243.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780195187243-miscMatter-011">Charles R. Snyder</a>, author of “<a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Psychology_of_Hope.html?id=b3bz8tzBvC0C">The Psychology of Hope</a>,” defined hope as the tendency to see desired goals as possible, and to approach those goals with “agency thinking,” a belief that you or others have the ability to achieve the goals. He also defined hope as “pathways thinking,” a focus on mapping routes and plans to achieve those goals. </p>
<p><a href="https://bit.ly/3ocU5HI">Optimism is different</a>. Psychologist <a href="https://www.psychologicalscience.org/publications/observer/obsonline/charles-carver-1947-2019.html">Charles Carver</a> defines <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2010.01.006">optimism</a> as a general expectation that good things will happen in the future. Optimists tend to seek out the positive and, at times, deny or avoid negative information. In sum, optimism is about expecting good things; hope is about how we plan and act to achieve what we want. </p>
<p>Here are five key strategies to cultivate hope in these trying times:</p>
<h2>1. Do something – start with goals</h2>
<p>Hopeful people do not wish – they imagine and act. They establish <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1448867?seq=1">clear, achievable goals</a> and make a clear plan. They believe in their agency – that is, their capacity to achieve the outcomes. They recognize that their path will be marked by stresses, roadblocks and failure. According to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.10096">psychologists such as Snyder and others</a>, people who are hopeful are able to “anticipate these barriers” and they “choose” the right “pathways.”</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377632/original/file-20210107-15-f711vw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A women hugs two young girls." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377632/original/file-20210107-15-f711vw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377632/original/file-20210107-15-f711vw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377632/original/file-20210107-15-f711vw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377632/original/file-20210107-15-f711vw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377632/original/file-20210107-15-f711vw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377632/original/file-20210107-15-f711vw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377632/original/file-20210107-15-f711vw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Hopeful people imagine and act.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/mother-wearing-a-mask-holds-her-two-children-outside-of-nyu-news-photo/1223905449?adppopup=true">Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images Entertainment</a></span>
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<p>Further, hopeful people <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.10096">adapt</a>. When their hopes are thwarted, they tend to become more focused on doing things to achieve their goals. </p>
<p>As psychologist <a href="https://www.ippaworldcongress.org/eddie-tong">Eddie Tong</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02699930903138865">writes</a>, “hopeful people tend to think that desired goals are attainable even if personal resources are exhausted.” In other words, people of hope persist even when prospects may not be so favorable. </p>
<p>Importantly, evidence suggests that the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02699930903138865">belief that one is capable</a> of achieving one’s goals may be more important for hope than knowing how to achieve those goals. </p>
<h2>2. Harness the power of uncertainty</h2>
<p><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11031-016-9560-z">Several researchers</a> have argued that, for hope to arise, individuals need to be able to perceive the “possibility of success.” </p>
<p>Research shows that many of life’s uncertainties could help people cultivate hope in difficult times. For example, a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1742395316664959">2017 study</a> showed that parents of children diagnosed with multiple sclerosis used the fact that so little is known about the condition in childhood to fuel and sustain their sense of hope. Parents reasoned that since it is so hard to accurately diagnose childhood multiple sclerosis and prognosis is so varied, there was a chance that their children were misdiagnosed and they could recover and live normal lives.</p>
<p>In sum, a future that is uncertain holds lots of possibilities. As such, uncertainty is not reason for paralysis – it is a reason to hope. </p>
<h2>3. Manage your attention</h2>
<p>Hopeful and optimistic people show similarities and differences in the kinds of emotional stimuli they pay attention to in the world. </p>
<p>For example, <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Lucas-JA-Kelberer-2121700237">psychologist</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.12.003">Lucas Kelberer and his colleagues</a> found that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.12.003">optimists tended to seek out positive images, such as that of happy people</a>, and avoid images of people who seem depressed. </p>
<p>Hopeful people did not necessarily seek out emotionally positive information. However, people high on hope spent less time paying attention to emotionally <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.12.003">sad or threatening information</a>. </p>
<p>In a world in which we are overwhelmed with options for what we read, watch and listen to, maintaining hope may not require us to go after positive information, but it does require that we avoid negative images and messages.</p>
<h2>4. Seek community. Don’t go it alone</h2>
<p>Hope is hard to sustain in isolation. Research demonstrates that for people working to bring social change, particularly anti-poverty activists, <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/43486771">relationships and community</a> provided the reason for hope and ignited their conviction to keep fighting. </p>
<p>Connection to others allowed activists to feel a sense of accountability, to recognize that their work mattered and that they were part of something bigger than themselves.</p>
<p>Relationships are important, but health research also suggests that sustaining hope depends, in part, on the particular company we keep. For example, parents of chronically ill children often maintained hope by withdrawing from or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1742395316664959">avoiding interactions</a> with negative people who challenged their efforts to seek positive ends. We can stay hopeful if we connect with others who hold us accountable and remind us of why our struggles matter.</p>
<h2>5. Look at the evidence</h2>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377645/original/file-20210107-21-j3pbdr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="People walk past a wall mural of hope." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377645/original/file-20210107-21-j3pbdr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377645/original/file-20210107-21-j3pbdr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377645/original/file-20210107-21-j3pbdr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377645/original/file-20210107-21-j3pbdr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377645/original/file-20210107-21-j3pbdr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377645/original/file-20210107-21-j3pbdr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377645/original/file-20210107-21-j3pbdr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Cultivating hope can require trust and examining evidence from our lives.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/people-walk-past-a-hope-graffiti-painted-on-a-fenced-off-news-photo/1229129399?adppopup=true">Marwan Tahtah/Getty Images</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>Hope also requires trust. Hopeful people stake their trust in data, particularly in the <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/43486771?seq=1">evidence of history</a>. Research demonstrates, for example, that anti-poverty activists drew hope from knowing that, historically, when people joined together in resistance they were able to create change.</p>
<p>Cultivating and sustaining hope, then, requires that we gather evidence from our own lives, history and the world at large and use that evidence to guide our plans, pathways and actions.</p>
<p>Hope also requires that we learn to use this data to effectively calibrate progress – no matter how small.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/152523/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jacqueline S. Mattis receives funding from The Templeton Foundation, The Fetzer Institute, NICHD. (past funding)</span></em></p>A year of social disconnections, deaths, job losses and political violence may lead some people to feel overwhelmed and sad. A psychologist suggests ways to find and sustain hope.Jacqueline S. Mattis, Dean of Faculty, Rutgers University - NewarkLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1524722021-01-04T15:03:52Z2021-01-04T15:03:52ZFive tips to help you keep exercising this new year<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376989/original/file-20210104-21-dgryjd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=74%2C0%2C8313%2C5500&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Try choosing exercise you enjoy.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/fit-family-doing-home-online-stretching-1706922184">Andrey_Popov/ Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://yougov.co.uk/topics/lifestyle/articles-reports/2019/12/31/quarter-brits-will-make-new-years-resolution">Exercising more</a> is one of the most common new year resolutions people make. But more than a quarter of people <a href="https://yougov.co.uk/topics/lifestyle/articles-reports/2019/12/31/quarter-brits-will-make-new-years-resolution">fail to keep their resolutions</a>, and only half maintain some of them.</p>
<p>But if that still sounds daunting, here are five tips that may help you better keep exercising if that’s your goal this year.</p>
<h2>1. Have a plan and an end goal</h2>
<p>Resolutions can be great – don’t let me discourage you. But when you start out, set both your lofty goal, and a firm roadmap of the steps you need to follow to get there. This will help you <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31232517/">maximise your odds of success</a> in reaching that goal.</p>
<p>Want to run 2,021km in 2021? Breaking this larger goal down would mean you should plan on running 5.5km a day (every day) or about 8km every day before work if you work Monday-Friday. But also consider what happens if you get an injury – do you have redundancy built into your plan? You should also plan breaks to prevent overtraining. </p>
<p>Research shows that by combining ambitious goals with <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31232517/">multiple achievable sub-goals</a>, you’re more likely to be successful. Being able to tick off the goals as you go may also give you a positive motivational boost to keep going.</p>
<h2>2. Don’t take up running (unless you enjoy it)</h2>
<p>Running is great. Almost anyone can do it, it’s great for <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1960188/">the whole body</a>, requires minimal equipment and you can do it almost anywhere. Running also improves cardiovascular health and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11441731/">bone density</a>. That said, I hate running – so I don’t do it.</p>
<p>People often ask what type of exercise they should do, and I typically tell them that the answer depends on what they enjoy doing. This is because you’re much more likely to keep doing exercise you enjoy over activities <a href="https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation.aspx?paperid=53271">you find yourself dreading</a>. </p>
<p>And somewhat surprisingly, research shows that it doesn’t seem to matter what type of exercise you do when it comes to health and longevity – <a href="https://academic.oup.com/biomedgerontology/article/57/5/M262/620575?">as long as you’re exercising</a> you’ll see benefits.
<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31104484/">Resistance training</a>, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31685526/">aerobics</a>, high-intensity interval training (<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24144531/">HIIT</a>) and possibly even <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24491402/">yoga</a> may all stimulate your body in different ways, but have positive outcomes in terms of health and longevity – especially when combined together.</p>
<p>But if you do want to take up jogging, you can also keep yourself motivated by joining group events – such as parkrun. </p>
<h2>3. Get an exercise buddy</h2>
<p>When England first went into lockdown in March, I started a new exercise programme with my partner. Nine months later, we’re still both stuck at home and still exercising together six days a week. That peer encouragement, motivation and occasional guilt trip from my better half has really helped. </p>
<p>And <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5156899/">plenty</a> of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7657066/">research shows</a> that starting a new exercise programme <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6068491/">with someone else</a> will help you both to maintain your regime in the long term. This could be because the external peer pressure is helpful, or possibly because the positive social interactions from exercising with others makes it more fun.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Person walkng their dachshund in the woods." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376988/original/file-20210104-19-1qemuyc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376988/original/file-20210104-19-1qemuyc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376988/original/file-20210104-19-1qemuyc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376988/original/file-20210104-19-1qemuyc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376988/original/file-20210104-19-1qemuyc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376988/original/file-20210104-19-1qemuyc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376988/original/file-20210104-19-1qemuyc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Your dog may also make a good exercise buddy.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/hostess-walks-dachshund-dog-autumn-park-1865355109">Svitlana Ozirna/ Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Daily lunchtime walks with someone in your bubble, the whole flat doing morning yoga before the workday starts, or weekday football with you mates are all great ways to help you start exercising in the new year – and stick to that goal. And since exercise is “<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5199005/">infectious</a>”, starting a new type of regular activity may motivate those close to you to join in too. So, even if you can’t convince your flatmate to start with you, you might end up getting them to join in and you’ll both benefit. </p>
<h2>4. Remove as many barriers as possible</h2>
<p>What are the things that stop you from going for a walk, or to the gym? Is it because you’re too busy? Schedule time. Is it too expensive? Look for cheaper alternatives such as park exercises or YouTube workouts.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/getting-active/breaking-down-barriers-to-fitness">Identifying the barriers</a> keeping you from achieving your goal will allow you to figure out <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21937904/">what you can do</a> to prevent them from stalling your progress. </p>
<h2>5. Get a dog</h2>
<p>This last one isn’t for everyone – I get that. But <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5693989/">multiple peer-reviewed papers</a> suggest that <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31592726/">dog owners live longer</a>. We do know that dog owners <a href="https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-017-4422-5?sf174129844=1">walk about 3,000 steps more per day</a>, so it could be a simple as being more physically active than non-dog owners. </p>
<p>If you don’t have a dog, try thinking of reasons to walk more anyway. Small amounts of physical activity done throughout the day really do add up. Things like avoiding the lift and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30649897/">taking the stairs a few times per day</a> or standing up every ad break really does lead to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25977572/">positive changes over time</a>.</p>
<p>Exercise is good for, and will help you live a longer and healthier life. Even if you think you don’t like exercise, perhaps you just haven’t found the right type yet. And if that’s not the case, breaking your goals down, removing any barriers and finding a buddy (with two legs or four) to exercise with will help you maintain your new exercise routine throughout the new year.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/152472/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bradley Elliott receives funding from the Endocrine Society, the Quintin Hogg Trust, and private philanthropy to support his academic research. He is affiliated with The Physiological Society as a society representative.</span></em></p>How to avoid being in the quarter of people who fail to keep their resolutions.Bradley Elliott, Lecturer in Physiology, University of WestminsterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1491722020-12-31T20:19:47Z2020-12-31T20:19:47ZWant to exercise more? Try setting an open goal for your New Year’s resolution<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368153/original/file-20201108-21-12b1zh0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=16%2C24%2C5447%2C3612&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s that time of year when many of us are setting goals for the year ahead. The most common New Year’s resolution – set by <a href="https://today.yougov.com/topics/lifestyle/articles-reports/2018/12/13/new-years-resolutions-2019-exercise-healthy-eating">59%</a> of us - is to exercise more.</p>
<p>But our <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17437199.2019.1706616">research</a> suggests the way we typically set goals in exercise <a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/52/8/485">often doesn’t work</a>. So, what should we do instead? </p>
<p>Our research interviewing elite athletes suggests one possibility is to set open goals instead. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/can-trying-to-meet-specific-exercise-goals-put-us-off-being-active-altogether-84062">Can trying to meet specific exercise goals put us off being active altogether?</a>
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<h2>Specific goals can actually put us off</h2>
<p>Generally we’re <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/guides/smarterliving/resolution-ideas">advised</a> to set specific, or SMART, goals (where SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timebound). Aiming to walk 10,000 steps per day is a common example. </p>
<p>This advice is typically based on <a href="https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/A_Theory_of_Goal_Setting_Task_Performanc/MHR9AAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0&bsq=locke%20latham%201990">goal-setting theory</a> from the 1990s. However, that theory has now <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=UDgKbOkYbEgC&printsec=frontcover&dq=locke+latham+2013&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj-qIeL6rrtAhWqwzgGHaFYDr8Q6AEwAHoECAUQAg#v=onepage&q=locke%20latham%202013&f=false">evolved</a>, with research now suggesting specific goals in some cases can actually put us off. </p>
<p>One problem is specific goals are <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17437199.2019.1706616">all-or-nothing</a>: you either achieve the goal or you fail. </p>
<p>That’s why you might feel you’ve failed after “only” recording 9,000 steps when your goal was 10,000. In reality, 9,000 steps might actually be an achievement (especially on a busy day) — but because you didn’t reach your specific target, it can feel disappointing.</p>
<p>When you stop making progress towards your goal, or start to feel like you’re failing, it’s easy to give up — just like <a href="https://today.yougov.com/topics/lifestyle/articles-reports/2018/12/13/new-years-resolutions-2019-exercise-healthy-eating">many</a> of us do with New Year’s resolutions. </p>
<p>Used incorrectly, specific goals even cause unethical behaviour (like using devices to artificially increase our step counts and <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2019/05/16/fitness-app-users-trying-cheat-step-counters-simple-hack-9570167/">benefit from lower insurance premiums</a>!). </p>
<p>One alternative is to set what’s known as an open goal.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368157/original/file-20201108-23-j8qyf6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man runs in a park." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368157/original/file-20201108-23-j8qyf6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368157/original/file-20201108-23-j8qyf6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368157/original/file-20201108-23-j8qyf6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368157/original/file-20201108-23-j8qyf6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368157/original/file-20201108-23-j8qyf6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368157/original/file-20201108-23-j8qyf6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368157/original/file-20201108-23-j8qyf6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The problem is specific goals are all-or-nothing: you either achieve the goal or you fail.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What are open goals?</h2>
<p>Open goals are non-specific and exploratory, often phrased as aiming to “see how well I can do”. For example, professional golfers in one <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283564015_Psychological_States_underlying_Excellent_Performance_in_Professional_Golfers_Letting_it_Happen_vs_Making_it_Happen">study</a> described performing at their best when aiming to “see how many under par I can get”. </p>
<p>When colleagues and I <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10413200.2016.1272650">interviewed elite athletes about exceptional performances</a>, a Mount Everest climber described how:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I was just thinking, ‘Oh I’ll just see how it goes and take it as it comes.’ I climbed higher and higher and the climb had got more and more engrossing and difficult and all-encompassing really […] until I discovered that I’d climbed like 40 metres without consciously knowing what I was doing.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Open goals don’t just work for elite athletes – they work well in exercise too. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1469029219305874">One study</a> found insufficiently active people performed better (in this study that meant they walked further) when pursuing open goals than they did with SMART goals. </p>
<p>The fitness industry is already starting to use open goals. For example, the <a href="https://www.lesmills.com/fit-planet/health/goal-setting/">Les Mills</a> fitness brand now recommends open goals (“to see how active you can be”), and the <a href="https://support.apple.com/en-au/guide/watch/apd673ee7114/watchos">Apple Watch</a> now incorporates open goals as a workout option. </p>
<h2>Psychological benefits of open goals</h2>
<p>Open goals aren’t just good for performance — they’re also much more psychologically beneficial than SMART goals. </p>
<p>Indeed, the elite athletes who first reported open goals described how they were an important part of experiencing <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXIeFJCqsPs">flow</a> – the enjoyable, rewarding state when everything just seems to click into place and we perform well without even needing to think about it. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1469029219305874">Follow-up studies</a> found open goals – compared to SMART goals — make walking more enjoyable, make people more confident and make them feel they performed better. That boosts motivation and suggests open goals can help people stick with exercise routines longer. </p>
<p>One participant said open goals “took away the trauma of failing”.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368154/original/file-20201108-13-p23toq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman goes walking in a field." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368154/original/file-20201108-13-p23toq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368154/original/file-20201108-13-p23toq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368154/original/file-20201108-13-p23toq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368154/original/file-20201108-13-p23toq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368154/original/file-20201108-13-p23toq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368154/original/file-20201108-13-p23toq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368154/original/file-20201108-13-p23toq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Open goals aren’t just good for performance - they are also much more psychologically beneficial than SMART goals.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Why do open goals work differently to SMART goals?</h2>
<p>There’s another important difference between open and SMART goals. When you set a SMART goal, you’re identifying something <em>in the future</em> you want to achieve (“I want to be able to walk 10,000 steps every day”). </p>
<p>So pursuing SMART goals is about reducing the gap between where you are now and where you want to get to – you’re always lagging behind where you want to be. That can make it feel like your progress is slow, and <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Charles_Carver/publication/232551850_Origins_and_Functions_of_Positive_and_Negative_Affect_A_Control-Process_View/links/56606c5f08ae4931cd5977dd.pdf">slow progress doesn’t feel good</a>. </p>
<p>When you set an open goal, your focus is on your starting point. If your goal is to “see how many steps I can reach today”, then as your step count rises, it will feel like you’re making progress. You may start to think, “Oh, I’m already on 2,000 steps… Now it’s 3,000 steps… Let’s see how many I can get to.” </p>
<p>Rather than comparing against where you <em>should</em> be, you’re constantly building on your starting point. </p>
<p>That makes the process much more positive - and <a href="https://academic.oup.com/abm/article-abstract/49/5/715/4562772">the more positive we feel</a> during exercise, the more we’ll want to do it again and again.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368156/original/file-20201108-19-annyjj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man runs on a treadmill" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368156/original/file-20201108-19-annyjj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368156/original/file-20201108-19-annyjj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368156/original/file-20201108-19-annyjj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368156/original/file-20201108-19-annyjj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368156/original/file-20201108-19-annyjj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368156/original/file-20201108-19-annyjj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/368156/original/file-20201108-19-annyjj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">When you set an open goal, your focus is on your starting point, from which you can only build and make progress.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>To set your own open goals, think first about what you want to improve (for example “being more active”). Then identify what you want to measure, such as your daily average step count. </p>
<p>Phrase your goal in an open-ended, exploratory way: “I want to see how high I can get my average daily step count by the end of the year.” </p>
<p>And then get started! With an open goal, you’re more likely to see progress, enjoy the experience, and stick with it until you’re ready to set — and achieve — more specific goals.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/149172/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christian Swann has a consultancy role with Movember, and is a member of the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Exercise and Sports Science Australia, and the Australasian Society for Physical Activity. </span></em></p>You might feel you’ve failed after ‘only’ recording 9,000 steps when your goal was 10,000. In reality, 9,000 steps might be an achievement. Is it time to ditch specific goals in favour of open goals?Christian Swann, Associate Professor in Psychology, Southern Cross UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1517692020-12-22T19:35:34Z2020-12-22T19:35:34ZNew Year’s resolution tips for 2021: Focus on getting to the end of COVID-19<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376160/original/file-20201221-13-z4k4y2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=125%2C182%2C6234%2C4869&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The pandemic has served as a reminder that unexpected events can change our life plans, and has also made it difficult to plan for 2021.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Welcoming the new year may feel a bit different this year, given the challenges of 2020 and the inability to celebrate together. </p>
<p>For many people, the yearly date change — adding one more year to life’s tally — puts a greater focus on long-term goals than busy lives usually allow. For many, this leads to the tradition of New Year’s resolutions, a chance to consider our progress on becoming the “ideal self” many people hope to achieve by the end of their days. </p>
<p>Even with the knowledge that the focus will shift back to the short-term demands of day-to-day by mid-January, it is valuable to consider those longer-term aspirations, if for no other reason than for people to remind themselves that there’s more to them than the harried exhausted person who, at the end of the day, wants nothing more than to get into their PJs and play a video game, binge-watch a favourite TV serial, or read a current novel.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375211/original/file-20201215-19-1ln3s9b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A person wearing a mask walks past a mural on a boarded-up window that reads 'This is temporary.'" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375211/original/file-20201215-19-1ln3s9b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375211/original/file-20201215-19-1ln3s9b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375211/original/file-20201215-19-1ln3s9b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375211/original/file-20201215-19-1ln3s9b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375211/original/file-20201215-19-1ln3s9b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375211/original/file-20201215-19-1ln3s9b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375211/original/file-20201215-19-1ln3s9b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A new year may encourage people to think long-term, but — as this Seattle street mural on April 28, 2020 suggests — it’s more difficult to make long-term resolutions for 2021 given the uncertainty and restrictions brought about by the pandemic.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But this year, thinking about the long-term is much more difficult. The pandemic has given us all a different experience of time. The pandemic has not only served as a visceral reminder that something unexpected can land in our well-envisioned path, halting all progress. It has also made the path beyond the pandemic unclear. </p>
<p>As many pundits are noting, a “return to normal” — meaning life exactly as it was before COVID-19 entered our vocabulary — is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13678868.2020.1779576">highly unlikely</a>. The future has become less predictable, which also means that setting long-term goals is much more difficult. It’s hard to imagine an ideal self without knowing what that self will be experiencing. </p>
<h2>Short-term goals</h2>
<p>As a psychologist, I think resolutions for 2021 should be much more short-term than usual. It is probably challenging enough to figure out what’s needed to make it through the months until everyone is vaccinated and can start to make their way back into a more social world.</p>
<p>You might be thinking that this hardly seems like a good use of once-a-year resolutions, but even though these goals will be very short-term, this is valuable given that public health leaders are warning that these particular months are likely to be the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackbrewster/2020/12/13/gates-says-next-4-6-months-could-be-worst-of-pandemic-as-vaccine-shipments-roll-out/?sh=1cb5cdf644c3">hardest of the pandemic</a>. So even though these goals will likely only be needed for a few months, they can be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2020.102231">vital for determining our state</a> when the pandemic comes to an end.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="A calendar page for January with stationery on a desk top." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375214/original/file-20201215-17-rusuga.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375214/original/file-20201215-17-rusuga.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=899&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375214/original/file-20201215-17-rusuga.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=899&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375214/original/file-20201215-17-rusuga.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=899&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375214/original/file-20201215-17-rusuga.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1129&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375214/original/file-20201215-17-rusuga.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1129&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375214/original/file-20201215-17-rusuga.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1129&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Personal ‘points of pain’ can give people some idea of what resolutions they might make.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pexels/Olya Kobruseva)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Living through several months of pandemic uncertainty and restrictions has likely given many people a pretty good idea of which personal vulnerabilities this constrained life chafes against. Some people may be struggling to keep their emotional balance. For others, the absence of friends and even casual acquaintances may be driving them mad. Others might be panting to get back to the gym. </p>
<p>These personal points of pain can give people some idea of what resolutions they might make. Addressing those specific points may help enable people to care for themselves well enough to arrive at the pandemic’s end with some semblance of good physical and mental health.</p>
<p>Reviewing the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/whitecoat/keep-calm-and-carry-on-promote-resilience-for-better-outcomes-amid-covid-19-crisis-says-camh-psychiatrist-1.5567908">advice that mental health professionals gave at the beginning of the pandemic</a> may be helpful in figuring out your specific short-term resolutions to deal with personal challenges. Or you, like many others, might have discovered the healing properties of nature during this time, <a href="https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/3wx5a">as documented in a preprint (not yet peer reviewed) study</a>. If so, your resolutions could be about making sure you continue those activities and visiting your favourite nature spots during these <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2017.10.004">winter months</a>. My own resolution, for instance, is to spend at least <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2018.1557242">five minutes</a> each day appreciating the birds in my yard, which never fails to lift my spirits. </p>
<h2>Pandemic lessons</h2>
<p>For those who can’t resist thinking about long-term goals, despite the uncertainty that this pandemic year has introduced into the world, you could review what you’ve learned during the pandemic. Long-term resolutions could be based on consideration of three things: </p>
<ol>
<li><p>What do I want to keep from changes I made to cope with the pandemic?</p></li>
<li><p>What do I want to reclaim from the pre-pandemic time? </p></li>
<li><p>How would I “build back better” if I were in charge of the world or my neighbourhood? </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Each of these things will require some long-term goal focus, and can help you imagine a new ideal self for the post-pandemic times.</p>
<p>Like Christmas 2020, New Year’s 2021 is likely to be unique in many people’s memories. Many people have gone out of their way to make these moments as tolerable as possible, given the circumstances, but these new ways to commemorate the holidays are unlikely to become traditions, or things people will want to repeat in subsequent years. </p>
<p>Approaching 2021 resolutions by harvesting any bright spots or treasures that have revealed themselves during this unusual time may help illuminate a new path to follow once the pandemic has ended.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/151769/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Over her career, Katherine Arbuthnott has received funding from NSERC and SSHRC to study attention and memory processes. </span></em></p>New Year’s resolutions are usually an opportunity to think about long-term goals. The uncertainty and restrictions of COVID-19 make 2021 a good year to focus on ways to help yourself in the short-term.Katherine Arbuthnott, Professor of Psychology, University of ReginaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1315032020-03-05T06:42:45Z2020-03-05T06:42:45ZHappiness: is feeling content more important than purpose and goals?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/316685/original/file-20200222-92541-1c5pvce.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Don't worry, be happy.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/happy-woman-jumps-sky-yellow-meadow-134407094">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>There is much written about finding one’s life purpose and reaching self actualisation, but do we really need to have one? My partner is happy pottering around the house with his family around him, watching TV, reading the news, working in his unskilled job without responsibility, supporting his football team. Meanwhile, I am frustratingly “growing and developing”, learning, wondering what it is all about – yet without much actually changing in my life. Are drifting and feeling contented in life more important than having a “life purpose” and goals?</em> Brenda, Blackpool</p>
<p>Questions about happiness, purpose and goals remind me of <a href="https://theconversation.com/guide-to-the-classics-don-quixote-the-worlds-first-modern-novel-and-one-of-the-best-94097">Don Quixote</a>, the dreaming knight in Cervantes’ novel of the same name, and Sancho Panza, his earthy page. Indeed, literature often contains characters and themes that reflect telling universal truths about human existence, experience – and psychology.</p>
<p>As the novel progresses, we realise that both characters are equally sophisticated intellectually. But while Don Quixote’s goals are utopian, romantic and clearly unobtainable, Sancho is satisfied with feeling safe and eating bread and cheese – accompanied by a little wine, of course – after each of their frustrated misadventures. </p>
<p>I’m a psychiatrist and research on personality shows that a more open and inquisitive personality will always want to <a href="https://econtent.hogrefe.com/doi/10.1027/1614-0001.26.3.132">seek new experiences and sensations</a>. This is more exciting, but also less comfortable, than rejecting what feels strange or unfamiliar. </p>
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<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313328/original/file-20200203-41485-1foofme.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313328/original/file-20200203-41485-1foofme.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313328/original/file-20200203-41485-1foofme.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313328/original/file-20200203-41485-1foofme.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313328/original/file-20200203-41485-1foofme.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313328/original/file-20200203-41485-1foofme.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313328/original/file-20200203-41485-1foofme.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><strong><em>This article is part of <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/lifes-big-questions-80040?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=LifesBigQuestionsUK">Life’s Big Questions</a></em></strong>
<br><em>The Conversation’s new series, co-published with BBC Future, seeks to answer our readers’ nagging questions about life, love, death and the universe. We work with professional researchers who have dedicated their lives to uncovering new perspectives on the questions that shape our lives.</em></p>
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<p>Don Quixote’s sensation-seeking and restless personality, as well as his lofty ideals, are the drivers of his misguided adventures. Unable to find excitement in the comfortable but mundane daily life of a landed country gentleman, he sets out to right all the wrongs in the world in the most chivalrous and valiant manner he can imagine. His ambitious goals are unobtainable, though, and so he remains chronically dissatisfied.</p>
<p>In contrast, Sancho’s goals (cheese and wine) are simple, and they are also reliable and immediately achievable. Sancho will inevitably have some difficult emotions, like every other human, that will prevent him from being consistently happy. But he will be less inclined to express his occasional periods of distress in complex existential terms – and they are unlikely to nag and torture him in the same way.</p>
<p>On one level, then, Sancho’s personality seems better suited than Don Quixote’s for achieving a satisfactory level of psychological wellbeing. But we need to consider the fact that Quixote’s tortured loftiness will also afford him occasional moments of ecstasy that Sancho will never experience. Quixote will sample all the many wondrous highs – and lows – of existence.</p>
<h2>Choleric Quixote</h2>
<p>Quixote has a type of personality that <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/galen.shtml">Galen</a>, the Greek physician of classical times, would have labelled as “choleric”: passionate, charismatic, impulsive and sensation seeking. He also has an extremely rich, but equally unstable, inner life, which produces copious amounts of fantasy and emotion.</p>
<p>Soon after the second world war, a London-based psychologist called Hans Eysenck developed another personality theory that included the dimensions of <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1953-05745-000">extroversion and neuroticism</a>. Quixote is high in extroversion (he engages constantly with the external world) and high in neuroticism (his emotional life is unstable and intense), a combination that would be the equivalent of Galen’s choleric personality.</p>
<p>Sancho is, of course, the exact opposite. He could be described as “phlegmatic” in Galen’s classification: he is generally introverted, and being perfectly steady in emotional terms, he would certainly score very low on neuroticism. He does not view the world through the filter of a rich but volatile inner life, and instead sees ordinary windmills where Quixote sees formidable giants. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/316687/original/file-20200222-92507-q6beg4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/316687/original/file-20200222-92507-q6beg4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/316687/original/file-20200222-92507-q6beg4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/316687/original/file-20200222-92507-q6beg4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/316687/original/file-20200222-92507-q6beg4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/316687/original/file-20200222-92507-q6beg4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/316687/original/file-20200222-92507-q6beg4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Don Quixote and Sancho Panza.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/silhouette-don-quixote-de-la-mancha-493900036">Shutterstock</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>Personality types have been found to be <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2020-03328-001">predictors of psychological wellbeing</a> in a way that could be considered relatively intuitive. Essentially, there is a positive correlation between happiness and extroversion and a negative one <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/019188699090138H">between happiness and neuroticism</a>. Quixote is more neurotic than Sancho, but he is also more extroverted. The two will find and experience moments of happiness in different ways.</p>
<p>On one level, what we need to be happy is a stable (low neuroticism) and outgoing (extrovert) character. But that’s not the whole story. Those of us who see ourselves as a little more neurotic than we would ideally like – and perhaps not quite as sociable as some others – can find comfort in the knowledge that a busy and lively inner life, coupled with an inquisitive nature, <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2010-16664-004">can be associated with certain types of creativity</a>.</p>
<p>The idea of happiness as a state of placidity and serenity, facilitated by a stable and untroubled psychological makeup, is persuasive. But it ignores perhaps the upper and more intense limits of human experience – and these have a power all their own. Cervantes novel, after all, is called “Don Quixote”, not “Sancho Panza”. </p>
<h2>Self-actualisation</h2>
<p>You also mention <a href="https://positivepsychology.com/self-actualization/">“self-actualisation”</a> in your question. When <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Abraham-H-Maslow">Abraham Maslow</a>, the celebrated American psychologist, placed self-actualisation at the top of his <a href="https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html">hierarchy of human needs</a>, he thought of it as a positive drive for developing one’s personal potential. Your own personal potential, Brenda, will be different to that of your partner.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/315077/original/file-20200212-61917-1a0lrws.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/315077/original/file-20200212-61917-1a0lrws.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/315077/original/file-20200212-61917-1a0lrws.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/315077/original/file-20200212-61917-1a0lrws.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/315077/original/file-20200212-61917-1a0lrws.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/315077/original/file-20200212-61917-1a0lrws.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/315077/original/file-20200212-61917-1a0lrws.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44685010">Factoryjoe via Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
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<p>Maslow thought that more basic needs had to be satisfied before moving up to the next level – water and food before safety, then love, self-esteem and only then self-actualisation. But subsequent research shows that humans don’t always do this in the anticipated order and that satisfying different levels of need either simultaneously, or in the “wrong order”, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21688922">doesn’t seem to affect wellbeing significantly</a>. This explains how those living in poor countries can also satisfy their psychological needs even when the fulfilment of more basic needs is uncertain.</p>
<p>In any case, having a set of needs – hierarchical or not – inevitably puts us in a needy position, and the relationship between striving to better ourselves and happiness is not a simple one. Maslow himself struggled in his personal life with issues such as racism (he was Jewish) and an awful relationship with his mother, whom he hated.</p>
<h2>Pain and pleasure</h2>
<p>Research shows that factors such as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1047279706001943">poverty</a>, <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/216320">pain</a> and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4225959/">loneliness</a> make us unhappy, and it is equally clear that pleasures of any kind contribute towards our sense of wellbeing.</p>
<p>The 19th-century British thinker John Stuart Mill postulated in simple terms that happiness is “intended pleasure, and the absence of pain” while unhappiness is <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/utilitarianism-philosophy">“pain, and the privation of pleasure”</a>. </p>
<p>Like Maslow and his hierarchy of needs, Mill also saw a similar hierarchy in pleasure, with the physiological at the bottom and the spiritual at the top. He also <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/359472-those-only-are-happy-i-thought-who-have-their-minds">advised against</a> too much introspection in matters of happiness, saying:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Ask yourself if you are happy and you cease to be so.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I suspect you ask yourself this question at times, Brenda. And even though Mill saw happiness as being predicated by pleasure and pain, he also hinted that being human, with all that this implies, may bring a dissatisfaction that would be preferable to mere contentment.</p>
<p>Don Quixote is a dissatisfied man and his ambitions to achieve his glorious goals are always frustrated. He has, however, certain characteristics that have been found to be associated with happiness: an optimistic <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0022-3514.50.5.974">attributional style</a> and an internal “locus” (place) of control.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/316688/original/file-20200222-92518-b356gz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/316688/original/file-20200222-92518-b356gz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/316688/original/file-20200222-92518-b356gz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/316688/original/file-20200222-92518-b356gz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/316688/original/file-20200222-92518-b356gz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/316688/original/file-20200222-92518-b356gz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/316688/original/file-20200222-92518-b356gz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The key to happiness?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/various-types-cheese-red-wine-154011416">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Don Quixote’s “internal locus of control” means that he feels in control of his destiny (despite all the evidence to the contrary). Control resides within him. His “optimistic attributional style”, meanwhile, refers to the fact that he always ascribes his failures to transient external forces, rather than to permanent internal issues.</p>
<p>Sancho, on the other hand, has a reactive attitude to life. He doesn’t have any fantasies about being in control of his destiny, which he believes is in the lap of the gods. “The lucky man has nothing to worry about,” he says.</p>
<p>So, in this respect at least, Don Quixote, driving his own fortune and making his own luck, is probably happier in his quest, however frustrating, than Sancho is in his passive contentment.</p>
<h2>Contentment versus happiness</h2>
<p>The difference between contentment and happiness, or to be more precise, the incompatibility that exists between a state of permanent contentment and being human, has also been explored in modern novels, written centuries after Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote, such as <a href="https://www.bl.uk/learning/timeline/item126934.html">The Time Machine by HG Wells</a> or <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Brave-New-World">Brave New World by Aldous Huxley</a>.</p>
<p>Some of the characters in these future dystopias, where pain and suffering have been eradicated, are perfectly placid, even content. But their insipid pseudo-happiness, devoid of choice or intense emotion, is less desirable than our own imperfect emotional tribulations – at least according to the authors.</p>
<p>Indeed, our ability to feel happy is affected by a variety of personality factors and temperamental attitudes, not by just one single dimension of placidity versus psychological restlessness, or even optimism versus pessimism.</p>
<p>But does it matter anyway? Whether we are “half-empty” or “half-full” personalities, none of us is <a href="https://theconversation.com/humans-arent-designed-to-be-happy-so-stop-trying-119262">designed to be happy</a> – only, ultimately, to survive and reproduce. Consequently, we will all battle with frequent unpleasant emotions, whatever our temperament.</p>
<p>It is good, Brenda, that you haven’t given up your efforts to grow as a person and that you remain hungry for knowledge. Even if I told you that there is a better strategy for happiness, that you should be content with watching television and little else, I am pretty certain you wouldn’t want that.</p>
<p>You need to continue being who you are, even if being who you are doesn’t transport you to a state of sustained and uninterrupted psychological bliss. Our nature is to chase the teasing and elusive butterfly of happiness, not always to capture it. Happiness can’t be bottled and bought and sold.</p>
<p>It can, however, be a journey – and this never-ending quest includes you, Brenda, as well as your partner. And perhaps we can all find comfort in the knowledge that our nagging dissatisfaction is a key part of what makes us human.</p>
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<li><p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/could-we-live-in-a-world-without-rules-128664?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=LifesBigQuestionsUK">Could we live in a world without rules?</a></em></p></li>
<li><p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/feelings-whats-the-point-of-rational-thought-if-emotions-always-take-over-128592?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=LifesBigQuestionsUK">Feelings: What’s the point of rational thought if emotions always take over?</a></em></p></li>
<li><p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/death-can-our-final-moment-be-euphoric-129648?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=LifesBigQuestionsUK">Death: can our final moment be euphoric?</a></em></p></li>
<li><p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/are-humans-still-part-of-nature-or-is-it-now-just-our-dominion-128790?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=LifesBigQuestionsUK">Nature: have humans now evolved beyond the natural world, and do we still need it?</a></em></p></li>
<li><p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/love-is-it-just-a-fleeting-high-fuelled-by-brain-chemicals-129201?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=LifesBigQuestionsUK">Love: is it just a fleeting high fuelled by brain chemicals?</a></em></p></li>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rafael Euba does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>There are many ways to be happy, but we can also find comfort in the knowledge that our constant dissatisfaction is what makes us human.Rafael Euba, Consultant and Senior Lecturer in Old Age Psychiatry, King's College LondonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1310282020-02-04T08:00:53Z2020-02-04T08:00:53ZYear 12 can be stressful, but setting strong and healthy goals can help you thrive<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313217/original/file-20200203-41495-1uhr6nt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/start-people-running-on-street-sunset-1107482588">From Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Research shows <a href="https://www.youthbeyondblue.com/do-something-about-it/surviving-year-12">anxiety levels are high</a> for many students in year 12 as they focus on academic goals that may determine their future.</p>
<p>The way you pursue your goals can be the difference between maintaining happiness or feeling stressed. </p>
<p>When setting and pursuing your goals, try to keep these four things in mind.</p>
<h2>1. It’s less the goal and more how you think about it</h2>
<p>Striving towards personally meaningful goals, even if we don’t reach them, has been shown to be <a href="https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/32953027?q&versionId=40299825">good for our well-being</a>. But <a href="https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S0191886919303435?token=69FD1F5299F90CE1676ACD16633D1DA119993811637C6DE8920F1E1FBB9A08BB8839E8EEC64DF69F4A0A813CCA7616AF">recent research</a> shows just having a goal won’t make us happier.</p>
<p>The way we think about our progress can be the difference between whether we feel good or anxious.</p>
<p>The research found it’s not failing to reach your goal that exacerbates anxious or depressive symptoms, but ruminating on goal progress in a negative way. This could be by telling yourself things like “I’m a loser”, “I’m no good” or “I am letting my parents down”.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/three-ways-to-achieve-your-new-years-resolutions-by-building-goal-infrastructure-105292">Three ways to achieve your New Year’s resolutions by building 'goal infrastructure'</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<p>So, don’t let your critical voice take over your life. There are other more constructive ways of thinking that can help you pursue your goals and maintain perspective. </p>
<p>One way is to be reflective rather than judgemental. You can constructively reflect that “I didn’t get the grade I wanted in the first biology test this year” or “I didn’t make the progress I wanted”. </p>
<p>Reflection gives you an opportunity to learn from your experience and identify strategies to improve. These could be asking for help from the teacher or studying in an environment that helps you concentrate.</p>
<h2>2. Don’t compare yourself to others</h2>
<p>It’s important to feel like you have control over your own life. Several studies have shown <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140197105000412">lack of personal control</a> is associated with depression.</p>
<p>Goals like “to be top of my year 12 class” depend in part on how well or poorly other students do, which is outside of your control.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313215/original/file-20200203-41495-12m6wey.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313215/original/file-20200203-41495-12m6wey.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313215/original/file-20200203-41495-12m6wey.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313215/original/file-20200203-41495-12m6wey.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313215/original/file-20200203-41495-12m6wey.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313215/original/file-20200203-41495-12m6wey.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313215/original/file-20200203-41495-12m6wey.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313215/original/file-20200203-41495-12m6wey.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Research shows breaking up your goals into smaller, incremental steps is good for your well-being.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/rear-view-asian-man-setting-target-1370945444">From Shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It’s better to run your own race and pursue goals that are meaningful to you <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10802-012-9685-9">rather than external goals</a> such as those motivated by competition with others.</p>
<p>For example, a goal like “to improve my maths results in the coming term” is <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10802-012-9685-9">better for your well-being</a> if this is something you personally want to achieve. But wanting to beat someone in your class means comparing yourself to them, which can increase anxiety.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-teen-depression-rates-are-rising-faster-for-girls-than-boys-129732">Why teen depression rates are rising faster for girls than boys</a>
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<p>Similarly, goals made to avoid a negative consequence (such as “to not feel like a loser”) or because your parents or teachers want you to achieve something, are also associated with increased anxiety if these are not yours. </p>
<p>Even if you are successful in achieving goals other people want you to achieve, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/extrinsic-goals-are-an-obstacle-to-happiness-2014-7?r=US&IR=T">research suggests</a> you won’t benefit from increased well-being or happiness.</p>
<h2>3. Break goals up into small steps</h2>
<p>Setting <a href="https://blog.myneurogym.com/simple-4-steps-to-achieve-your-goals">small achievable goal steps or plans</a> will help you reach your bigger goal and feel in control. For instance, if your goal is to improve your maths results, you can make smaller steps like setting aside three hours each week to study maths.</p>
<p>Small steps are easy to monitor. Being able to hit your smaller goal of studying for three hours every week will help you maintain a sense of achievement.</p>
<p>You can reward these small achievements along the way. For instance, if you have stuck to your study plan over the past week, then reward yourself by doing something you enjoy such as seeing a movie. Research shows such associated rewards <a href="https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1023%2FB%3ACOTR.0000031809.20488.ee.pdf">help reinforce achievement</a> and sustain goal pursuit.</p>
<h2>4. Don’t put all your eggs in one goal basket</h2>
<p>You make yourself vulnerable to disappointment if you invest your energy in one goal. What happens if you don’t achieve it? Having a few meaningful goals in different life domains (such as education, relationships and health) provides a <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.2044-8260.1995.tb01484.x">protective barrier</a> in case you don’t make one goal.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/can-trying-to-meet-specific-exercise-goals-put-us-off-being-active-altogether-84062">Can trying to meet specific exercise goals put us off being active altogether?</a>
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<p>But pursuing too many goals can also be unrealistic as we typically have a <a href="https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs10608-010-9307-1.pdf">limited set of personal resources</a>, such as time and energy and can’t do too many things at once. </p>
<p>When you start year 12, it’s useful to determine the most important and meaningful goals you wish to pursue in the year ahead. Be kind to yourself and take time out to do things you enjoy. It’ll help you keep perspective and a balance in life.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/131028/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joanne Dickson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The way you pursue your goals can be the difference between maintaining happiness or feeling stressed. Try not to overthink it and break big goals up into smaller, more manageable ones.Joanne Dickson, Associate Professor of Psychology, Edith Cowan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1309522020-02-04T02:45:40Z2020-02-04T02:45:40ZThinking about taking a break from alcohol? Here’s how to cut back or quit<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313440/original/file-20200204-41476-8ce7q5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C186%2C3031%2C1972&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/nYgy58eb9aw">Elevate/Unsplash</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s February and many people are starting to put into place their New Year’s resolution to drink less alcohol.</p>
<p>Events like <a href="https://febfast.org.au/">FebFast</a> can encourage and support these good intentions. But <a href="https://www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/-/media/ResourceCentre/PublicationsandResources/alcohol-misuse/Evaluation-of-febfast-participation_Full-Report.pdf?la=en&hash=0172F59BF74212BB0B9EA055CA0E7931EAC2CB39">around 30%</a> of people who start FebFast don’t get through the whole month alcohol-free.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/did-you-look-forward-to-last-nights-bottle-of-wine-a-bit-too-much-ladies-youre-not-alone-109078">Did you look forward to last night's bottle of wine a bit too much? Ladies, you're not alone</a>
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<p>Relying on intention and willpower to stop drinking, even for a short period, is not usually enough. <a href="https://www.memoirsofanaddictedbrain.com">Resisting temptation</a> takes up a lot of brain power and eventually your brain <a href="https://nypost.com/2015/07/12/addiction-is-not-a-disease-and-were-treating-drug-and-alcohol-addicts-wrong/">gets tired</a> and gives in.</p>
<p>So what are the best strategies to take a break from drinking?</p>
<h2>Monitor your drinking</h2>
<p>Before your planned break from alcohol, spend a week or two <a href="https://www.rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/tools/Interactive-worksheets-and-more/Track-what-you-drink/drinking-Tracker-Cards.aspx">monitoring</a> the amount you drink and when. </p>
<p>You might be surprised at how much or how often you’re drinking, and in what contexts. There may be certain people, places or emotions that increase or decrease your alcohol consumption. </p>
<p>Understanding this can be a helpful motivator to make changes. It can also help you plan for situations where you’d usually be drinking.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313444/original/file-20200204-41507-8d5wy4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313444/original/file-20200204-41507-8d5wy4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313444/original/file-20200204-41507-8d5wy4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313444/original/file-20200204-41507-8d5wy4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313444/original/file-20200204-41507-8d5wy4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313444/original/file-20200204-41507-8d5wy4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313444/original/file-20200204-41507-8d5wy4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Work out where and when you’re more likely to drink.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/Sefrp3gZNKs">Helena Lopes/Unsplash</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Get clear on your goals and your motivation</h2>
<p>Will you cut back or quit? If cutting back, will you drink less frequently or a lower quantity? For how long? What happens afterwards? </p>
<p>It’s easier to stick to your <a href="http://www.drugs.ie/alcohol_info/tips_tools/goal_setting/">goals</a> if they’re clear and achievable.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/three-ways-to-achieve-your-new-years-resolutions-by-building-goal-infrastructure-105292">Three ways to achieve your New Year’s resolutions by building 'goal infrastructure'</a>
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<p>Think about why you are making changes to your drinking – to <a href="https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2013.301643">lose weight</a>, <a href="https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/how-alcohol-affects-your-health">feel healthier</a>, <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/money/saving/giving-up-drinking-saved-me-4000-a-year-20170528-gwez3y.html">save money</a>, <a href="https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/how-alcohol-affects-quality-and-quantity-sleep">sleep better</a>, or prevent that Sunday morning <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-causes-hangovers-blackouts-and-hangxiety-everything-you-need-to-know-about-alcohol-these-holidays-127995">hangover</a>. </p>
<p>Try to keep these reasons in mind when you have the inevitable periods of doubt!</p>
<h2>Set a quit date</h2>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313442/original/file-20200204-41503-13vcyr1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313442/original/file-20200204-41503-13vcyr1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313442/original/file-20200204-41503-13vcyr1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313442/original/file-20200204-41503-13vcyr1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313442/original/file-20200204-41503-13vcyr1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313442/original/file-20200204-41503-13vcyr1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313442/original/file-20200204-41503-13vcyr1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Plan how you’ll tell your family and friends you’ve quit or cut back.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/MvGs0KA84tI">Chantal Cadorette/Unsplash</a></span>
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<p>Setting a <a href="https://academic.oup.com/her/article/25/4/698/576515">quit date</a> is linked to success in sticking to your plan. It helps you prepare and reflect on the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0887044022000004911">reasons</a> making a change is worthwhile, which can improve your commitment to change.</p>
<p>It also gives you time to get everything you need in place – preparing how you will tell others, thinking about how to decline a drink when offered, and working out which situations you might need to avoid or be cautious about, at least initially.</p>
<h2>Get a support network</h2>
<p>Having a friend also take up the challenge can make it a little easier. People trying to quit who have <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4714832/">social support</a> are more likely to reduce their drinking.</p>
<p>If you’re taking part in an event like FebFast, encourage your friends and family to sponsor you. Not only will it be good for the charity you are supporting, but it can make you more accountable. </p>
<p>It’s also a good way to communicate to your friends your choice to quit drinking, so they can better support you.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/research-check-can-even-moderate-drinking-cause-brain-damage-79036">Research Check: can even moderate drinking cause brain damage?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p><a href="https://www.hellosundaymorning.org">Hello Sunday Morning</a> has a large online support community of more than 100,000 people, and offers a range of <a href="https://www.hellosundaymorning.org/daybreak/">resources</a> to help people who want to cut down or quit drinking. It’s a free service, funded by the Australian government and a range of philanthropic organisations.</p>
<p>Recent evaluations of their Daybreak program – which includes one-on-one chats with health coaches – shows it leads to significant <a href="https://www.hellosundaymorning.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Daybreak-journal-article.pdf">reductions in drinking</a>, and improvements in <a href="https://www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/-/media/ResourceCentre/PublicationsandResources/alcohol-misuse/Hello-Sunday-Morning-Summary.pdf?la=en&hash=52E8EBDF8F8E088F247107D54AC12F31F4D156DD">physical and mental health</a>.</p>
<h2>Be kind to yourself</h2>
<p>You might hear psychologists refer to something called the “rule violation effect”. This is when you’re working hard to not drink, but one day give in and have a glass of wine or two, then give up on your goals altogether.</p>
<p>Changing any behaviour is difficult. Don’t give up at the first mistake or slip up: get back on the horse and keep going.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313447/original/file-20200204-41503-13n2szk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313447/original/file-20200204-41503-13n2szk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313447/original/file-20200204-41503-13n2szk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313447/original/file-20200204-41503-13n2szk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313447/original/file-20200204-41503-13n2szk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313447/original/file-20200204-41503-13n2szk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313447/original/file-20200204-41503-13n2szk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Don’t be too hard on yourself.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/aJ-wid1GNS8">Sharon Christina Rørvik/Unsplash</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>Instead of thinking “bugger it, I might as well keep on drinking now,” try saying something like: “It’s going to take time. It was just a slip up. I can pick up where I left off.”</p>
<h2>Find alternatives to drinking</h2>
<p>In our alcohol-centric society, it sometimes feels uncomfortable when everyone around you is drinking and your own hands are empty. Choose a healthier alternative like sparkling water, soft drink or a <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/non-alcoholic-cocktail">mocktail</a>. </p>
<p>As well as existing non-alcoholic beer and wine, a range of non-alcoholic spirits is also emerging in the market. You could ask for it to be served in a spirit or cocktail glass – you might be less likely to be asked why you’re not drinking.</p>
<p>It can also be helpful to focus on activities that don’t usually involve alcohol. Encourage your friends to meet up in the morning for breakfast, for example, or suggest healthy activities where alcohol is less likely to be present.</p>
<p>If you suddenly have a craving for alcohol, try doing some vigorous exercise or doing something you love instead. These things release the same feel-good chemicals in your brain as alcohol. They won’t make you feel intoxicated like alcohol but they may make you feel happier and more relaxed.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313448/original/file-20200204-41554-1ios0yr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313448/original/file-20200204-41554-1ios0yr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=372&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313448/original/file-20200204-41554-1ios0yr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=372&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313448/original/file-20200204-41554-1ios0yr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=372&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313448/original/file-20200204-41554-1ios0yr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=467&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313448/original/file-20200204-41554-1ios0yr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=467&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313448/original/file-20200204-41554-1ios0yr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=467&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Exercise can release some of the same feel-good chemicals.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/senior-sportswoman-headphones-running-by-sea-692198338">David Pereiras/Shutterstock</a></span>
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</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/docs/default-source/psychological-toolkit/7-mindfulnessineverydaylife-(with-gp-notes).pdf?sfvrsn=2">Mindfulness</a> practice has also been shown to help drinkers to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2018/01/05/i-tried-mindfulness-to-quit-drinking-it-worked/">change their drinking</a>.</p>
<h2>Are there downsides to taking a break from alcohol?</h2>
<p>For most people, participating in month-long challenges will provide a range of benefits and little downside, even over the longer term.</p>
<p>Some people worry about “rebound effects”. But evaluations show, regardless of successful completion, taking up a month-long challenge to quit alcohol is linked to reductions in alcohol consumption <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2015-57039-001">six months</a> and up to <a href="https://www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/media-and-resources/publications/evaluation-of-the-impact-of-febfast-participation">a year</a> later.</p>
<p>However, keep in mind that these programs are aimed at social drinkers. Dependent drinkers may experience <a href="https://www.uptodate.com/contents/management-of-moderate-and-severe-alcohol-withdrawal-syndromes">withdrawal symptoms</a> when they suddenly stop drinking, which can be dangerous if not monitored. So if you think you might be <a href="https://ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au/sites/default/files/ndarc/resources/TR.097.pdf">dependent</a> on alcohol seek advice from a GP first.</p>
<h2>Maintaining the benefits</h2>
<p>New <a href="https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/attachments/draft-aus-guidelines-reduce-health-risks-alcohol.pdf">draft Australian alcohol guidelines</a> recommend healthy men and women should consume no more than ten standard drinks per week and no more than four standard drinks on any one day. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/cap-your-alcohol-at-10-drinks-a-week-new-draft-guidelines-128856">Cap your alcohol at 10 drinks a week: new draft guidelines</a>
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<p>The less you drink, the lower your risk of <a href="https://theconversation.com/four-ways-alcohol-is-bad-for-your-health-92578">alcohol-related harm</a>.</p>
<p>Use the strategies that worked for you during your alcohol break to stick to these guidelines. You’ll need to understand how much a <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/alcohol/about-alcohol/standard-drinks-guide#what-are-standard-drinks">standard drink</a> is – it’s probably less than you think!</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/130952/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nicole Lee works as a consultant in the alcohol and other drug sector and a psychologist in private practice. She has previously been awarded funding by Australian and state governments, NHMRC and other bodies for evaluation and research into drug prevention and treatment. She is a member of board of directors of Hello Sunday Morning.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brigid Clancy works as a contractor to a private alcohol and other drug consultancy.</span></em></p>Around 30% of people who start FebFast don’t make it through the month without alcohol. But you can increase your chances with careful planning and good support.Nicole Lee, Professor at the National Drug Research Institute (Melbourne), Curtin UniversityBrigid Clancy, PhD Candidate (Psychiatry) & Research Assistant, University of NewcastleLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1287622019-12-17T13:54:16Z2019-12-17T13:54:16Z7 science-based strategies to boost your willpower and succeed with your New Year’s resolutions<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/307448/original/file-20191217-58311-1hpcxp8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1248%2C287%2C4742%2C3700&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Behavioral science has ideas about how to keep on track beyond January.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/man-on-run-take-deep-breath-1325214512">duchic/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s that time of year when people make their New Year’s resolutions – indeed, <a href="https://www.apaservices.org/practice/update/2012/02-23/willpower">93% of people set them</a>, according to the American Psychological Association. The most common resolutions are related to losing weight, eating healthier, exercising regularly and saving money. </p>
<p>However, research shows that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0899-3289(88)80016-6">45% of people fail to keep their resolutions by February</a>, and only 19% keep them for two years. Lack of willpower or self-control is the top cited reason for not following through.</p>
<p>How can you increase your willpower and fulfill your New Year’s promise to yourself? These seven strategies are based on behavioral science <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=jlev7ekAAAAJ&hl=en">and my clinical work</a> with hundreds of people trying to achieve their long-term goals.</p>
<h2>1. Clarify and honor your values</h2>
<p>Ask yourself why this goal matters to you. Do you want to lose weight because you value getting in shape to return to a favorite pastime of hiking, or because of societal expectations and pressures? People who are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0708-5591.49.1.60">guided by their authentic values</a> are better at achieving their goals. They also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167218820921">don’t run out of willpower</a>, because they perceive it as a limitless resource. Figure out what makes you tick, and choose goals consistent with those values.</p>
<h2>2. Frame goals and your life in positive terms</h2>
<p>Focus on what you want to accomplish, not what you don’t. Instead of planning not to drink alcohol on workdays during the new year, commit to drinking your favorite sparkling water with Sunday to Thursday evening meals. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.53.1.5">Struggling to suppress thoughts</a> takes a lot of energy, and they have a way of returning to your mind with a vengeance. </p>
<p>It also helps to reflect on the aspects of yourself and your life that you are already happy with. Although you might fear that this will spur complacency and inaction, studies show that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1754073916669596">gratitude and other positive emotions lead to better self-control</a> in the long run.</p>
<h2>3. Change your environment to make it easier</h2>
<p>Research suggests that people with high willpower are exceptionally good at <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2014.09.031">arranging their environment to avoid temptations</a>. So, banish all credit cards from your wallet if your goal is to save money. And don’t keep a bowl of M&M’s at your work desk if you intend to eat healthy.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/307263/original/file-20191216-124022-17wg84i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/307263/original/file-20191216-124022-17wg84i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/307263/original/file-20191216-124022-17wg84i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307263/original/file-20191216-124022-17wg84i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307263/original/file-20191216-124022-17wg84i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307263/original/file-20191216-124022-17wg84i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307263/original/file-20191216-124022-17wg84i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307263/original/file-20191216-124022-17wg84i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Surround yourself with people who share your goals.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/aoz8a7jO0QI">Luis Quintero/unsplash</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>If your coworkers regularly bring sweets to work, ask them to help you with your goals (they might get inspired to join in!) and bring cookies only for special occasions. Supportive friends and family can dramatically <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.67.1.132">increase your chances of achieving your resolutions</a>. Joining a group whose members practice behaviors you’d like to adopt is another great way to bolster your willpower, because having role models <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01722">improves self-control</a>.</p>
<h2>4. Be prepared with ‘if-then’ strategies</h2>
<p>Even the best resolution falls apart when your busy schedule and exhaustion take over. Formulate a series of plans for what to do when obstacles present themselves. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-014-9416-3">These “if-then” plans</a> are shown to improve self-control and goal attainment.</p>
<p>Each time you wake up in the middle of the night craving candies or chips, you can plan instead to read a guilty-pleasure magazine, or log into your online community of healthy eaters for inspiration, or eat an apple slowly and mindfully, savoring each bit. When you’re tired and about to skip that gym class you signed up for, call your supportive sister who is on standby. Anticipate as many situations as possible and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-014-9416-3">make specific plans</a>, vividly imagining the situations and what you will do in the moment.</p>
<h2>5. Use a gradual approach</h2>
<p>When you embark on a new goal, start small and build on early successes. Use one less spoonful of sugar in your coffee. Eventually, you might be able to forgo any sweeteners at all. If resisting that muffin initially proves to be too hard, try waiting 10 minutes. By the end of it, your <a href="https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4246-06.2007">urge will likely subside</a>. </p>
<p>You might be surprised to realize that change in one domain of life – like abstaining from sweet processed foods – <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1610902114">tends to spread to other areas</a>. You might find you are able to bike longer distances, or moderate your caffeine intake more easily.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/307259/original/file-20191216-123983-btl6dq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/307259/original/file-20191216-123983-btl6dq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/307259/original/file-20191216-123983-btl6dq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307259/original/file-20191216-123983-btl6dq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307259/original/file-20191216-123983-btl6dq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307259/original/file-20191216-123983-btl6dq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307259/original/file-20191216-123983-btl6dq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307259/original/file-20191216-123983-btl6dq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">If it feels like the payoffs are in the distant future, you can plan a small gift for yourself along the way.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/indoor-shot-attractive-serious-young-dark-1145019167">shurkin_son/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>6. Imagine rewards and then enjoy them</h2>
<p>Picture the feeling of endorphins circulating through your body after a run, or the sun on your skin as you approach a mountain summit. Pay attention to all your senses: smell, sight, hearing, touch and taste. Visualizing rewards <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2019.02.002">improves your chances of engaging in the activity</a> that results in them.</p>
<p>If it’s hard to imagine or experience these rewards in the beginning, decide on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167216676480">small, meaningful gifts</a> you can give yourself until the positive effects of the new behaviors kick in. For example, imagine yourself taking a half-day off work each month after you pay down your credit card debt: visualize exactly what you would do and how you would feel. And then do it.</p>
<h2>7. Be kind to yourself, even during setbacks</h2>
<p>Most people believe the way to increase willpower is to “whip oneself into shape,” because being kind to oneself is indulgent and lacks self discipline. But the exact opposite is true – people who harshly blame themselves for even small willpower failures tend to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-164X.19.3.253">do worse in accomplishing their goals in the long run</a>.</p>
<p>Try self-compassion instead. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2006.03.014">Cut yourself some slack</a> and remember that being human means being imperfect. When you fall for that doughnut, don’t despair, and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.40.2.193">don’t throw in the towel</a>. Treat yourself with care and understanding and then recommit to your goal the following day.</p>
<p>Remember, you aren’t likely to achieve your New Year’s resolutions by being self-critical and hard on yourself. Instead, boost your willpower through a series of small and strategic steps that will help you succeed.</p>
<p>[<em>Deep knowledge, daily.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=deepknowledge">Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/128762/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jelena Kecmanovic does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Forget being super self-critical and whipping yourself into shape. There are ways to set yourself up for success that are far kinder and work better.Jelena Kecmanovic, Adjunct Professor of Psychology, Georgetown UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1181172019-06-21T06:43:56Z2019-06-21T06:43:56ZGoooooooal! New research on the best way to score at the Women’s World Cup<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/280142/original/file-20190619-52775-fcbs5v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1699%2C82%2C2874%2C1362&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Sam Kerr has found plenty of goal-scoring opportunities for the Matildas at this year's Women's World Cup.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Guillaume Horcajuelo/EPA</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Sport science can offer some valuable insights to the teams contesting the <a href="https://www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/matches/">2019 Women’s World Cup</a> currently underway in France.</p>
<p>Our new analysis of every goal scored at the last <a href="https://www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/matches/round=268012/match=300269506/index.html">Women’s World Cup in Canada in 2015</a> revealed the most effective way for teams to put one in the back of the net – and it’s all about turnovers, quick movement, and transitions.</p>
<p>Our study found that the middle third of the pitch is the most effective area for gaining possession and creating goalscoring opportunities. And the average time needed to create a goalscoring opportunity was just under 12 seconds.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-gender-pay-gap-for-the-fifa-world-cup-is-us-370-million-its-time-for-equity-118400">The gender pay gap for the FIFA World Cup is US$370 million. It’s time for equity</a>
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<p>To date, there is very little published research on the strategies involved in women’s football. Our <a href="https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/2112/">study at Edith Cowan University</a> was the first of its kind to take an in-depth look at the most effective attacking strategies and goalscoring opportunities at a major international women’s football tournament.</p>
<p>We analysed videos of all 52 matches at the 2015 Women’s World Cup to assess the specific factors that led to goalscoring opportunities for the 24 teams in the tournament. In total, there were 390 goalscoring opportunities, 95 of which resulted in a goal, or about 24%.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rDphAEKEk8Y?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">All 95 goals scored in the 2015 Women’s World Cup.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Various factors played a part in scoring, such as:</p>
<ul>
<li>the “zone of possession gain” – the location on the field where a team gained possession of the ball </li>
<li>the “type of possession gain” – whether possession was gained via a tackle, high pressure or interception, for example</li>
<li>the “time taken to create a goalscoring opportunity”</li>
<li>and the “type of goalscoring opportunity” – whether it was created from a cross, a ball played in behind the defence, or a shot from distance.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Zone-by-zone analysis</h2>
<p>Our findings showed that most goalscoring opportunities originated with a team gaining possession in the central midfield zone. This part of the pitch accounted for more than half of all possession gains during the 2015 Women’s World Cup. </p>
<p>The advantage of recovering the ball in this zone is that it gives the opposing team little time to organise into defensive positions, and also allows for space to pass the ball behind an opponent’s defence. </p>
<p>We also found that more teams gained possession and created goalscoring opportunities on the left side of the midfield compared with the right. This could be explained by the tactic of teams deploying right-footed players in left midfield positions, allowing them to play passes inside or behind defences on their stronger and preferred foot.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/womens-world-cup-the-science-of-what-makes-a-good-football-game-for-fans-117919">Women's World Cup: the science of what makes a good football game for fans</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The attacking central zone, directly in front of the goal, accounted for about 15% of possession gains leading to goalscoring opportunities. The attacking team often caught their opponents in transition and off-guard, making goalscoring much easier.</p>
<p>By contrast, a team that gained position of the ball in their defensive zone rarely resulted in a goalscoring opportunity. Only 44 goalscoring opportunities started with possession gained in this part of the field, or just over 10%.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/280657/original/file-20190621-61756-1tjpsv6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/280657/original/file-20190621-61756-1tjpsv6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280657/original/file-20190621-61756-1tjpsv6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280657/original/file-20190621-61756-1tjpsv6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280657/original/file-20190621-61756-1tjpsv6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280657/original/file-20190621-61756-1tjpsv6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280657/original/file-20190621-61756-1tjpsv6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The nine zones on a football field.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Possession, passes and plays</h2>
<p>When we looked at the type of possession gain that led to goalscoring opportunities, we found three that stood out:</p>
<ul>
<li>intercepting a wayward pass </li>
<li>setting a trap to intercept a good pass</li>
<li>waiting for a pass from the opponent that is underhit </li>
</ul>
<p>Again, this could be the result of a specific tactic by teams at the World Cup to wait patiently for their opponents to make a risky pass, or for teams to use a compact defensive setup in midfield to pressure their opponents into making a risky pass they can try to intercept. </p>
<p>When it came to the type of goalscoring opportunity that was most effective, our findings weren’t surprising. Teams were most likely to score if they got the ball behind their opponents’ defensive line or by putting a cross into the box. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/womens-world-cup-why-career-options-need-to-improve-for-these-sporting-superstars-118145">Women's World Cup: why career options need to improve for these sporting superstars</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>But a further look showed just how effective getting the ball behind an opponent’s defensive line was: a third of these opportunities resulted in a goal being scored. This was by far the most effective way for a team to score, followed closely by scoring from crosses.</p>
<p>Lastly, our analysis also found that goalscoring opportunities happened very quickly after a turnover. On average, it took teams just under 12 seconds from gaining possession to move the ball into a position for a goalscoring opportunity.</p>
<h2>How is the 2019 tournament shaping up?</h2>
<p>In all of the games played in the first and second matchdays of the group stage, 51 goals were scored, with almost half of these (23) resulting from getting the ball behind the opponent’s defence. </p>
<p>And 36 of these goals came after a team regained possession and made no more than five passes, emphasising the speed with which successful attacks occur once possession is secured.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/280389/original/file-20190620-149810-rluuuv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/280389/original/file-20190620-149810-rluuuv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280389/original/file-20190620-149810-rluuuv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280389/original/file-20190620-149810-rluuuv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280389/original/file-20190620-149810-rluuuv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280389/original/file-20190620-149810-rluuuv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280389/original/file-20190620-149810-rluuuv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">France has looked impressive so far during the 2019 tournament.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Eddy Lemaistre/EPA</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In terms of which team looks most dominant – and most likely to win – it’s hard to look past the traditional powerhouse <a href="https://www.ussoccer.com/players">United States</a>. <a href="https://www.espn.com/soccer/france/story/3841634/france-womens-world-cup-features-seven-players-from-champions-lyon">France</a> has started well and has a team full of Champions League winners, while the Netherlands, the European champions, also look very good and have maybe the best striker in the tournament in <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2019/06/15/football/vivianne-miedema-netherlands-cameroon-womens-world-cup-spt-intl/index.html">Vivianne Miedema</a>. </p>
<p>And Australia always looks capable of scoring with <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/world-class-sam-kerr-talked-the-talk-and-walked-the-walk-20190619-p51zcj.html">Sam Kerr</a> on the pitch, it’s just a case of whether the Matildas can keep their opponents out of their end of the field. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qlSFG7h1CCE?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Sam Kerr’s four goals in Australia’s win over Jamaica.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/kellond-knight-in-shining-armour-for-the-matildas-20190615-p51xyk.html">Elise Kellond-Knight</a> greatly improves the Matildas’ midfield attack, so expect to see her get the ball to the likes of Kerr, Hayley Raso, Caitlin Foord and Lisa De Vanna to create those all-important goalscoring chances.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/118117/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Fadi Maayah has received funding from the Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mark Scanlan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Analysis of every goal-scoring opportunity at the 2015 Women’s World Cup reveals the most effective ways for footballers to gain possession and create a chance to score.Mark Scanlan, Sessional Academic, Edith Cowan UniversityFadi Maayah, Senior Lecturer and Course Coordinator Sports Science and Football, Edith Cowan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1182352019-06-13T12:42:07Z2019-06-13T12:42:07ZFor some, self-tracking means more than self-help<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/278405/original/file-20190606-97989-8c4iw0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">What does all that data mean to you?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/female-runner-looking-her-mobile-smart-474486460?src=N_FpbWv4dq80BUhE3wMu6A-1-5">Andrey_Popov/shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>People who identify with the “<a href="https://quantifiedself.com/">Quantified Self movement</a>” are, as expressed in the movement’s motto, seeking “self-knowledge through self-tracking.” They want to know how to sleep better, stay fit or have a more productive morning. They do this by keeping count of how many times they roll over in the night, how many steps they take in the day or how many emails they respond to in a week.</p>
<p>At their informal gatherings, known as “Show & Tells,” participants speak to three questions: What did you do? How did you do it? And what did you learn?</p>
<p>At the inaugural Quantified Self Show & Tell, in Pacifica, California, in 2008, the first presenter was unsure about what he had learned. <a href="https://quantifiedself.com/blog/but-why/">As Quantified Self co-founder Gary Wolf wrote</a> on the following day, the presenter “had a beautiful graph of his work, sleep and other activity, based on data he had been tracking for three years. And he was at the meeting to get ideas about how to extract more meaning out of it.”</p>
<h2>The psychology of self-tracking</h2>
<p>“Meaning” can mean a few things. </p>
<p>Among those at the first Show & Tell, there was a focus on utility: how to make the data meaningful toward some useful end.</p>
<p>But, for some, the practice of self-tracking is compelling in and of itself. As Wolf himself confessed, “The utility of self-tracking in achieving some specified goal doesn’t fully explain its fascination. There’s a compulsion, a curiosity, that seems to operate in advance of any particular use.”</p>
<p>In <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/hacking-life">my research on life hackers</a>, I’ve seen evidence of this thinking, which psychologists speak of as the systematic – or rational or analytical – cognitive style. That’s a disposition in thinking and behavior that seeks patterns and makes use of rules.
Studies have found an association between the rational style and <a href="http://doi.org/10.1007/BF02940938">computer students</a> and <a href="http://www.cybercrimejournal.com/michaelbacchmaan2010ijcc.pdf">hackers</a>.</p>
<p>Not surprisingly, patterns, systems and rules are central to the life hacking ethos, independent of any utility – and sometimes contrary to it, as when <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/apr/05/life-hacking-why-self-optimising-can-be-suboptimal">life hackers naively optimize dating yet remain single</a>.</p>
<h1>The efficacy of self-tracking</h1>
<p>There can be benefits in tracking a facet of your life, even if you are not the quantifying type.</p>
<p>There’s abundant evidence that <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001953">self-tracking can help ordinary people</a> manage their eating, steps taken, insulin levels and fertility.</p>
<p>Self-tracking can also be distracting and anxiety-making. For example, <a href="https://theconversation.com/for-many-women-tracking-their-fertility-can-be-an-emotional-whirlwind-106439">one study showed that fertility-tracking</a> can make women feel burdened, obsessed or trapped.</p>
<p>There is also a lot of confusion and snake oil. One famous self-tracker believed that <a href="http://observer.com/2014/04/seth-roberts-final-column-butter-makes-me-smarter/">eating half a stick a butter a day made him smarter</a> – that is, a bit faster on arbitrary math puzzles. However, that butter might have also contributed to his lethal heart disease. </p>
<p>Patterns can be illusory and the new rules based on them premature.</p>
<h1>One tracker’s story</h1>
<p>The blend of utility and meaning-making among self-trackers is exemplified by someone I first <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGQxFTIjODw">met at a Show & Tell</a> in Boston. </p>
<p>Kay Stoner describes herself as a data hoarder who suffers from headaches. As a teen she kept journals, boxes of which are now in storage. Tracking patterns and developing rules is also how she approached her headaches later in life. She developed an application for recording her symptoms and their context, but eventually settled on a <a href="http://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?contributorId=212006">paper-based diary</a>. </p>
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<p>Having a record showed Stoner that she could do things to lessen her headaches and that they do eventually end: “If you’ve got objective data showing you that something [helpful] did happen before, and it might just be possible again, that can nip the depression and sense of helplessness in the bud.”</p>
<p>Having a record also allows her to clearly communicate with her doctors. </p>
<p>Sometimes Stoner’s records of pain and failed remedies are dispiriting. At times she puts them aside. Yet, ultimately, tracking and experimentation are the way she manages pain, finds hope and communicates with others: “Data adds structure, meaning and purpose to my life.”</p>
<h2>Who finds meaning</h2>
<p>What I learned from the many people I encountered is that self-tracking is an ambivalent practice. </p>
<p>Chris Anderson is a former editor-in-chief of Wired magazine. He had embraced the Quantified Self and tracking with lots of questions in mind. But he found few answers. In April 2016, <a href="https://twitter.com/chr1sa/status/721198400150966274">he tweeted</a> that “After many years of self-tracking everything (activity, work, sleep) I’ve decided it’s ~pointless. No non-obvious lessons or incentives :(”.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"721198400150966274"}"></div></p>
<p>In response to his tweet, some folks defended the practice. They learned which food caused weight gain. Supposedly someone had self-diagnosed a disease missed by professionals. Others simply enjoyed plotting their data. And a few were keeping at it in the hopes that better analytics in the future might yield insights, as if awaiting a revelation.</p>
<p>When Anderson was asked why he had persisted for so long, he tersely responded: “Wanted to believe.” But he was no longer willing to wait.</p>
<p>Self-tracking can be as stressful as it is helpful. It can be illuminating and misleading. Ordinary people ought to approach it with a degree of caution, wary of pricey gadgets and extraordinary claims. Even those who like gadgets ought to be careful of the hype.</p>
<p>But, for a specific personality type, tracking transcends utility. The process itself lends meaning to coping with the uncertainties of life.</p>
<p>
<section class="inline-content">
<img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/248895/original/file-20181204-133100-t34yqm.png?w=128&h=128">
<div>
<header>Joseph Reagle is the author of:</header>
<p><a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/hacking-life">Hacking Life: Systematized Living and Its Discontents</a></p>
<footer>MIT Press provides funding as a member of The Conversation US.</footer>
</div>
</section>
</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/118235/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>MIT Press provides funding as a member of The Conversation US.</span></em></p>The people who get the most out of self-tracking tend to be ‘systematic thinkers’ who search for meaning in patterns.Joseph Reagle, Associate Professor of Communication Studies, Northeastern UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1099542019-01-30T19:07:24Z2019-01-30T19:07:24ZFive tips to help year 12 students set better goals in the final year of school<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/256028/original/file-20190129-108334-19s3e4o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Setting achievable goals can help you manage anxiety and work towards the end-of-year results you want.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The final year of high school is one of the most <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02699930341000013">significant transition periods</a> in a young person’s life. One of the least enjoyable by-products is the stress associated with year 12 – the daunting sense that it’s all come down to this.</p>
<p>Anxiety is already one of the <a href="https://www.mindmatters.edu.au/about-mindmatters/news/article/2016/05/05/anxiety-in-young-people">most common disorders</a> among young people, but it can be particularly bad <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-11/year-12-exams-are-they-worth-the-stress/9029260">in year 12</a>. Even <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1998-04232-001">moderate levels of anxiety</a> can negatively impact a young person’s social functioning, relationships, performance at school and social adjustment.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/know-the-curriculum-and-research-your-career-preparing-for-year-12-36659">Know the curriculum and research your career: preparing for Year 12</a>
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<p>Emerging research increasingly shows <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165178116318108">personal goal setting and motivation</a> is tied to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S019188690600225X?via%3Dihub;">well-being and anxiety</a>. But while there is substantial evidence to show pursuing goals is associated with well-being, setting goals itself is not a cure-all. How you set goals, think about them and pursue them can either promote well-being or worsen anxiety.</p>
<h2>Focus on a positive target</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02699931.2014.976544">Research</a> shows our goals are set as either “approach-oriented” or “avoidance-oriented”. Approach-oriented goals focus on a positive target and involve trying to move toward this desirable outcome. For example, “I want to strive to get over 80% in biology.” Avoidance goals focus on avoiding negative outcomes. For example, “I want to avoid getting below 80% for biology.” </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/256235/original/file-20190130-108370-9613v6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/256235/original/file-20190130-108370-9613v6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256235/original/file-20190130-108370-9613v6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256235/original/file-20190130-108370-9613v6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256235/original/file-20190130-108370-9613v6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256235/original/file-20190130-108370-9613v6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256235/original/file-20190130-108370-9613v6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The final year of school can be daunting, but setting achievable goals will help keep you on track.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span>
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<p>These two goals are essentially the same in content, but evidence shows people who set approach-oriented goals report <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/01461672962210009">better well-being</a>. The tendency to predominantly set <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0146167297239001">avoidance-oriented goals</a> is associated with anxiety. Focusing on avoidance goals is more taxing and stressful. You typically have to monitor and prevent all the possible ways the negative outcome might happen.</p>
<h2>Goals need to be meaningful and freely chosen</h2>
<p>It’s important to think about why you set and pursue certain goals. Goals that are genuinely meaningful, rewarding, aim to fulfil your personal hopes/desires and are <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/11946306_Self-Determination_Theory_and_the_Facilitation_of_Intrinsic_Motivation_Social_Development_and_Well-Being">freely chosen</a> represent internalised self-motivated goals and promote well-being. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/hsc-exam-guide-how-to-use-music-to-prepare-for-exams-31776">HSC exam guide: how to use music to prepare for exams</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>On the other hand, goals that are a product of external or situation-specific pressures (such as perceived expectations of parents or society) have been linked with stress and anxiety. Research also indicates people who pursue goals for controlled or external reasons tend <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/13189138_Goal_Striving_Need_Satisfaction_and_Longitudinal_Well-Being_The_Self-Concordance_Model">not to experience increases in well-being</a>, even when they make progress.</p>
<h2>Make sure your goals aren’t too general</h2>
<p>Compared to overly generalised goals (such as “to try hard”), specific goals (for example, “to set aside four hours each week to try and achieve a 70% grade in maths by the end of term three”) are more likely to be achieved. Specific goals provide more mental cues to keep you on track and help monitor personal progress towards a goal.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/256240/original/file-20190130-42594-1028hyw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/256240/original/file-20190130-42594-1028hyw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256240/original/file-20190130-42594-1028hyw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256240/original/file-20190130-42594-1028hyw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256240/original/file-20190130-42594-1028hyw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256240/original/file-20190130-42594-1028hyw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256240/original/file-20190130-42594-1028hyw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">If one of your goals isn’t achievable, you should consider dropping it and setting a new goal.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span>
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<p>Similarly, the more specific a person’s <a href="https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/32953027?q&versionId=40299825">goal plans</a> are, the better. Goal plans should include smaller goals to help reach a particular goal. So, for example, successful study plans might include “to set aside two hours each night”, “to study in the library” and “to reward weekly tasks with some Netflix time”.</p>
<h2>Flexibility is key</h2>
<p>Inflexible goal-setting or having no “give” within a set of goals can set up a path to failure and is thought to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3043255/">maintain psychological difficulties</a>. Sensible goal-making ensures you set realistic goals, which may mean adjusting your goals at times so they’re achievable. </p>
<p>A goal may serve to enhance the pursuit of other goals, such as “to keep fit” and “to eat healthily”. But at other times a goal may conflict with the pursuit of other goals – a goal to “spend more quality time with my friends” may conflict with a goal to “spend more time studying”. People typically have a limited set of personal resources such as time and energy, so it may be necessary to prioritise particular goals so they are achievable. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/study-habits-for-success-tips-for-students-89147">Study habits for success: tips for students</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Alternatively, if a goal is unattainable, <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233264292_The_Importance_of_Goal_Disengagement_in_Adaptive_Self-Regulation_When_Giving_Up_is_Beneficial">research</a> indicates giving up is beneficial if it leads to the pursuit of a new, meaningful goal. This can reduce psychological distress and increase your sense of well-being. </p>
<p>Flexibility in goal-setting means even if you don’t meet a particular goal, you can still work towards those more important, overarching goals such as developing a sense of self-worth and self-esteem. It’s not all or nothing.</p>
<h2>Set goals outside of academic achievement too</h2>
<p>For the final year of schooling, it’s important to set goals that aren’t only linked to academic aspirations. Emotional well-being doesn’t happen by accident. Having goals in other life domains such as leisure and recreation, health and relationships will help enhance your sense of well-being. These goals will help you navigate year 12 and beyond.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/256233/original/file-20190130-108370-1xg72ta.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/256233/original/file-20190130-108370-1xg72ta.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256233/original/file-20190130-108370-1xg72ta.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256233/original/file-20190130-108370-1xg72ta.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256233/original/file-20190130-108370-1xg72ta.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256233/original/file-20190130-108370-1xg72ta.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256233/original/file-20190130-108370-1xg72ta.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">It’s important to also set goals that involve leisure and spending time with family and friends.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>Research shows the pursuit of goals itself <a href="https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/32953027?q&versionId=40299825">is good for you</a>, whether or not you achieve your goal. It helps you develop a sense of identity, make positive adjustments in life and promotes psychological well-being and resilience.</p>
<h2>Resources for students</h2>
<p>Sometimes life can also get in the way of our goals. If you’re experiencing severe stress and anxiety, there are support contacts and resources available. For example: </p>
<ul>
<li><p>talking with a student welfare or pastoral care co-ordinator, school counsellor, a trusted adult or friend </p></li>
<li><p>phone support such as Lifeline (13 11 14)</p></li>
<li><p>online support services such as <a href="https://www.youthbeyondblue.com/understand-what's-going-on/anxiety">Beyond</a> Blue and <a href="https://headspace.org.au/young-people/what-is-anxiety-and-the-effects-on-mental-health/">Headspace</a>.</p></li>
</ul><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/109954/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joanne Dickson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Research tells us goal setting is important, but not all goals are created equal. Here are five things to consider when setting goals for your final year in school.Joanne Dickson, Associate Professor of Psychology, Edith Cowan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1028242018-09-13T13:58:53Z2018-09-13T13:58:53ZSix ways to beat the back-to-work blues by building resilience<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/236028/original/file-20180912-133898-h8bg0n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption"></span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/business-people-roll-sleeves-metaphor-closeup-129467927?src=WIUo8u7PVEGA-RGw5ePNWw-1-1">Kzenon/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>We are all faced with obstacles at work, and sometimes just going back to work after a holiday can feel like a challenge. We might be faced with a backlog of work, new targets or systems, or looming deadlines – alongside all the usual criticism, office politics and pressures from our personal lives. </p>
<p>One way we can deal with all this is to <a href="https://theconversation.com/key-to-lifelong-good-mental-health-learn-resilience-in-childhood-99776">build our resilience</a>. Resilience is your capacity to respond to the pressures and challenges brought about by everyday life. In essence, it is about how well we can bounce back from difficult circumstances, disappointment and failure – the “rubber ball” factor. Our approach to life and our ability to work (and live) through adversity to some extent determines our experiences. </p>
<p>The good news is that we can change our natural responses by <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-unlock-your-inner-resilience-65926">boosting our resilience</a> and improving the way we react to stress. Resilience develops through experience, and over time we learn how to adjust and adapt. A study of nurses <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2007.04412.x">found that</a> working to strengthen their personal resilience helped reduce their vulnerability to workplace adversity. Here are some suggestions for how you can attempt to do the same.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/236034/original/file-20180912-133874-9ghqq9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/236034/original/file-20180912-133874-9ghqq9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/236034/original/file-20180912-133874-9ghqq9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/236034/original/file-20180912-133874-9ghqq9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/236034/original/file-20180912-133874-9ghqq9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/236034/original/file-20180912-133874-9ghqq9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/236034/original/file-20180912-133874-9ghqq9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Eyes on the prize.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/portrait-smiling-afroamerican-office-worker-offfice-515197246?src=dbZZKy7_1VLhRIAkopH0AA-1-4">Sergey Nivens/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
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<h2>Set yourself manageable goals</h2>
<p>Achieving our goals creates a sense of accomplishment that drives us forward. So by setting smaller and more achievable targets you can experience success more often – and this fosters a positive mindset that <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/buy/2009-07991-007">builds mental resilience</a>. It helps to list specific steps or actions that might help to make your goals a reality, and confidence will grow with each small success. Professional coaching can be beneficial in helping us to consider our future plans and the steps needed to get there. Research <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17439760902992456?scroll=top&needAccess=true">has shown</a> that coaching can enhance attainment of goals, increase resilience and improve mental wellbeing.</p>
<h2>Don’t be afraid to fail</h2>
<p>Resilient people are not afraid to show that they have weaknesses. Their self-worth does not depend on being the best. They tend to be <a href="http://www.ijsrp.org/research-paper-1013/ijsrp-p2274.pdf">more optimistic</a> and see opportunity to learn from a task, whether the outcome is success or failure. With that in mind, we should try to accept failure as something that happens to everyone – it is how we handle it that makes a difference. Looking for the silver lining keeps the mood positive and allows you to continue, even when things haven’t gone the way you hoped.</p>
<h2>Learn to handle rejection</h2>
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<p>Everyone experiences rejection at times and, as with failure, what matters is how you deal with it. Philosopher and businesswoman Elaine Dundon describes <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-pattakos/dealing-with-rejection_b_3276199.html">three common stages</a> to carry out after rejection: reflect, reboot and reject. By reflecting, you might realise that you did not give enough information, or used the wrong approach. Or it could simply have been an issue of timing or resources. By rebooting you can choose to start again, ideally with new information to offer, or a new approach. You may then choose to reject rejection. Essentially, this is accepting that sometimes, no matter what you say or do, the outcome will be the same and you should focus your attention elsewhere.</p>
<h2>Ask for support</h2>
<p>The people around us play a clear role in our resilience. One study of university students <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5750906/">found that</a> the most resilient students had wider social networks. This was important for their career development, as more resilient students tended to report greater work engagement and have higher academic achievement.</p>
<p>When things get tough at work, our colleagues may be able to provide practical advice, reassurance or even emotional support. Having a network of colleagues will serve you well when you hit a problem, or feel overwhelmed. Resilient nurses say that <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25865519">support networks are essential</a> for thriving in this challenging profession. But asking for and receiving help depends on good group dynamics, and we all play a role in creating functional and inclusive team relationships that foster compassion and mutual support.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/236032/original/file-20180912-133883-195sl99.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/236032/original/file-20180912-133883-195sl99.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/236032/original/file-20180912-133883-195sl99.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/236032/original/file-20180912-133883-195sl99.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/236032/original/file-20180912-133883-195sl99.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/236032/original/file-20180912-133883-195sl99.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/236032/original/file-20180912-133883-195sl99.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Getting out of the office to exercise might be better.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/businessmen-taking-play-break-hula-hooping-142096147?src=3cqIJBJb9QfiFIXi7KPB8g-1-25">Deborah Kolb/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Look after your health</h2>
<p>Most people know stress can take a major toll on our <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-happens-to-your-body-when-youre-stressed-81789">physical health</a>, but there is also a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889159118304409?via%3Dihub">strong relationship</a> between personal resilience and immunity to disease. So being physically active, eating a healthy diet and taking steps to managing stress will contribute to a healthy body and mind and ultimately help you cope with challenges at work.</p>
<p>Progressive organisations are offering workplace health promotion programmes for their staff, including such benefits as exercise classes, general health checks and mindfulness and relaxation sessions. <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1757913913489611">My own research</a> shows how a workplace health promotion programme gave employees more opportunities to make healthy lifestyle choices while at work. When the programme was offered, more employees were encouraged to look after their health, and there were more reports of job satisfaction and positive attitudes towards the employer. </p>
<h2>Take a break</h2>
<p>Be compassionate to yourself. Although we sometimes feel there aren’t enough hours in the day, too much work and not enough time off isn’t good for your productivity. Taking regular breaks improves concentration and, for office-workers, helps to ensure we don’t spend too much of our time sitting down, which is <a href="https://theconversation.com/taking-a-stand-at-work-is-good-for-your-health-in-more-ways-than-one-42909">bad for our health</a> whether we <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/22/health/sitting-exercise-davis/index.html">exercise daily or not</a>. My colleagues and I are <a href="http://preprints.jmir.org/preprint/11079">looking at ways</a> technology can help remind us to take a break, through email and phone reminders, desktop gadgets and wearable devices such as activity monitors.</p>
<p>On the same note, having a good work-life balance <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1976131715000031">builds resilience</a>. If your sole purpose is gaining value through work, you’ll experience greater knocks from work-related setbacks than those who seek fulfilment in other areas of life.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/102824/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Holly Blake does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A psychologist explains how to improve your ability to respond to challenges.Holly Blake, Associate Professor of Behavioural Science, University of NottinghamLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/965732018-07-03T13:27:20Z2018-07-03T13:27:20ZHow to take a penalty like a pro<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/223002/original/file-20180613-32342-ofn50.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pexels</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>World Cup fever is well and truly underway – there have already been highs, the lows, and definitely a few penalties. And scoring a penalty can be the deciding factor of many <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14660970802601654">important football matches</a>. </p>
<p>Previous major championships, such as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_FIFA_World_Cup_Final">2006 FIFA World Cup final</a> and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_UEFA_Champions_League_Final">2012 UEFA Champions League final</a> have been decided by penalty shootouts. And evidence from World Cup and European Championships has also shown that teams have a considerably greater chance of winning – than drawing or losing – when <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1260/1747-9541.10.5.815">awarded a penalty within match play</a>. </p>
<p>Research which looked at previous World Cups and European Championship tournaments shows that the successful conversion of a penalty resulted in a 61% increased chance of winning – this decreased substantially to 29% <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1260/1747-9541.10.5.815">if the penalty was missed</a>. All of which makes the ability to score a penalty kick in a competitive match of critical importance – especially considering the low number of goals scored <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14660970802601654">during a typical game</a>. </p>
<h2>Don’t be distracted by the goalie</h2>
<p>Kicking a stationary ball from the penalty spot was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penalty_kick_(association_football)">first introduced in 1902</a> with the ball situated 12 yards (11 metres) from the goal. In 1997 the kick rules were amended to allow goalkeepers to move sideways along the goal line prior to the ball being kicked. </p>
<p>The importance of this rule change has been highlighted in kicking research – which shows that if the goalkeeper has a greater opportunity to distract the player – think waving arms – it results in a higher percentage of saved penalties. This is particularly the case in situations that provoke <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02640414.2010.495995">higher levels of anxiety</a> for the penalty shooter – like a World Cup deciding penalty kick.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rse3iZxrphk?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>In this sense then, it’s important the kicker isn’t distracted by the goalkeepers tactics when lining up to take a penalty kick – which can take less than 400 milliseconds in <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=nyFr-2uwPGoC&oi=fnd&pg=PA241&dq=Morya,+E.,+et+al.,+Evolving+Penalty+Kick+Strategies:+World+Cup+and+Club+Matches+2000-2002&ots=DYn9SAA9t5&sig=-Xy647sVh3GgP3a9mEkd3u-l6bA#v=onepage&q&f=false">flight time to the goal mouth</a>. </p>
<p>Former Polish goalkeeper, Jerzy Dudek, used the distraction strategy very effectively in the 2005 Champion’s League final – he saved two penalties from Andrea Pirlo and Andriy Shevchenko, and distracted Serginho enough for him to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdqLZJkZmCc">strike his effort over the bar</a>. </p>
<h2>How to kick</h2>
<p>The most important kicking skill in football is the instep kick or the “laces” kick. Here, the player drives using the quadriceps muscles of the thigh to provide the most powerful technique in football. </p>
<p>Because of its power, this kick is <a href="https://shapeamerica.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/026404198366740#.Ww-6T2aZMnU">commonly used for scoring penalties</a>. But <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00222895.2016.1219311">research that has focused</a> on instep kicking accuracy, shows that something of a “speed accuracy trade off” occurs. </p>
<p>A classic example of emphasising speed over accuracy was Chris Waddle missing one of England’s penalties in the 1990 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YheRaZraHps">World Cup semi-final against West Germany</a>. But it’s also worth noting that placing greater emphasis on accuracy to the detriment of speed can also give the goal keeper enough time to react and save the penalty. </p>
<h2>The perfect shot</h2>
<p>So with all this in mind, how do you take a penalty like a pro? It all starts with the run up phase, skilled players typically approach the ball at an angle of about 45 degrees (0 degrees being directly behind the ball). This <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3761486/">facilitates maximal ball speed</a>. </p>
<p>Approaching the ball at such an angle also helps the player to incline their kicking leg away from the support leg. This is thought to improve the foot-to-ball contact – by enabling the kicking foot to be placed further underneath the ball.</p>
<p>The speed players approach and run up to the ball will be different for each person. This is important, as research has shown that footballers produce their highest ball speeds when using a <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1600-0838.2009.01024.x">self-selected speed of approach</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/223255/original/file-20180614-32327-1j8m4bc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/223255/original/file-20180614-32327-1j8m4bc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=182&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/223255/original/file-20180614-32327-1j8m4bc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=182&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/223255/original/file-20180614-32327-1j8m4bc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=182&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/223255/original/file-20180614-32327-1j8m4bc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=229&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/223255/original/file-20180614-32327-1j8m4bc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=229&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/223255/original/file-20180614-32327-1j8m4bc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=229&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The breakdown of the penalty kick.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Next up is the backswing phase of the kick. This is crucial for stretching the muscles of the upper and lower body to an optimal length to help generate greater muscle forces. Elite footballers perform this phase of the kick by extending the kicking leg, rotating the torso, and extending the non-kickside shoulder backwards through a large range of motion. This phase is analogous to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14763140508522852">drawing back the bow in archery</a>. </p>
<p>Now to the forward phase of the kick. Here, the muscles contract rotating the torso and flexing the non-kickside shoulder towards the kicking leg. On top of this, the kicking leg is coordinated in a specific sequence: the hip is flexed first, followed by fast knee extension, resulting in the foot accelerating through to ball contact.</p>
<p>The position and speed of the foot at ball contact determines the quality of the foot-to-ball impact and the resultant ball speed and accuracy. To optimise ball speed in a penalty kick scenario it is important to kick the ball <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1046/j.1460-2687.2002.00108.x">as close to the centre</a> as possible. </p>
<p>What all this shows, is that scoring a penalty kick is no mean feat.
So as you watch the World Cup, keep in mind the level of skill needed to get that penalty on point.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>More evidence-based articles about football:</em></p>
<ul>
<li><p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-ai-could-help-football-managers-spot-weak-links-in-their-teams-90276?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=WorldCup2018">How AI could help football managers spot weak links in their teams</a></em></p></li>
<li><p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/does-spending-big-in-the-football-transfer-window-get-results-two-experts-crunch-the-data-89184?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=WorldCup2018">Does spending big in the football transfer window get results? Two experts crunch the data</a></em></p></li>
<li><p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-keep-footballers-fit-and-fuelled-for-a-world-cup-97803?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=WorldCup2018">How to keep footballers fit and fuelled for a World Cup</a></em></p></li>
</ul><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/96573/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tim Bennett does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>An expert gives a few tips on what makes the perfect penalty football kick.Tim Bennett, Senior Lecturer in Sports Bioemechanics, Leeds Beckett UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.