Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
Speaker 1: tip is that, if you are working toward a goal,
Speaker 1: decide on how you will react every time you encounter
Speaker 1: specific circumstances. If and when something happens, then you will
Speaker 1: do this and you will keep making progress. Today's tip,
Speaker 1: like another from this week, comes from social psychologist Robert
Speaker 1: Chaldini's book Persuasion, A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade.
Speaker 1: It is easy to set a goal, but sometimes we
Speaker 1: don't make progress toward the goals we set. Sometimes we
Speaker 1: give in to temptation. Other times we simply forget about
Speaker 1: what we plan to do. Are we get distracted from
Speaker 1: our intentions and don't end up following through. Chaldeani's solution
Speaker 1: is to make what he calls if when then plans.
Speaker 1: He explains, they are designed to help us achieve a
Speaker 1: goal by readying us one to register certain cues and
Speaker 1: settings where we can further our goal, and two to
Speaker 1: take an appropriate action spurred by the cues and consistent
Speaker 1: with our goal. You notice when the opportunity to make
Speaker 1: a choice comes up and you know what to do
Speaker 1: in these moments. Chaldeany gives the example of making a
Speaker 1: plan that if and when you're at a work lunch
Speaker 1: and the server asks whether you'd like to order dessert,
Speaker 1: and perhaps others are too, then you will order mint tea.
Speaker 1: I bet you can think of a lot of similar
Speaker 1: if when then plans that you could make. Maybe you're
Speaker 1: trying to eat more fruits and vegetables. You could set
Speaker 1: a plan that when you're having a meal, then you
Speaker 1: are having produce. This seems fairly doable. You may not
Speaker 1: love the salad at your neighborhood pizza parlor, but that
Speaker 1: is beside the point. The point is that anytime you
Speaker 1: are having a meal, you.
Speaker 2: Are having fruit or vegetables, you do what is necessary
Speaker 2: to make that happen. Perhaps you're trying to spend less
Speaker 2: time on social media. You could say, if and when
Speaker 2: I am inclined to check Instagram, then I will get
Speaker 2: on my Libby app and read a chapter in a
Speaker 2: book first. You can get on social media after that
Speaker 2: if you still want to. You might be trying to
Speaker 2: create more social connection in your life. You could say,
Speaker 2: when I'm having lunch during the work week, then I
Speaker 2: will connect with other whether by eating in the break room,
Speaker 2: going out to lunch with a friend, or if I
Speaker 2: am eating alone, texting a friend or family member. I
Speaker 2: think if when then is a great planning tool. You're
Speaker 2: identifying in advance specific actions you can take to move
Speaker 2: toward your goal. You're then tying those actions to particular
Speaker 2: circumstances that are likely to occur. When those circumstances arise,
Speaker 2: you are able to recognize them, and you know exactly
Speaker 2: what you will do.
Speaker 1: In the meantime.
Speaker 2: This is Laura.
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of
Speaker 1: our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've
Speaker 1: got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at
Speaker 1: Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a
Speaker 1: production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit
Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to
Speaker 1: your favorite shows.