Jeff Corrigan: welcome back to habit masters. I'm Jeff I'm Shel. And today we have an exciting topic. We wanna cover with you about how to master habits. This is a tool we love it's called action triggers, but to better understand it. First, we wanna ask a question. What's the question? Sheldon
Sheldon Mills: . Okay. The question is this think of an appointment that you would not break?
An appointment you have with somebody that, that you just like, there's no way you would
Jeff Corrigan: break this appointment. Okay. So it's an appointment. I would never miss, you know, I rescheduled dentist appointments long, so that probably doesn't qualify but an appointment I would never miss well, a date with my wife.
Like yeah. If I have that set up, I'm not missing that. Right. So why, because that time for me is sacred, like to be able to spend some time with my wife, without our kids. , it's very enjoyable. Lots of connection there. It's just something I would never miss.
You would never just
Sheldon Mills: show up your wife, like
Jeff Corrigan: I wouldn't stand her up. Is that you're saying you would stand her up. Yeah.
Sheldon Mills: Yeah. Sorry, not show her up. You wouldn't stand her up is what you're saying. Exactly. I would never say relationship is too important for you to stand up. Right.
Jeff Corrigan: See. Good, good way to put it.
Yes. My, my relationship was far too important to, to miss that and I, and I just enjoy it, honestly. Yeah. Kind
Sheldon Mills: of too up there. I was thinking of some it's like, okay, well I I'm for, I'm not unemployed, but I have been at times in my life. And during those times when I had family and young kids and I had job interview appointments, There's no way I was missing those
Jeff Corrigan: right, right.
So why not? Why wouldn't you miss a job interview appointment? It's
Sheldon Mills: financial it's because there's a lot writing on it again, if I, you know, short term is okay, if finances were good enough to, you know, things happen, right. But long term, you gotta be able to provide for your family. So,
Jeff Corrigan: absolutely. So I, I love both of those examples because it really shows kind.
The things that drive us, right? Like what, why are we gonna stick with a commitment and then really on the other side of it, why is it so hard to make our habits stick and keep commitments to ourself? Obviously we know how to keep appointments and keep commitments. Right? So what we wanna share with you guys today is something that's going to make your habits five times more sticky and you, what, 50% more likely to actually do the thing you want to do, or you said you're going to do.
Yeah, how do they do that? Start off shell. Okay.
Sheldon Mills: So this is about action triggers. In a nutshell, an action trigger is setting aside a time and a place, and I call it the energy to make something happen. Right? I mean, we tell ourselves this is important, but if you give it a time and a place, and we'll talk a little bit more about some things to kind of like prep for it, you know, to do for it, then that.
Yeah. What book was there's there's a lot of research out there on this. There's a couple of books to switch. Another one was just like, just doing this one thing. Was like 70% more likely to do it than.
You know, those
Jeff Corrigan: who didn't. Yeah, let's break it down. So in the, in the book, switch by chip and Dan, he, these guys are change experts, right? And habits are really all about change. You can't change your life without changing your habits. And that's what we're all about is helping you guys master the art of building habits.
So action triggers have come about as one of the most important tools that you can use to really start forming new habits in your life, creating change. So in the book, they share an example of a research study that was done with the college, several college classes, they scheduled a extra credit assignment during Christmas.
And those who agreed to do the assignment of that group, they, they split that group into two and one side, they said, okay, you guys just do the assignment. And then, and, and then the other, I
Sheldon Mills: look like December 24th or something like that, or the day
Jeff Corrigan: after Christmas. Yeah, exactly. It was the do the day after Christmas.
Right? So imagine you guys there at home, you got the holidays going, you got all these feasts you can imagine how challenging it would be to kind of want to do an assignment during that time. So the first group, they didn't have 'em do anything. There was no requirement of when or where they just had to turn it in.
By the day after Christmas, the second group, they said, okay, now you guys all need to choose a time and a. Imagine in your mind and also write it down where, and when you're going to do the assignment. And so they did. And the first group about 20% completed the assignment of the second group that wrote down a time and a place 70% completed the assignment.
So literally a 50% jump in the likelihood of them accomplishing it. With one factor change, which was simply to set a time in a place and write it down where you were going to do it. Yeah. And that's a great example of what an action trigger really is. It's setting a time and a place to do something, but the here's the flaw in all of our thinking.
So many times we set a time and a place to do something when it's a commitment to someone else. Yeah. But when we have a commitment to ourselves to create some new habit in our life or develop new skill. We tend to put that secondary and think, oh, it's my time. So I'll just find time at some point.
Yeah. But what happens though?
Sheldon Mills: Yeah. Your commitments or appointments, whatever you want to call 'em with. Everybody else tend to come first. Yeah.
Jeff Corrigan: And, having your calendar basically empty. A surefire way to not get the things done. You want to get done? . And this is coming from a guy who doesn't love to put stuff on my calendar.
Like I love to see an op like pretty much open calendar, maybe a couple of appointments here or there, but what I've realized is Until I make a routine that's UN unchangeable in and except for an emergencies kind of routine, I do need to write and make time specifically walk out time for what it is I want to accomplish.
Mm-hmm because otherwise, every other person, every other thing in the world is puts its demands on your time. And you're putting out fires instead of moving the needle in your own life, towards your big goals.
Sheldon Mills: So we were talk, we started out with appointments, right? Appointments. You wouldn't break. So we want to reframe how you think about your goals, , these commitments you're making to yourself as if it's an appointment with your future self.
Jeff Corrigan: Yes. We were thinking about this example the other day, and I felt like it was just so potent. It really helped me understand better. What action triggers is, is all about, like, why do we keep commitments to other people, but fail to do so with ourselves?
And I think it really is this. She it's, we, we fail to make appointments with ourself. And, say that's just as important as a date night with my wife or a play date with my kids or a job interview or a doctor's appointment or whatever. It may be. There's a million examples of appointments that we, we always keep.
Right. But the ones to ourselves, those are the first ones we're likely to not keep. It's like, ah, well, it's just time with myself. So Sheldon and I were thinking of this and hopefully you guys feel the same way about this. What if you set an appointment with your future self? The person who knows the most about you, how much money you're gonna have, like what kind of successes you're gonna have in the future.
And all this is so important like that you have this appointment and that you're following through on whatever it is you're trying to create in your life. Say it's an appointment with my future self. You're never gonna become me, Jeff, unless you start doing these things on a daily basis, making a change happen in your life.
Sheldon Mills: So that is the, the value of an action trigger, right? It is a commitment. It's an appointment to your future. Future better self . Yes. And you're not gonna miss an appointment with a friend because you've committed there. You know, the, the, the, your friendship is important.
You've made an appointment to a place and a time. You've committed so that the action trigger is like it's going from an internal thought and desire to a commitment and even an appointment with your future self, right? Yes. You're not gonna miss an appointment with your doctor or your car mechanic to get your car fixed, because if you don't get your car fixed, you aren't gonna get where you want to go.
Jeff Corrigan: I love that example.
Sheldon Mills: same with yourself. We gotta do that with ourselves. , I think that , the lowest hanging fruit of how to up the commitment factor, right? Yeah. Is you scheduling the time and a place and, and energy to be there? So , we were collecting a bunch of different examples that we wanna share with you next time, just like a dozen different examples of action triggers.
Maybe we should give one or two teasers so . People aren't left hanging. Absolutely.
Jeff Corrigan: So I've been trying to encourage my kids to read every day. And if you go through our course, we have, six steps to make your habit really stick and, and make it happen in your life.
So what I've done is like tried to teach my kids these same principles that we were sharing in the course. One of my kids, I was like, Hey, if you guys read every day for a. Specifically, we're reading like in the scriptures, it sounds like, Hey, we need to start reading the scriptures every day.
So I said, but he has currently, he had his scriptures closed, zipped up in the thing, up on the bookshelf. Right. So it's several steps to get to it. And who wants to go read scriptures rather than play video games? Very few people . So, so I told him, I was like, Hey, well, you know, encouraging him. I said,
at the end of this 30 days, if you guys can read every day, we're gonna go do this family outing and make it really special. And so they're excited about it. And so the first thing we did was decide a time and a place he was gonna do it. Okay. Well, I was like, what do you do? First thing in the morning, I was like, I brush my teeth.
I go to the bathroom and I brush my teeth. He's like, alright. So if you go to the bathroom and brush your teeth, then what do you think? It's like, then I sit down and either watch a show or play video games for a few minutes before I have to go eat breakfast and get ready for school.
It's like, all right, right. There is your ticket. You already go to the bathroom and brush your teeth. One of the cool things about amplifying, this is not just writing it down a time and a place, but also attaching it to a habit you already have. So what's part of your routine that will trigger in your mind.
Okay. After I do X, after I brush my teeth and this is a BJ fog method, after I brush my teeth, I will read my scriptures. Right. So he's like, okay, so now right after you brush your teeth, instead of going and playing video games and watching TV, Read two verses up to a chapter of the scriptures. Making it really simple.
Mm-hmm and that's another day we're gonna talk about upper and lower limits. So he's like, all right, I can do that. So I was like, okay, now what you need. To make this even more likely to happen. So you set the appointment, you you've attached it to an existing habit. And the third thing that I asked, told them to do is, okay, now you need to make it really easy to do.
Like, you don't wanna have to go find your scriptures. So where are you gonna notice them first? So your brain will trigger. Okay. I brush my teeth. I'm gonna read my scripture. But you're gonna wanna play video games. I said, instead, let's just set your scriptures right in front of the video game controller.
open out of their bag right there. And so we did it and it's been working now. Has it worked every time? No. Right. I mean, he's a kid he's eight years old, but, but it's the principle of that. Is the same principle that we should use as adults or whatever age we are to create a better habit and keep that commitment to ourselves of doing something daily.
That's taking us towards who we wanna be in the future. So make that appointment and keep it. So that's one example. Sheldon, you have an example too.
Sheldon Mills: Yeah. I think an easy example for me is my morning exercise routine. Right. And when and where obviously in the morning, right after get up wears, I, I exercise with my wife actually just about every morning we do different videos online.
We actually changed our setup. So it's easier to do the kids ought to do it with us now. But a couple things I do when I first get up in the morning? I don't put my jeans on, right. I put my exercise shorts. And that trigger of just like, Hey, it is first thing I do.
I just prepp for it already. So they're already like sitting out there next to my bed on the floor. it's just first thing I put on in the morning. Right? Get a big, big thing. Cup of milk, not a milk. I don't drink milk just out water. I meant to say water, big cup of water. This is related, but tangential Jeff.
Right? So Jeff has a two week old and I have a two month.
Jeff Corrigan: Oh, yes. We failed to mention that we both have newborns
Sheldon Mills: So let's just say habits and routines. They get thrown out the window sometimes,
Jeff Corrigan: right? Yes. I'm really glad you brought this up. Keep going.
Sheldon Mills: oh, I just, I mean, school just started with the kids again, and I can't tell you how much this has helped me, my kids being on routines and schedules again, to help me get back on my routines and schedules.
Right. Yeah, absolutely. I think we all have ups and downs and you know, it's like we can do all this stuff and it makes us much more likely, but nobody's ever perfect. That makes you human. That makes you welcome.
Jeff Corrigan: Sheldon Sheldon always does a great job of bringing into this, the human element of like, Hey and Jeff, you know where none of us can do this perfectly.
Yes, none of us can do this perfectly, but this tool is something that if you consciously use it, right, you can get right back on track when your routine yeah. Is thrown off and which it will be inevitably right. Emergencies happen, kids happen like the whole thing. Yeah, we got newborns.
Right? So our routines, a lot of my routines went out the window pretty quickly and I'm just barely getting some of them back as the kids go back into school. So just know keeping commitments to yourself, it it's a lifelong battle. And it's also something that will help you become the best version of yourself along with of course, the last couple.
Months that we've done, if you haven't go gone and listened to those of course identity, knowing where, who you wanna be and where you wanna go in your life. And then of course picking the action that you wanna take. Now, this is amplifying that action and making it more sticky by giving it a time and a place.
And we've already kind of hinted at a couple of other tools that we use. One is action, catalyst up and lower limits. These are words you would learn about if you go take our course. Not to oversell at the course, but it is pretty cool. And I think it's really useful.
Sheldon Mills: So next time, as we said, we're going to try and give you, we we've got several examples. We're gonna try and collect a few more, a dozen different examples of actual action triggers of different things. People have done set things up for a time and a place. So no matter what your goal or habit is thing you're trying to do, you'll be able to
rubber to the road, you know, practically see how you can do it. If you're struggling with that. I think most of you probably have a pretty good idea. If you haven't done this already, we all do this all the time, but sometimes it actually always, it helps to understand, oh, prep, this is why I was successful this time.
Why am I struggling this time? If you can take something that every, everybody here has done. To some extent, right. But when you can consciously make it a choice of, this is how to do it, this is the steps I need to take. You're much more likely to succeed.
Jeff Corrigan: Yeah. And I think you, that's a great point because the thing that Sheldon and I keep talking about with these principles is these are things you already do.
It's just, most of the time you're doing them without knowing it. And you're not necessarily able to use that same tool. Consciously, let's say as readily, as quickly as easily. Yeah. For example, we all know how to make appointments and keep them right. All of us have made an appointment in our life and committed and made it and made it happen.
So all we're saying is now you can use this tool by saying, oh, I need a time and a place and the action I'm gonna take and make it an appointment for myself. write it down and. Keep that blocked time out, just as sacred as you would a doctor's appointment or a date and night with your spouse or whatever that looks like.
So the goal of today is to start making and keeping appointments with yourself and making them just as important as making and keeping appointments with your doctor or with a friend or with a spouse, or with your kids. And doesn't have to be very long.
What if it's just five to 10? Right. We're talking, it's just the practice of keeping a commitment to yourself that really is gonna make the difference for you. Little changes, make big changes over the long haul. You guys are awesome. Thank you very much for listening, Sheldon, take it away.
Sheldon Mills: Good. Yeah. Again, thanks for being with us. I hope you really love this idea of setting an appointment with your future self. As much as we did We're looking to try and get to a hundred reviews on apple podcast.
If you haven't reviewed it, please go do that and check out the course. We were talking about every single bit of our course over different episodes, but the course is just laid out step by step one week , seven days format to just in seven days, you'll know how to make and keep habits that will move you toward your dreams.
I don't want to oversell it, but it's good.
Jeff Corrigan: beautiful.
Thank you guys. It's time to start living your best life.
