Set the stage for the behavior you want
Let’s say your goal is to read more books and spend less time on your phone or watching TV. This takes a lot of motivation and self-control—something neither you nor I have much of after a long workday. So we end up on the couch with Netflix, despite our best intentions.
When motivation is low and self-control is lacking, the best thing we can do is change the situation in which decisions are made. You can:
Remove friction so the desired behavior becomes quick, easy, and automatic.
Add friction so the undesired behavior becomes slower, more complicated, and demanding.
For example, I can put my phone in another room to add friction. I can buy books I actually want to read to reduce friction. And I can cancel a few of my streaming subscriptions to make it harder to get distracted.
Creating the right conditions for the behavior you want is essential for making lasting changes. Still, most people rely too much on motivation and willpower. When that fails—as it often does—we end up disappointed in ourselves and others, feeling like we’re falling short.
We overestimate rational thinking
This plays out in the workplace too. Imagine a company is introducing a new IT system. New routines are coming in, and the old ones are being phased out. Most of the attention usually goes to employees’ motivation and adaptability. But change requires energy, and things rarely go as planned. As challenges build up, motivation drops and so does people’s belief in success. The result often falls short of expectations.
How many times have we heard something like this at a company meeting: “Now we all need to roll up our sleeves and be open to change. We’re in this together.” We try to appeal to people’s logic. And maybe the new IT system actually seems great. But still, people don’t start using it. Not because they lack discipline, but because changing habits is hard.
Change the situation, and you can change habits
BJ Fogg’s behavior model (B=MAP), Behavior equals Motivation plus Ability plus Prompt, helps explain what makes change difficult, or what makes the right behavior more likely to happen. To change behavior, we need enough motivation, the necessary ability, and a trigger at the right time
While motivation and prompts are important, I want to focus on what Fogg says about ability. This doesn't just mean talent or specific skills, but everything that makes it possible for someone to succeed. The key is to figure out how to make the desired behavior easier. The easier it is, the more likely it is to happen.
There are three ways to make things easier:
Increase people’s abilities
Lower the demands of the change
Adjust the context
For example, say you're implementing a new IT system in a department where only two out of ten people are very tech-savvy. Instead of relying on the skills of the two, it’s smarter to simplify the system so the other eight can also use it. You could send them to training, but it may be even more effective to reduce expectations for efficiency during the transition, especially when problems are most likely and everything takes longer. It might also help to make the old system harder to access so people don’t fall back on it once the new one is in place.
Other examples of reducing friction
A manager who actively schedules regular one-on-one check-ins rather than waiting for employees to take initiative.
Instead of being frustrated that people show up late to meetings, the company sets meeting times to 50 minutes by default instead of an hour. That way, people have time to answer emails, grab a coffee, or use the restroom before the next meeting starts.
DNB’s savings app links saving to card use. Every time a customer uses their bank card, a small amount is automatically saved. By connecting saving to an already established habit, they remove the friction of having to make an active decision to save money each time.til møtene.
What will make it easier?
No matter what kind of change you want to see, it’s smart to ask what you can do with the situation itself to increase the chances of success. Always ask: What would make this easier for people? If you can find strong answers to that question, you’ll be far more successful in changing behavior.
