You know what to do. You've read the books, saved the reels, made the plan. So why are you still standing in the same spot?

In this episode of Healthy Aligned Action Takers, Dr LJ, Doctor of Educational and Child Psychology, unpacks the gap between where you are and where you want to be, and why it has far less to do with willpower than you've been told.

Psychologists call it the intention-behaviour gap, and the research is humbling. A meta-analysis of experimental studies found that even a medium-to-large shift in someone's intentions produces only a small-to-medium change in what they actually do (Webb & Sheeran, 2006). Good intentions, it turns out, are mostly a down payment.

The good news? The gap is predictable, which means it's workable. We explore:

• Why your brain treats "knowing" as if it were "doing"
• The simple if-then planning technique shown to significantly boost follow-through (Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006)
• Why new habits take longer than 21 days, and why missing a day doesn't wreck your progress (Lally et al., 2010)
• How identity, not motivation, drives lasting action (Oyserman, 2009)

Real psychology, a decent amount of humour, and the action you actually need to take. Let's go.

References

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

Lally, P., van Jaarsveld, C. H. M., Potts, H. W. W., & Wardle, J. (2010). How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. European Journal of Social Psychology, 40(6), 998–1009.

Oyserman, D. (2009). Identity-based motivation: Implications for action-readiness, procedural-readiness, and consumer behavior. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 19(3), 250–260.

Pfeffer, J., & Sutton, R. I. (2000). The Knowing-Doing Gap: How Smart Companies Turn Knowledge into Action.Harvard Business School Press.

Sheeran, P., & Webb, T. L. (2016). The intention-behavior gap. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 10(9), 503–518.

Webb, T. L., & Sheeran, P. (2006). Does changing behavioral intentions engender behavior change? A meta-analysis of the experimental evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 132(2), 249–268.

If you're interested in a short 45 minute master class in how to become an overwhelm obliterator then check it out here and ill see you there!

In this episode, we dive into the power of perspective and the roles we play in our own life stories. Think of yourself as the author of your life, but remember that other people sometimes scribble unexpected lines into your story. You're also the narrator, shaping how that story is told through your thoughts and inner voice. And hey, you're the DJ too, setting the energy and vibe of your day. We play with the idea that if Alan Carr narrated Jaws or if the Pink Pony Club was the soundtrack, you'd get a wildly different movie. And if your morning theme tune was Slipknot or your life was narrated by Tommy Shelby from Peaky Blinders, well, that'd change the whole feel. And let's not forget the magic of a Dame Judi Dench narration to class things up. By changing the perspective, the narrator, and the soundtrack, you can transform how you experience your own story.

If you're interested in a short 45 minute master class in how to become an overwhelm obliterator then check it out here and ill see you there!

Exploring the science, story, and soul behind our two core energy states... and how to tune into the right one for the moment.

If you're interested in a short 45 minute master class in how to become an overwhelm obliterator then check it out here and ill see you there!