Trigger-action plans: Difference between revisions

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m (Add example of TAP with reference to the Beeminder blog post it is from)
(Recommend practicing TAPs and against choosing conditional triggers)
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Trigger-action plans (TAPs, also known as implementation intentions) are very concrete plans when and how to perform certain actions.
Trigger-action plans (TAPs, also known as implementation intentions) are very concrete plans when and how to perform certain actions.


Examples of implementation intentions:
TAPs can be very powerful. When they have become familiar and automatic you no longer have to think about them. Consider the common situation where you open the fridge and look in even though that's not what you came to the kitchen for.
 
Even though it may feel stupid, it can be very effective to actually go and act out the TAP a few times. For example, if you want to get out of bed immediately when your alarm goes off in the morning, go and lay down in your bed, set your alarm to go off in a few minutes and when it goes off, get out of bed exactly as you would like to in the morning. Repeat a few times as needed. "Dry practicing" new taps can also help identify potential issues with the TAP that you hadn't noticed before.
 
Examples of TAPs:


* When i walk through the door to my bedroom I will do one pull-up.
* When i walk through the door to my bedroom I will do one pull-up.
* When I sit down at my work desk I will drink a sip of water.
* When I sit down at my work desk I will drink a sip of water.
* IF I say “I/we should do X” THEN I take some immediate action that gets me slightly closer to X happening.<ref>From Beeminder blog post: [https://blog.beeminder.com/should/ I Resolve Not To Resolve; Or, The Anti-Resolution Resolution]</ref>
* IF I say “I/we should do X” THEN I take some immediate action that gets me slightly closer to X happening.<ref>From Beeminder blog post: [https://blog.beeminder.com/should/ I Resolve Not To Resolve; Or, The Anti-Resolution Resolution]</ref>
It is important to choose triggers that can be acted on unconditionally. Having a TAP where the action is to ''decide'' whether you will do something will make it much less effective and it may even make you blind to the trigger over time.


== External Resources ==
== External Resources ==

Revision as of 07:41, 29 March 2023

Trigger-action plans (TAPs, also known as implementation intentions) are very concrete plans when and how to perform certain actions.

TAPs can be very powerful. When they have become familiar and automatic you no longer have to think about them. Consider the common situation where you open the fridge and look in even though that's not what you came to the kitchen for.

Even though it may feel stupid, it can be very effective to actually go and act out the TAP a few times. For example, if you want to get out of bed immediately when your alarm goes off in the morning, go and lay down in your bed, set your alarm to go off in a few minutes and when it goes off, get out of bed exactly as you would like to in the morning. Repeat a few times as needed. "Dry practicing" new taps can also help identify potential issues with the TAP that you hadn't noticed before.

Examples of TAPs:

  • When i walk through the door to my bedroom I will do one pull-up.
  • When I sit down at my work desk I will drink a sip of water.
  • IF I say “I/we should do X” THEN I take some immediate action that gets me slightly closer to X happening.[1]

It is important to choose triggers that can be acted on unconditionally. Having a TAP where the action is to decide whether you will do something will make it much less effective and it may even make you blind to the trigger over time.

External Resources

References