Ten Tips For Improving Through Limitation

Have you ever tried to change a behavior and failed? Join the club. If this has not happened to you don't bother reading the real of this post and also quit lying to yourself. There is a lot of guilt associated with failing to change unwanted behaviors. So many success stories highlight the strength of will of those who are successful at losing weight, getting out of debt, quitting something cold turkey, etc. that there is an unstated implication that anyone who fails is lacking in fortitude. I have been there and wallowed in my own guilt when I have regressed. The truth is changing behavior is one of the hardest things in life to do. Failing to correct bad habits can lead quickly to wasted time and money and poor health. With this in mind, overcoming the difficulties of behavior change is crucial. As Chip and Dan Heath said in their excellent book Switch shaping the path can go a long way toward making a change. One of the most effective ways I have found to shape my path is to find a way to physically limit myself in a way that encourages the change that I want to make.  Below are a few examples:

1.  If you want to change your eating habits trade in the cooler you take your lunch in for a 6" X 6" Lock n' Lock container. If it does not fit in the container it does not go with you.  Then get rid of all of the other lunchbox options in your home. 

2.  Take all of the large dinner plates out of the convenient cabinets and hide them away for special occasions.  With only the smaller 8" plates ready to hand, you are limited to what can physically fit on a plate and thus eat less.

3.  Tie the light switch in the laundry room to the outlet that powers your iron.  When the light goes off the iron will shut off as well.

4.  Set up an automatic savings account then forget about it.

5.  Have all of your bills automatically paid by credit card, then have the credit card automatically pay itself off once a month.
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6.  Install motion sensing lights in your kids rooms and you will save on energy and the frustration of following them around and shutting off lights.

7.  Move to a smaller space when the opportunity arises.  Nothing eliminates waste like downsizing.  It eliminates the potential for buying "stuff" by requiring you to find space for every new purchase at the expense of getting rid of whatever is currently occupying that space.  You will also save time cleaning up and maintaining your home.

8.  Limit your dishes to what you need for one meal.  Not only will you be forced to clean up after each meal before you can eat the next, but you will probably stop using your dishwasher because you will never have a full load to run.

9.  Limit the number of hangars in your closet.  When you run out of hanger space its time to donate some clothes to charity.

10. Buy several small laundry totes to replace one large hamper.  When one of the small totes is full, take it to the laundry and wash a load of clothes.  When the empty tote is full take it to your closet and put the clean clothes away.  This simple visual system makes doing laundry a more frequent, but also more manageable task, and avoids massively unproductive "laundry days".

Try these and let me know in the comments if they worked for you.  If you have ideas or examples of how to change behavior through physical limitation I would love to hear them.