I've got Performance Psychologist Simon Marshall, PhD. with me today to talk about motivation. Our analysis of thousands of responses to the most significant health challenges you've been facing suggests that this is a crucial factor for many people. You know what you want to do, and you're well aware of why you want to do it. So why does your motivation fall apart when it's time to get up early from a warm bed or when you're offered that glass of wine you know you shouldn't have?

In this interview, Simon explains why forming new habits can be so difficult, and what you can do instead to adopt behaviours that support your health goals. This show is full of actionable steps you can take - simple strategies to arrange your environment, adjust your routine, and plan ahead for challenging moments. If you find this podcast helpful you’ll love Simon’s new training course, Nudge Tactics for Health Coaching where he teaches the new behavioural science on how people make decisions about their health. 

Here’s the outline of this interview with Simon Marshall:

[00:02:53] Motivation vs. commitment.

[00:04:47] Motivational contagion.

[00:05:41] There is no try, only do.

[00:07:39] Counting; limited channel capacity.

[00:09:41] Sleeping in running gear.

[00:10:40] Strengthening relationship between intention and action; implementation intentions.

[00:12:31] Creating habits.

[00:12:43] Book: The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, by Charles Duhigg.

[00:13:14] Trigger, routine, reward.

[00:16:31] Substituting the routine.

[00:17:23] Manipulating the trigger (stimulus control).

[00:19:30] The function of habits.

[00:21:40] Habit stacking.

[00:23:09] Start small.

[00:23:54] Expectancy theory; Victor Vroom, PhD.

[00:25:00] Instrumentality.

[00:25:43] Goal disengagement: knowing when to quit.

[00:29:59] Habit prioritization strategy; planning ahead.

[00:33:55] Accountability challenges; forum.nourishbalancethrive.com.

[00:34:20] Social conformity as motivation.

[00:36:23] Loser avoidance bias.

[00:38:04] forum.nourishbalancethrive.com.