Success on Autopilot: Process Outline

This is the system I've created for changing habits.  It's all coming together nicely now.  I've been using it for myself and it's excelelnt.

For existing change efforts:

1.Determine what stage of change you are in.

For new change efforts:

Precontemplation:

1. Determining Values, Principles, and Beliefs

2.Determining Defense Mechansisms.

Contemplation:

1.Start listing areas of life which are protected by defense mechanisms or contrary to values.

2. Rank the areas on a scale of 1 - 10 ease of change,(1 = super hard, 10 = super easy) and 1 - 10 importance of change (1 = I could care less, 10 = This NEEDS to change).

3. Take the outcome farthest from zero (easiest and most important) and find the new outcome that you desire (eg.  I'm fat -> I'm thin, I smoke -> I no longer want or need cigarettes).

4. Research information about the old and new outcome... what people have made this change already, what are the vital behaviors you need to enact to get the new outcome?

5. Evaluate your own feeligns about the old and new outcome... how do they fit in with your values?  What are the positives and negatives of changing?  What about the positives and negatives to other people?

6. MAke it salient, Begin imagining the result of your old outcome and new outcome.  Watch a movie, read a story, or create an experience for yourself to make the consequenses real.

7. TEll other people about your contemplation.  Enlist someone to support you, be very specific about the support you want at this stage.

Preparation:

1. Commit, set a date in the next two months that you're going to act.  Go public with your commitement.

2.Start Measuring.  Make things visible, figure out what and how frequent your current behaviors are.

3. Determine Triggers, consequences, substitutes, and reinforcers for both new and old behaviors.

4. Determine what sources of influence you want to use, and to what behaviors you want to influence.

5.Create a relapse prevention and warning signs sheet.

6.Determine next actions for sources of influence.

Action:

1. Put plan into effect, use whatever sources of influence you have determined are good... the exact steps have already been laid out based on the work done in the preperation stage.

Maintenance:

1.Continue new behavior.  Keep measuring outcome to see if behavior is haing intended effect.

2. Start weekly review of Relapse Prevention Sheet.  If any warning signs are noticed, enact relapse plan.

3. You are now ready to begin changing the next most important habit.

Termination:

Success is now on autopilot, no further work will ever be needed on this behavior ever again.