CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT TO SUPPORT YOUR BEHAVIOR CHANGE
Most people assume that behavior change is about motivation and discipline, and yes, those do exist in the same realm as making nutrition and wellness changes, but they are far far farrrr from being the main character in the story of your behavior change. We think that we should be able to just white-knuckle our way through resisting the snacks that we leave on the counter, magically become a “morning person,” or transform into someone who has all 21 meals of the upcoming week prepped on a Sunday.
When I ask a client to describe a current routine to me, I’m most interested in the visual that they create for me, because your environment is a key component in making changes to your behaviors. The environment around you, intentional or unintentional, is creating the visual cues that support the decisions that you make.
James Clear says it best: “Environment is the invisible hand that shapes human behavior.”
WHY ENVIRONMENT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN WILLPOWER
Human behavior is deeply influenced by what’s around us, oftentimes more than we consciously realize. There’s a number of behavioral psychology ideas that can help us to understand this. Here’s a few (without getting too in the weeds!) to help explain:
CUE-DRIVEN BEHAVIOR: we respond to cues (sights, sounds, places, emotions, etc.) in our environment automatically, so modifying cues can help determine how we react to them. For example, if there is a candy jar on your desk at work that you are always reaching for, moving this jar removes the cue. Or if your route to pick up a salad for lunch has you driving past your favorite burger joint, a change in route can remove the cue to detour for a burger.
THE PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE: our brains looooove efficiency, which means that whatever is easiest/closest/most convenient is what we default to, whether that is supporting our goals or not. This is why keeping treats in plain sight makes it harder to avoid them, and also why keeping pre-cut produce at eye-level in the front row of the fridge makes it easier to eat them.
DECISION FATIGUE: the more choices we have to make, the harder it becomes to make them (and if we’re being honest, the more choices we have to make, the worse our choices become, too). Changing and streamlining our environments to align with our goals removes the need to make decisions so that our behavior can change without relying on the need to “just be better” in the moment.
FRICTION: this is the “stuff” that gets in the way. When we increase friction, it makes a behavior harder, as there is more in the way; when we decrease friction, the intended behavior can become easier. At its core, removing friction is about making decisions in advance (so when the time comes, we don’t have to think, we can just act), simplifying the process so you have less obstacles in the future, and taking small actions ahead of time that lead to consistency and success.
REAL LIFE EXAMPLES OF ENVIRONMENT-DRIVEN CHANGE
Let’s make this practical! If you want different outcomes, it could be as easy as modifying your environment, not creating entirely different routines.
Some environmental changes for your nutrition habits:
Put produce at eye level in the fridge (and in the front of the fridge!). You're far more likely to eat what you see first.
Place snack foods in the pantry, not on the counter. The few seconds that it takes to walk over to and/or open the pantry can lessen impulsive grabs.
Prep your protein and put it in clear containers so it's visible and ready (again, front and center in the fridge can help).
Keep a water bottle at your desk, in your car cupholder, in your gym bag…
Some environmental changes for your movement habits:
Lay out (if you’re working out in the morning) or pack (if it’s happening mid-day or in the evening) workout clothes the night before.
Keep your sneakers by the door to make walks more accessible.
Join a gym near your home (for a quick commute) or near work (so that it’s on your route to/from home), as proximity is a strong predictor of consistency.
Some environmental changes for your mindset and productivity:
Keep your phone on the other side of the room while working or give it its own “resting place” when you’re sleeping; out of reach can help with productivity during the day and can keep mindless scrolling in bed at bay.
Adjust the settings on your phone to minimize distractions. This might be setting time limits in certain apps, limiting notifications, or even changing the colors on your screen; if your phone isn’t prompting you, you are able to be less reactive.
Create a dedicated workspace; our brains associate environments with behaviors, and working in bed or on the couch can confuse those associations.
Some environmental changes for your sleep habits:
Dim your lights before bed to give your brain a signal that it’s time to wind down. (You can get fancy here and buy special lights, but really, just decreasing the amount of light that is getting to your eyeballs as bedtime approaches is a great first step.)
Put your book or Kindle on your nightstand (or even your pillow) to cue reading before bed.
Keep your sleeping essentials (like a cup of water, sleep mask if you wear one, etc.) on your nightstand, too, so you don’t have to make an extra effort to be comfortable in bed.
The goal here is to make your ideal choices easy and less-ideal choices inconvenient. Behavior change can become dramatically easier when your environment is doing the heavy lifting for you. It’s not cheating to shift your surroundings! It’s actually called choice architecture, where we structure our environments so that the better choice and the easier choice are one in the same.
So often I hear frustrations from clients that don’t understand why change feels so hard even when they want it so badly, and this usually starts with creating systems that support the person that you both are and are trying/wanting to be. Instead of making big shifts to behaviors, start with modifying your environment, and see what changes can naturally occur. (This isn’t to say this that this doesn’t take effort! But your environment is the best place to start.)
SO…
Instead of asking “how the heck do I stay motivated?!” try “how can I make this easier on myself?”
We are way more likely to rise to the level of our environment than we are to rise to the level of our motivation. We have the power to design our surroundings thoughtfully, and by doing so, can influence our habits to shift, too.
YOUR NEXT STEP
Does this blog post resonate with you? At Front Porch Nutrition, I coach real people through real-life nutrition — thinking through what your wants, needs, and goals are, and working together to make changes that last not just in the moment, but for the long haul. Get started with 1:1 nutrition coaching today!
