1. Stop and Think
This should be a familiar strategy by now. Any time you want to change a behavior you need to stop and think about what you are doing.
2. Monitor
Sometimes monitoring, or keeping track, is enough to change the behavior. For example, people usually spend less money when they keep track of what they buy.
3. Appraise
When you are with other people, you can use how other people are reacting to get feedback on your behavior.
- Use the clues that other people give you. If friends are smiling, laughing, or nodding approval, then your behavior is probably okay.
- If, however, your friends look upset, bored, or confused, then it’s time to think about what’s going wrong.
- This might be easy to think about, but it can be difficult to appraise a situation in real life.
4. Reflect
After you have taken the time to stop and monitor yourself and appraised the situation it is time to reflect on what’s going on. Think about what’s happening and what is likely to happen next
- Are things going the way you want them to go?
- If not, what can you do differently?
- How can you change your behavior to improve the likely outcome?
5. Try Something Different!
If you realize that you are heading down the “wrong path”, try something new. Getting S*M*A*R*T does not happen overnight. It will take practice and some trial and error for you to see what works and what doesn’t