Press Release
Neuroscience Makes New Year's Resolutions Stick
As people prepare to make and break yet another round of New Year’s resolutions the emerging field of neuroscience sheds some light on why people fail to make habitual changes in behaviour and more importantly, what can be done to help people turn good intentions into new habitual ways of living. Whether you wish to lose weight, save money or find a better work-life balance this information can help you turn your good intentions into reality.
Neuroscience shows us that adopting new behaviours engages the prefrontal cortex which takes a great deal of mental energy. When the new behaviours are replacing an existing behaviour, this drain on our energy levels is amplified by the brains release of error signals. Error signals, which operate in the orbital frontal cortex, can be quite useful in that they prompt us to ‘sit up and pay attention’, however they also draw energy away from the parts of our brain responsible for higher order thinking and lead us to give in to our natural impulse to revert back to our familiar behaviours.
Familiar behaviours require far less mental energy because they utilize an entirely different part of the brain, called the basal ganglia. It is within this part of the brain that neural circuits associated with habitual behaviour are formed, allowing us to perform certain habitual behaviours, such as the mechanics of driving a car, without any conscious thought.
The key to moving from good intentions to sustained changes in behaviour lies in our ability to form new neural circuits associated with the new behaviour. Jeffrey Swartz MD and physicist Henry Stapp, show that when close mental attention is paid to a specific experience over a period of time, new stable circuits are formed .
- Daily reflective journaling is a simple and inexpensive process that helps people to form these new neural circuits and turn good intentions into new leadership habits. The Australian Leadership Development Centre, who makes extensive use of journaling in their leadership development programs, has the following advice for anyone wanting to tap the power of journaling to help them keep their New Year’s resolutions.
- Get yourself a decent journal. A journal is not a diary. Rather, it is a notebook. Some people prefer lined notebooks as they make writing easier while other people prefer unlined pages as they suit drawings and diagrams. Either will work fine. The notebook you choose should reflect a little of who you are as a person and should also reflect the value you place on your New Year’s resolution. As this is the only expense you will incur it is worth spending a little money on a nice journal. Those of you who are computer savvy may also want to consider making use of journaling software.
- Publish your resolutions. Avoid spreading yourself too thinly. You are far more likely to succeed if you focus on making 1-2 key changes than you are if you overload yourself with too many goals. Once you have clarified your focus, write your resolutions down on the front page of your journal. These should include a general resolution statement along with some specific targets underpinning that statement. For example, I want to be healthier supported by:
- Losing 15kg over 6 months.
- Lowering my cholesterol to less than 5.
- Improving my fitness levels.
- Add some images and symbols to your front ‘resolutions page’ that reflect the benefits you will gain by achieving your goals. Finally, tell people about your resolutions and ask for their support in keeping them. This can include family, friends, work colleagues and any other people who may be around you at times when you have to engage in goal-related behaviour.
- Set up a time for making a 5 minute daily entry. It is a good idea to make this straight after an existing routine eg straight after lunch, as this prevents your journal entry being put off and potentially forgotten. The entry itself does not take a lot of time. Rather it is the repetitive focused attention that is important. Start making your daily entries as straight away. The following is one set of daily prompts used in the Centre’s leadership journaling software:
- How have I used my goal behaviours today?
- Did I fall into any familiar habits when I should have used my new goal behaviours?
- How do I plan to use my goal behaviours between now and my next journal entry?
- Also set a time for a weekly, 10-15 minute journal entry. This entry serves two purposes. Firstly, it provides an opportunity to reflect on the week as a whole, celebrating successes and learning from setbacks. Secondly, it provides you with a chance to plan specific actions you will take in the next week to help you on your way to achieving your goals.
- As you progress with journaling start to get a little more creative. Create a list of quotes that inspire you to succeed. Paste in images that remind you of your resolution, your successes and the lessons you have learnt from your temporary setbacks along the way.
The Australian Leadership Development Centre is now taking accepting registrations for 2008 open-enrolment programs in Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Mackay, Townsville and Cairns.
Authorised
Shaun Killian (MEd, MLead)
Director
Australian Leadership Development Centre
Additional Information
The Australian Leadership Development Centre is an educational organisation specialising in helping leaders enhance their habitual leadership behaviours. We make extensive use of journaling in our leadership development programs and executive coaching services. Shaun Killian is the founder and director of the Centre.
‘Shaun’s gentle, unobtrusive yet highly skilled approach led me into a world of my leadership that I had not visited for some time. Once again I am impressed by the quality of leadership development tools produced by the Centre for Creative Leadership. Shaun uses these tools and a masterly coaching style with great effect. I encourage you to join him out of your comfort zone (where he will take you anyway). You will enjoy the thrill of new learning and a great reduction in your stress levels as you acquire new knowledge about yourself. ‘
Tom Hardy
Former President Qld Association of State School Principals
Contact:
Shaun Killian (MLead, MEd)
Australian Leadership Development Centre
Further information and additional testimonials visit www.leadershipdevelopment.edu.au or
Email: shaun@leadershipdevelopmentcentre.edu.au