Written by Jo White, HBCL Co-director
Honestly… where did February go? How are we already in the second week of March? My (Jo) intention was to post at the end of each month, but while the behaviour eventually happened, it was late. Yep, I fell into the intention–behaviour gap!
In the past, I’d have been annoyed with myself, but looking through a human behaviour change lens, has taught me to view these moments as learning opportunities (one of my favourite excuses… mainly because it’s true!).
Being aware of our behaviour, and taking a moment to reflect, really helps us bridge that gap between what we intend to do and what we actually do. Questions like:
What am I trying to do?
Why does it matter?
What helps?
What gets in the way?
What did I learn last time?
Change takes effort. It needs motivation, willpower, planning and goals, but it also needs time. We live in a world that rushes us through endless to‑do lists, so slowing down feels strange… but it’s essential.
Think about learning to drive, play an instrument, dance, speak a new language. At first, everything is slow, clunky and requires conscious thought. The development of these actions shine a light on other behaviour changes, as they are exactly the same. Yet we often expect ourselves (and others) to change instantly, as if flicking a switch!
If we really want to create positive change, we need to give ourselves permission to start slowly, make time, and build confidence in the actions that matter. Ironically, slowing down now often makes us far more effective later. Rushing only repeats old patterns, reflection and conscious thought is what helps us create new ones.
