In a recent blog post, Mark Johnson, CEO of JP & Associates, referenced a trick he uses to complete proactive tasks.
The concept of implementation intentions was introduced in 1999 by psychologist Peter Gollwitzer.
You can supercharge your effort by predetermining a specific behavior in response to a particular cue.
Here’s an example:
“If I’m feeling tempted NOT to make my prospecting calls, I’ll text my accountability partner.”
The basic structure of an implementation intention is:
IF {situation} THEN I will {your planned behavior}.
Developing good recruiting habits often means doing some tasks you initially find unpleasant.
Most people need a trigger event to jump start the right activity.
That trigger can be self-generated (ex. a time-block on your calendar or an alarm on your phone), but that doesn’t work for some people.
If you’re one of those people, give Dr. Gollwitzer’s method a try.