Habit technique · Practice & repetition · A few minutes
Watch someone do it
Level: Beginner · Free — no account needed to read
Watch how someone else actually does the habit — a friend, a video, a class — and borrow what fits you.
Why it may help
Seeing a behaviour done shows the steps and makes it feel possible, especially for similar people.
When to use it
- You’re not sure how to do the habit
- Low confidence
- Learning a physical skill
How to apply it
- Find someone who does the habit well — ideally someone similar to you.
- Watch how they start, do and finish it.
- Note one thing to copy.
An example
Watching a friend meal-prep on Sundays showed Aaliyah a simple method she could copy.
The common mistake
Comparing yourself to experts far ahead, which can discourage instead of teach.
Practise it
Watch one demonstration of a habit you’re building and note one step to copy.
What the evidence says
Research-supported: Good studies support it, but there are fewer of them, the effects are modest, or they come from a narrow set of situations.
Demonstration of the behaviour is a recognised technique, and self-efficacy theory identifies watching similar others succeed as a source of confidence.
Behaviour Change Technique Taxonomy (v1) codes: 6.1.
Sources
- Michie, Richardson, Johnston, Abraham, Francis, Hardeman and colleagues (2013). The Behavior Change Technique Taxonomy (v1) of 93 Hierarchically Clustered Techniques. Annals of Behavioral Medicine. doi:10.1007/s12160-013-9486-6
- Bandura (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review. doi:10.1037/0033-295X.84.2.191
Problems it helps with
- “I remember, but I don’t start.” — You know it’s time. You even think about it. And then you do something else.
Lessons behind it
- The people around you — We drift toward the habits of the people we spend time with. (6 min · Intermediate)
- Confidence you build by doing — Self-efficacy grows from small successes more than from encouragement. (6 min · Beginner)