Habit technique · People & support · A few minutes
Ask for practical support
Level: Beginner · Free — no account needed to read
Ask one person for one specific kind of help with a habit — a quiet hour, a shelf of your own, joining you, a reminder.
Why it may help
Other people shape our surroundings and time; a specific request makes their help easy to give.
When to use it
- Shared homes and spaces
- Other people’s needs collide with your habit
How to apply it
- Choose the one thing that would help most.
- Choose the person it affects.
- Ask kindly and specifically.
An example
Nour asked her family to keep the sweets in a cupboard instead of on the table.
The common mistake
Expecting people to guess what would help.
Practise it
Make one specific request this week.
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.
Practical social support is a recognised technique; its effect depends on the relationship and the request.
Behaviour Change Technique Taxonomy (v1) codes: 3.2.
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
Problems it helps with
- “Other people or my surroundings get in the way.” — The plan works until someone else’s needs, habits or space collide with it.
Lessons behind it
- Home and family — Habits in shared spaces, and agreeing changes with the people you live with. (6 min · Intermediate)
- The people around you — We drift toward the habits of the people we spend time with. (6 min · Intermediate)