Habit technique · Mind & motivation · A few minutes

Pros and cons, honestly

Level: Beginner · Free — no account needed to read

List honestly what an unwanted habit gives you and what it costs you, now and over months.

Why it may help

Seeing both sides clarifies what need the habit meets and what you’d gain by changing — and prevents pretending the habit gives you nothing.

When to use it

• You’re unsure whether to change a habit
• Building a replacement

How to apply it

1. Draw two columns: what it gives me, what it costs me.
2. Fill both honestly.
3. Circle the gains you’d need to replace.

An example

Musa’s list showed his cigarette breaks gave him time alone and company — which a walking break could also give.

The common mistake

Only listing the costs.

Practise it

Do the two-column list for one habit.

What the evidence says

Conceptual framework: A way of organising ideas that helps you think clearly. It describes rather than predicts, so it is judged by how useful it is.

Weighing pros and cons is a recognised technique; on its own it rarely changes habits, but it helps choose a good replacement.

Behaviour Change Technique Taxonomy (v1) codes: 9.2.

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