Cognitive Design

Yes you can through cleverly designed artifacts called commitment devices.  A commitment device is anything you design to avoid anticipated lapses in self control. Using automatic withdrawals to pay yourself first, surrendering your keys to the bartender to avoid driving after drinking or promising (and being held accountable) to donate money to a worthy cause if you start smoking or overeating are all examples of “devices” designed to insure we follow through with our behavior change commitments.   

The key is to design it so there is no way (or at least no easy way) out and the emotion of the anticipated punishment is greater than the temptation to lapse.  A good way to make sure there is no way out is to relinquish control to others — or in short, outsource it.  

But outsource to whom?   Often we ask friends and family for help keep us on track but this can strain relationships. In extreme cases we can seek professional help (checking yourself into rehab is a commitment device so too is Bariatric surgery). Now there is a new alternative. Check out the website StickK. 

“stickK is a web-based company that helps you achieve your personal goals through “Commitment Contracts.” You create a contract obliging you to achieve a specific goal within a specific time-frame. By doing so, you put your reputation at stake. You may also choose to wager money to give yourself added incentive to succeed. If you do succeed, you get your money back. If you fail, the money is forfeited to charity, or to one of several causes, or to a person of your choosing. stickK’s services are absolutely free.”  

Interestingly, you can also put money at risk to go to an organization that you strongly oppose to avoid the trap of giving up because the money is going to help someone. If StickK works it will give cognitive designers a flexible new tool for building commitment devices into behavior change programs. After all, anticipating and engineering away potential fault states is good design.