Getting Started with Nudges

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Individuals can empower themselves through "self-nudges," assert Ralph Hertwig and Samuli Reijula in their new article in Behavioral Public Policy.

 

"Various needs and desires are always competing for attention in our minds and bodies. Self-nudging can help us to negotiate these internal conflicts. It is a practical tool that can enhance self-understanding," says Reijula, a philosopher at the University of Helsinki, in Science Daily. 

 

To implement self-nudges, first hone your awareness of how your environment controls your behavior. Identify the cues that push you toward or away from finishing your doctorate. 

 

Then start modifying your environment to nudge you in the right direction, i.e., writing your dissertation through using any or all of the four kinds of nudges. 

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Designing Dissertation Self-Nudges

 

Consider the four official nudge types below, with examples adapted for ABDs, to inspire you to design your own environmental nudges 

 

1. Use reminders and prompts strategically.

 

Planners serve as great reminders, and there are more ways to keep you on track. Place a sticky note on your laptop or TV with "ABD or PhD?" or "Just do one thing toward finishing" to remind you of your goal. Select a phrase that perks you up—and then channel your energy toward your writing. 

 

Keep a timeline and a list of dissertation next steps handy. Enjoy crossing off completed tasks without taking down your list. Avoid making the list so long that you feel discouraged looking at it. You can always update it. 

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2. Frame your choices for success to tip the scale.

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How you frame your decisions affects your behavior tremendously. If you ask yourself "Shall I struggle with those analyses or go bake some yummy brownies?", you have already tipped the scales in favor of temptation. Instead, frame the choice between success and failure: "Shall I invest my time in knocking off the rest of chapter three so I can send it my advisor or fritter time away in the kitchen making unhealthy sugary treats?" 

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Framing your work as an opportunity for long-lasting success and pride creates goal attraction and momentum, while simultaneously describing the temptation as highly undesirable evokes aversion. 

 

 

3. Make it easier to do the right thing—and/or harder to do the wrong one. 

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Cut back the time and effort needed to get underway by removing or lowering barriers. Keep your desk "dissertation ready" to facilitate a quick start without unnecessary prep time. 

 

Put your current chapter or work on your desktop so it is the first thing you see when you open your laptop. List your dissertation tasks rather than outcomes so you know what action to take when you sit down to work. 

 

Put obstacles between you and potential distractors. Turn off your phone or disable pop-up notification. Uninstall apps or games that hook you into wasting precious time. 

 

Are you working in your bedroom these days? Resist unneeded naps by making your bed and throwing some heavy dissertation references on it. Close the door if others are around. Get rid of things that attract your attention while keeping the ones that help you focus. 

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4. Use social pressure and pre-commitment to enhance accountability.

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Committing to a schedule can double the probability of follow-through. Developing a steady routine focused on process (e.g., writing hours) rather than product (pages written) will get the job done. Sharing your schedule is a win-win as it not only enhances accountability but also creates shared expectations about your availability. 

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Enlist a peer or friend to be your daily or weekly accountability buddy. Or promise to send a check to an organization you loathe if you fail to stick with it. As you monitor your improvement, note that most experts recommend that you focus on process rather than product, i.e., measure how much time you work, not how many pages you write. 

 

After implementing self-nudges singly or in combination, evaluate their effectiveness and tweak as needed. By consciously designing your environment, you will eventually nudge yourself right over the finish line! 

 

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Image credits: 
Top Photo by Unknown Author licensed under CC BY-SA-NC
In-text Photo by Unknown Author licensed under CC BY