Struggling with Self-Improvement? Try a Commitment Contract

Have you ever found yourself struggling to stick with self-improvement plans? Maybe you’ve been thinking about making a change—like picking up a new hobby, getting fit, or finally tackling that book you've always wanted to read—but haven’t quite managed to get started?

If this sounds familiar (and I'm sure it does!), I’ve read about a simple, science-backed strategy that might help called the commitment contract.

What’s a Commitment Contract?

At its core, a commitment contract is all about making a promise to yourself. And more importantly, making that promise stick.

It’s based on a straightforward concept from my favourite subject, behavioural science: when we actively commit to a goal, especially in writing and with some skin in the game, we’re far more likely to follow through.

You might be thinking that that sounds pretty obvious. You’re right - it is, but here’s the kicker. It’s not just about making a commitment; it’s about how you make it.

Research shows that written commitments, especially those made publicly and with a penalty for failure, are incredibly effective in helping people reach their goals.

How Does It Work?

So how do you turn this concept into an action? Well you can take an old-school approach along the obvious written contract + getting a family member to be aware of what you've committed to.

But in 2024, well, there's an app for that! StickK takes the idea of a commitment contract and using gamification makes it easy and fun to use. You create a goal, break it down into manageable interim targets and it holds you accountable.

When you set up your goal, the app encourages you to make your commitment public by enlisting supporters—friends, family, or colleagues and you can even appoint a “referee” to monitor your progress and keep you honest.

But here’s what I think is the real genius of StickK: it lets you add financial stakes to your commitment. You can set up automatic donations to a charity if you fail to meet your goals. An you can even choose an anti-charity—a cause or organisation you really don’t support!

Why does this work?

The effectiveness of commitment contracts lies in a few key behavioural science principles. By making a public commitment, this increases our sense of accountability. It's human nature that we don’t want to let others down, so we’re more likely to stick to the plan.

Adding a penalty, especially one that’s financially painful (or maybe even worse, socially embarrassing), gives us that extra push to avoid failure.

It's also about the process of breaking down your goal into smaller, achievable targets which helps to build momentum. Each small win boosts your confidence and also reinforces your commitment to the larger goal.

Exploring more

If you’re interested in diving deeper into the concept of commitment contracts you might enjoy some of the following resources:

Books:

The classic book "Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness" by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein explores how small interventions, or "nudges," can significantly influence behaviour.

James Clear's "Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones" offers practical strategies for habit formation and explains how small changes can lead to big results.

Charles Duhigg’s book "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business" is a deep dive into the science of habit formation, how habits work and how they can be transformed.

Podcasts:

So many great podcasts on this subject it's hard to pin down just a few but explore Hidden Brain by NPR, The Tim Ferriss Show where Tim often discusses habit formation and Freakonomics Radio which looks at the hidden side of everything.

Whether it's with a good old pen and paper or with an app online, making any commitment - even just to yourself, more concrete by writing it down, adds a psychological power of strength. Try one of these approaches next time you are trying to commit to a task that you struggle to keep committed to and see if it makes a difference!