Forming New Habits with Design Thinking
Struggling to Start or Maintain a New Habit?
How many times have you struggled to start or retain a new habit? The internal dialogue of, "I'll get back on track tomorrow," becomes a daily mantra.
Frustration with Unsolicited Advice
You might have vented to friends or family, only to feel frustrated by their unsolicited advice:
“Have you tried…?”
“Maybe you should…”
Thanks, but no thanks. The “just do it” mentality, while well-intentioned, can leave you feeling unheard, disempowered, and not any closer to your goals.
The Power of Mental Health Coaching
Wave coach Megan Murk, in her article, “Understanding the Power of Mental Health Coaching,” explains how applying a design thinking cycle can help you move from “impossible” to “maybe” to “WOW, I’m doing it!”
Empathy in the Design Thinking Process
A key component of the design thinking process is empathy. As a coach, this means setting aside assumptions and being genuinely curious about your world.
Identities
Beliefs
Values
Experiences
These aspects shape your life and help define your desired outcome. In true collaboration, the coach offers reflections or questions to present different angles, but it’s you who decides the most meaningful outcome.
Getting Creative with Brainstorming
Once you have a destination, it’s time to get creative! The ideation process involves brainstorming and encouraging actions without judgment. There are no “bad ideas” here.
What’s the smallest step you could take?
What step excites you the most?
Together with your coach, you’ll choose actions that align with your values, have the biggest impact, and are most doable.
Creating and Testing Prototypes
Next, those ideas are refined to create a prototype. Your coach helps you identify a micro action for a real-life situation.
For instance, if you want to practice setting boundaries, you could experiment with pausing before answering a request instead of immediately saying “yes.”
Embracing Feedback and Refinement
This is also a chance to highlight the intention behind the experiment. There is no “failure” here—only feedback.
After testing the prototype micro action, your coach helps you analyze the feedback:
What went well?
What was challenging?
Any surprises?
It’s okay if things didn’t go as expected! What can be adjusted and tested again?
The process continues to be refined as you test and gather feedback. Refinement involves going through the design thinking process repeatedly.
Conclusion: Lather, Rinse, Repeat
Lather, rinse, repeat! By embracing the design thinking process, you can gradually move closer to achieving your goals and building lasting habits.