In this game, players review 10 tips for habit formation and write a new tip on the same topic.
Purpose
To replace a tip of a questionable value with a more useful tip.
Synopsis
Ask the players to review 10 tips and replace one of them with a better tip.
Players
Minimum: 3.
Maximum: Any number, organized into groups of 3 to 7 players.
Best: 10 to 30
Time
10 to 20 minutes
Handout
·Form Positive Habits
Supplies
Pieces of paper
Pens or pencils
Equipment
Timer
Whistle
Room Set-Up
Arrange seats around tables to permit individual writing and group discussion.
Flow
Organize the players into groups. If you have more than 7 players, divide them into smaller groups of 3 to 7 players each. Explain that each group will play the game among its own members.
Distribute the handout. Give a copy of the handout to each player. Identify one of the players as the official Scribe to keep track of the revisions suggested by the group.
Explain the first task. Ask the players to review the 10 tips, paying careful attention to their practical value. Tell the players that their task is to select the least useful tip from the list. Announce a suitable time limit and ask the group to get started.
Delete the tip. Ask the scribe to cross out the tip rated as the least useful one by the group.
Explain the second task. Ask the team members to write a tip on the same topic (of forming positive habits) imitating to style of the other nine tips. Encourage the team to come up with a more useful tip than the one they eliminated. Announce a suitable time lime.
Conclude the activity. After the time limit has elapsed, blow the whistle to signal the end of the activity. If there is more than one group, ask each group to identify the tip that was eliminated and present the replacement.
Handout
Form Positive Habits
Your habits form your second nature. They save time and effort because they don’t require conscious attention. Small habits (such as writing letters of the alphabet) form the foundation for more complex behaviors (such as writing a novel). Here are some guidelines for acquiring positive habits:
1. Remember, habits are responses that occur without conscious intention, attention, or control. To acquire a strong habit, repeat a specific behavior in identical contexts until they become automatic.
2. While forming a habit, perform the target activity several times for several days. Repeat for 30 days or more.
3. Monitor, record, and track the habitual activity you are trying to acquire. Do this on paper or in your smart phone.
4. To form a habit, begin with a goal and break it down into brief activities. Select one of these activities (that can be conducted in less than 5 minutes) and form a minihabit by repeating it frequently.
5. Form lengthier habits by chaining several minihabits. The completion of the activity related to the first minihabit becomes a cue for the next one.
6. Let your friends and family members know that you are trying to acquire a new habit. Ask them to help you with peer pressure and peer support.
7. Reward yourself for repeating a desired behavior associated with the habit. The best type of reward is the intrinsic one of connecting the habit with the goal you are trying to achieve.
8. If you lapse while forming a habit, don’t beat up on yourself. Snap back to following the planned program.
9. Forming a habit requires several repetitions of the target behavior. Be patient and anticipate disciplined drilling for a month or more.
10. Don’t wait for an auspicious time when everything is perfectly lined up. You can start acquiring a habit right now.