How to Use the Premack Principle to Transform Your Habits | Leave a comment

Have you ever felt like you totally know what you should be doing but you can’t get yourself to do it?

Maybe it’s exercise, that big project you want to finish, or that pile of laundry you’ve been telling yourself you’ll do one of these days, but instead you’re stuck scrolling on your phone, watching another episode, or snacking when you’re actually not even hungry.

The truth is you’re not being lazy and you don’t lack willpower; it just means your brain is constructed in such a way that you prioritize engaging in rewarding and entertaining activities first, even if there are other obligations that you had!

What if you could leverage this natural tendency to your advantage, and create a productivity hack that makes habit formation easier and more fun?

How Does the Premack Principle Work?

The Premack Principle is a behavioral principle proposed by psychologist David Premack in the 1960s—you may have heard of it as “Grandma’s Rule,” because it is as simple as the advice, “You can have dessert if you eat your vegetables first”.

The Premack Principle basically states that a behavior which is more probable (in this case, something you want to do) can be seen as a reward for a less enjoyable behavior (something you tend to avoid doing).

In other words, you can increase your motivation and self-discipline by making your preferred activities dependent on completing the less preferred activities! For example, if you love to watch YouTube videos but dislike answering emails, you create a rule for yourself: “I will only watch YouTube once I finish my emails.” Over time the help of this pairing can create habits, help you focus better, and make it feel less chore-some to change behavior.

This works because you are using your brain’s reward system. And when you start the habit of linking a wanted activity to a less-wanted one, you build a powerful loop of behavior and habit formation by using very desired activity with something “we have to do.” Now, your brain makes an internal connection that you are getting the reward of viewing YouTube once you finish the “should-do” task of answering your emails.

A Way to Move Change Forward with the Premack Principle

For the majority of people, they start new habits using willpower and criticism of themselves. Research shows that willpower has limitations and using it alone almost always leads to crashing and disappointment.

The Premack Principle is a better and science-backed behavioral approach to change behavior. With many years of research, we know the principle works:

The Premack Principle is a valuable way to change behavior, as not engaging in the strategy leads to self-criticism and increases in frustration. It’s easy to become self-critical and to wonder why you can’t seem to “just do it.” This is particularly true when you find yourself wondering why you are not disciplined enough.

These negative thoughts can start to chip away at your self-esteem, not to mention make it more difficult to create habits. With the Premack Principle you are working with the brain’s reward system, increasing your motivation, and forming habits in a way that is more sustainable and fun.

How to Use the Premack Principle: Step by Step Process

Identify High-Probability Behaviors vs Low-Probability Behaviors

The first thing you need to do is differentiate between high-probability behaviors (activities you willingly do and enjoy) and low-probability behaviors (things you have a tendency to avoid or procrastinate).

Action Steps:

• Create two lists.
• On one list, write your high-probability behaviors (examples: watching TV, scrolling social media, grabbing a snack, chatting with friends, playing a game, listening to music). If you apply some thought, you will likely create a list that is longer than the other by a significant amount!
• On the other list, write your low-probability behaviors/tasks. These are the tasks you should do, could do, and somewhat want to do, but if you are honest with yourself you might never do. This could be a list of tasks, things to improve, try, work on, etc. Some examples might be working out, cleaning, studying, budgeting, responding to an email, or making a phone call that could be difficult. (The “vegetables of life”)
• Be brutally honest: you are not judging yourself, you are simply identifying your real tendencies. The more accurate you are, the more optimum you can be when determining high vs low probability tasks.

Example: You realize that you routinely check Instagram after work but you put off laundry and meal prep. In this example, checking Instagram is a high-probability behavior and doing laundry and meal prep is a low-probability behavior.

Value: This self-awareness is the basis for utilizing the Premack Principle to create good habits and improve motivation.

Combine a Less Preferred Task With a Preferred Behavior

Now that you have identified what activities are “wants,” and what activities are “shoulds,” you can now utilize the Premack Principle to create pairs of activities that you can start. The key is to make your preferred activity a reward that can only occur at that time.

Action Steps:

• Decide on a specific coupling: Create a rule for yourself. “I am not going to do [enjoyable activity] until I have finished [less preferred task].”
• Make the reward immediate: The closer in time the reward occurs after the behavior, the more your brain will make the connection between the two.
• Be specific: General pairings do not work nearly as well. Instead of saying, “I will relax after work,” say, “I will watch one episode of my favorite show after I finish my workout.”

Example: You tell yourself, “I will not check social media until I have written 500 words of my report.” This makes the writing task feel purposeful, and the social media time more enjoyable.

Value: This behavior strategy takes advantage of the reward circuitry in your brain to make habit formation easier and more natural.

Make the Reward Non-Negotiable

In order for the Premack Principle to work, you cannot break the rule. If you allow yourself to enjoy the reward without completing the work, you will prevent the system from working.  To get started, here are 205 ways you can reward yourself.

Action Steps:

• Delineate clear boundaries: You MUST not complete the high-probability activity until the work of the low-probability activity is completed. When you do make a mistake, you can stop the reward and start over.
• Minimize distractions: If cheating is too easy (e.g. social media tabs), either install website blockers or put your phone in another room.
• Get accountability: Tell a friend, your partner, or a work colleague about your pairing. Have them check in, or join you in doing your pairing.

Example: You want to watch YouTube videos, but haven’t done your 15-minute tidy up first. Even though cheating may be tempting, you tidy up first, and then watch YouTube. If you cheat, then notice it and try again tomorrow.

Value: Consistency is a large part of behavior change. By making your reward non-negotiable you will be able to reinforce self-discipline much easier and support habitual development.

Start Small & Ramp Up the Challenge

A popular way to fail is trying to change everything at once! So start with one or two pairings, so they feel easy to complete. Then slowly ramp up the challenge as you become successful.

Action Steps:

• Select pairing points you can complete: Don’t pair your least favorite chore with your favorite activity straight away. Start with something that, although you might not be overly excited about it, you are willing to do for a short time.
• Do “micro-habits”: For example, do 5-minutes of stretching before your coffee in the morning or read a book for 10-minutes before checking your phone.
• Slowly increase: After your pairing becomes automatic, increase the time or challenge of the behavior.

Example: You start pairing 5-minutes of tidying up your desk before you open the Netflix app. After a week, you move it into the ten minute range, before you know it, you are organizing your space, with little effort and no thought, space is organized.

Value: Small wins create momentum and confidence, making habit formation feel doable, and sustainable.

Reflect, Adjust, and Celebrate Your Wins

Habit building is rarely a linear journey. Frequent reflection will help you see what is working, where you are struggling, and how you can adapt your approach to get better results.

Action Steps:

• Track your pairings: Keep a simple journal, or use a habit tracking app, to note when you complete your pairings, and how you felt completing them.
• Reflect weekly: At the end of each week, ask yourself: Which pairings worked best? Where was the most struggle? What can I adjust?
• Adjust as needed: If a reward becomes less attractive, swap it out for something new. If something is a lot too hard, break it down into smaller tasks.
• Celebrate your progress: Find a way to credit yourself for every win, no matter how ridiculously small it may feel. This positive reinforcement will improve motivation and fun as it relates to behavior change.

Example: You find that listening to a podcast after meal prepping keeps you doing it regularly, but scrolling Instagram did not motivate you to study. You adjust your reward for studying to be a favorite snack, and see much better results.

Value: Regular reflection and positive feedback will help reinforce new habits, using the Premack Principle, to become a long-lasting productivity hack.

Final Thoughts on the Premack Principle

To summarize, the Premack Principle is an extremely well-tested behavioral approach to motivate you to develop and improve your focus and productivity by linking preferable activities to less desirable activities. By linking desirable activities to less desirable activities that need to occur, we are working with our brain’s natural dispositions instead of against them.

Don’t rely on willpower. This behavioral strategy should make self-discipline easier and more habitual. Start by identifying your high- and low-probability behaviors, create your pairings, and stick to doing them regularly.

Change does not have to be difficult. Take massive action and make the change today: Implement and test one pairing, track and reflect on your progress, and watch as your habits and productivity start to change. Your future self will appreciate you for it.

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