My Dumb Psychology Experiment Setup
So yesterday, I decided to try fixing my own bad habits using some simple psychology tricks. Figured it’d be easy, right? Grabbed a pack of sticky notes and wrote down three things I constantly mess up: eating junk late at night, procrastinating on emails, and snapping at my partner over tiny things. My brilliant plan? Stick these notes everywhere I’d see them – fridge door, laptop screen, bathroom mirror. Thought sheer reminder power would zap these habits instantly.
Where It Went Totally Wrong
Turns out, I messed up big time right out the gate. Here’s the disaster:
- Notes became wallpaper: By day two, my brain completely ignored the sticky notes. They just blended into the background, like another piece of clutter. Totally invisible.
- Feeling attacked: Every time I actually saw the “STOP EATING ICE CREAM AFTER 9PM!!!” note on the fridge while reaching for the ice cream, I just felt like crap. Guilt trip central. Didn’t stop me, just made me feel worse while doing it.
- Zero plan B: When the email procrastination hit hard, staring at the “DO YOUR EMAILS NOW!” note just made me slam my laptop shut. I had absolutely no idea what to do differently. The note screamed the problem, offered zero solution.
Felt super discouraged. My kitchen counter looked like a motivational poster exploded, and I was failing harder. Felt so dumb.
Actually Fixing the Mess (Super Simple Stuff)
Okay, scrapped the useless sticky notes. Time for plan B: actually use the psychology stuff properly instead of fighting myself.
- Swapped “Don’ts” for “Dos”: Instead of screaming “DON’T PROCRASTINATE!”, I put up a tiny sign near my laptop: “Spend 5 minutes opening email inbox first thing.” Small. Specific. Doable. Felt less like a drill sergeant.
- Made the bad habit harder: For the late-night ice cream raids? Simple. Moved the ice cream to the very bottom shelf of the freezer, behind the frozen peas. Suddenly, getting it became a mission. Sometimes, I just said “meh, too much effort.” Laziness for the win!
- Gave myself a cheap high-five: Finished those 5 minutes of emails? Marked a big “X” on my wall calendar. Seriously. Seeing a row of X’s felt oddly good. Tiny win, tiny celebration. Tricked my brain into wanting more X’s.
- Stopped trying to be perfect: Snapped at my partner one morning (coffee hadn’t kicked in yet, okay?). Instead of wallowing, I just followed my new rule: acknowledge it fast and do something small & nice. Said “Whoops, my bad, grumpy this morning. Want the last coffee pod?” Took the tension down instantly. Way better than stewing in guilt.
What Actually Worked
Ditching the constant negative reminders was the biggest shift. It wasn’t about willpower torture. It was about:
- Setting tiny starter steps (5 minutes on emails)
- Putting obstacles in the way of the bad habit (freezer hide-and-seek)
- Noticing the tiny wins (that satisfying calendar “X”)
- Having a quick fix ready for screw-ups (immediate small apology/gesture)
Honestly? Way easier than yelling at myself with sticky notes. The junk food craving? Happens way less. Emails? Slowly getting less scary. Fewer stupid arguments. Still not perfect, obviously. But finally moving the needle without feeling like my brain is fighting me. Turns out, being kinder and smarter to myself works better than punishment. Who knew?