I'm writing this post in the middle of January, which is about the time that New Year's resolutions begin to come apart for the majority of people.

There is plenty of advice about how to set better resolutions next time, and plenty of books with strategies like using SMART goals, setting Atomic Habits, and so on. But a book I seldom see mentioned is one that approaches the specific issue of abandoned habits head-on: Change or Die, by Alan Deutschmann.

Deutschmann investigates a curious phenomenon related to patients who receive a terminal diagnosis related to their lifestyle. (For example, people who've had a heart attack, and are told they must improve their diet and exercise more in order to live.) For these people, change is literally a matter of life or death.

What's surprising is that the majority of such patients still don't change. Despite having the ultimate reason to, they cling to their bad habits. So what hope does that leave for the rest of us?

Deutschmann digs into this, and discovers that among those patients who do change for the better (and maintain their progress), they follow the same pattern of behavior change:

Relate. "You form a new, emotional relationship with a person or community that inspires and sustains hope."
Repeat. " The new relationship helps you learn, practice, and master the new habits and skills that you’ll need."
Reframe. "The new relationship helps you learn new ways of thinking about your situation and your life."

What's insightful about this finding is that it's very difficult to make significant change on your own. Starting a gym membership and trying to build that into a habit, or picking up a book and using that for guidance, are all very difficult ways to instill change. However, starting a membership that weaves you into a community, or reading a book that's part of a group of committed participants, sets up a completely different possibility for growth.

As a designer, this informs my approach to positive behavior change, and gives perspective on the strengths and limitations of our digital tools. No matter how beautifully designed a meal tracking app is, for example, using it in isolation is a recipe for failure. However, approaching behavior change as part of a community, with the app as a specific mechanism within the larger strategy, has much more potential for success.