More from National ESP Conference… I’ve been very excited about the sessions attended, conversations, and opportunities – good stuff, worth sharing (and hoping that next year we have more from our Lambda Chapter traveling together).
Yesterday, I attended a session about the University of Maryland Extension’s “Habit Shift Mindset” program. The program, offered to communities in Maryland, leverages emerging scientific research on habit formation to empower individuals to make lasting behavior changes. Habit formation, a growing area of research, shows that behaviors are deeply influenced by our environments and can become automatic through practice and repetition. But turning a behavior into a habit—and a habit into lasting change—requires intention and strategy.
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), a habit is more than a simple behavior; it’s a learned, ingrained pattern that transitions from effortful to effortless. The good news is that you can teach an old dog new tricks. Neuroplasticity enables us to reshape our brain pathways, although returning to old habits remains easier if we aren’t consciously practicing our new ones. This highlights the importance of the “habit loop” — cue, craving, routine, reward. When a cue triggers a craving, it prompts a routine that ultimately brings a reward, reinforcing the habit over time.
Finding Your “Why” and Setting Goals
The Maryland team created The Habit Shift Mindset program to help individuals go beyond learning new information and transition it to behavior change, which we intend to do in Extension, but it isn’t easy. The curriculum helps participants to better understand that creating lasting habits starts with understanding your “why,” a powerful motivator that can keep you committed even when challenges arise. This idea, championed by thought leader Simon Sinek, encourages individuals to identify a purpose behind their behavior changes.
Overcoming Barriers and Shifting Mindsets
Habit formation often involves overcoming internal and external barriers. The Habit Shift Mindset program guides participants through identifying potential obstacles and developing solutions to reduce friction and discomfort, which are natural parts of the change process. Additionally, reframing narratives with positive language is essential; a negative mindset can sabotage goals and trigger procrastination due to feelings of threat or discomfort. Visual strategies like vision boards and written goals can help make these changes feel more achievable, reducing the “psychological distance” to long-term objectives. So for example, if an Extension educator was delivering programming about family financial management and the participant was interested in saving money to buy a home for their family, a good educational strategy to help the participant go from learning what to do would be to vision board about homes, or ways that they could cut their spending.
Practical Application and Empowerment
The Habit Shift Mindset program also includes a workbook where participants apply each principle directly, promoting a sense of empowerment and accountability. Retrospective evaluations provide participants with insights into their growth and reinforce confidence in their ability to sustain new habits. Through strategies grounded in behavioral science, the University of Maryland Extension Habit Mindshift program equips participants to create meaningful, lasting changes.
These strategies felt very “right on” for Extension staff — they could be applied to any lesson planning with the intention of helping our participants not just learn about something – but start the process of setting intentions and changing behaviors. By understanding the science of habit formation, setting clear goals, identifying barriers, and fostering a positive mindset, participants gain valuable tools to shift their behaviors and improve their lives.
Resources can be found here: https://extension.umd.edu/programs/family-consumer-sciences/nutrition-and-health/habit-shift-mindset/agnr.umd.edu/agnr.umd.edu/extension.umd.edu/programs/family-consumer-sciences/nutrition-and-health/habit-shift-mindset
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