Micro-commitment strategies

"Spice it up and savor it": infusing values into the routine

Sometimes, life imposes obligations on us that we cannot easily change (a boring job, household chores, caring for the sick).

In these situations, where we cannot change what we do, we can change how we do it by using the strategy of "flavoring".

Just as a chef adds spices to a bland dish to make it delicious, we can sprinkle our values on routine or unpleasant activities.

For example, imagine someone who hates weekly work meetings.

He can't stop going, but he might ask himself, "What value could I bring to this meeting to make it more meaningful to me?"

He might choose to spice up the meeting with the value of "curiosity" (trying to learn something new about his colleagues), the value of "humor," or the value of "assertiveness."

Suddenly, the meeting ceases to be a time-out and becomes a stage for practicing an important personal quality.

This strategy transforms passive waiting into engaged action, allowing us to live our values even in the most restrictive circumstances.

"Savoring" involves consciously noticing that we are acting on that value, reinforcing our identity.

The "Decathlon of Life" approach: balance and variety

Especially useful with adolescents or people with very unstructured lives is the "decathlon" metaphor.

A decathlete cannot afford to be excellent only in the high jump and forget about running or throwing. To win, he must maintain an acceptable performance in ten different events.

Life works the same way: if we become obsessed with the "Work" area and score a 10, but score a 0 in "Health", "Couple" and "Leisure", the system collapses.

This micro-commitment strategy involves selecting small actions in multiple vital areas simultaneously, rather than obsessively focusing on just one.

The client is invited to choose one small action for health (drinking an extra glass of water), one for relationships (sending a loving text message) and one for leisure (listening to a song he or she likes), all on the same day. This promotes a sense of balance and richness of life.

It prevents burnout that arises from exclusive focus and teaches that engaged action is a weaving of many different threads, where