How to Use Behavioral Design to Survive COVID Isolation
The first two weeks of March were a blur for me. I’d contracted full-blown COVID-19, not enough to put me in the hospital, but enough to keep me confined to home. Combined with the stay-at-home order that followed, I was looking at six weeks of self-isolation, with little to do beyond laying in bed, watching Netflix, and FaceTime-ing family and friends.
The idea of spending that long alone, only to emerge having accomplished nothing, filled me with dread. Add to that concerns about slowing client work, hardly any physical activity, no in-person contact with friends, and parents in New York to worry about, and it was clear I had to do something to rein in the anxiety and regain a sense of control.
So I did what any good behavioral designer would do. I created a system — the “Pandemic Plan” — to help me set realistic goals and track progress during my isolation. As you might expect, this was more involved than a few items on a scrap of paper but it worked extremely well. And in the process, it clarified a few Behavioral Design principles with serious real-world application, especially in our new self-isolated, socially-distanced world.
Make it salient.
To avoid slipping into a Netflix black hole, I started my Pandemic Plan by writing out a list of “Quarantine Activities” on a large Post-It Note. This meant things other than watching TV that I could do solo, that might bring me some joy or sense of purpose. I also wrote out a list of “House Projects” I’ve been meaning to do for years, on another large Post-It.
So far, so good, but placement turns out to be crucial. Dr. Michelle Eskritt, who studies the effect of note-taking on memory, suggests that keeping to-do lists in a central, visible place will make them more effective.
So I located the Plan where I was spending the majority of my time: the kitchen. Using the side of my pantry cabinet, I created a space for plenty of small and large Post-Its, whose presence only seems to grow as the days wear on. It’s as if the self-commitment is growing as the bright yellow collection increases in size. This obvious, unavoidable placement provides an effortless environmental cue, making my self-commitment impossible to ignore every morning while making coffee.
Make it tangible and easy.
One key element of the Pandemic Plan is that it’s analog. Since I’m already spending hours a day on FaceTime and Zoom, connecting with family and friends and talking with colleagues, I didn’t want to spend more time on a screen than necessary. A pad of Post-its and a pen was the simplest way to implement this.
There is also evidence that the very act of physically writing things down makes you more likely to do them, as well as making the list easier to control. Dr. Gail Matthews found that “writing down goals will make you 33 percent more likely to achieve them.”
The system is specifically designed to be simple to create and maintain. Each day gets one regular-sized Post-It, small enough to keep the list short, and prevent me from overcommitting. This also helps break a large, 6-week period of time into small, daily units that feel much more digestible. As I go through the day, I prioritize the few items on my Post-it Note. I cross out the activity or task if completed. If I complete all of the items assigned for that day, I can indulge and watch a movie or show.
Jotting down the day’s ambitions takes about three minutes each morning, and striking them out as I accomplish them is nearly instantaneous. I can easily add to my Quarantine Activities if a new hobby reveals itself (like when my Peloton was delivered last week!).
Make it flexible.
Almost every day includes some form of exercise or movement. Most days include work or house related activities, like organizing something specific or cleaning a part of my home or working on a client deliverable. Most days also include something for pleasure like working on the current puzzle on my dining room table or an extended family Zoom call or baking.
I keep this mix of activities each day because choice is important. We know from the work of Sheena Iyengar and others that there’s an optimum amount of choice for any decision. We like having more than one option, but that too many can lead to choice paralysis. This social psychology research has informed much of the work around choice architecture — the design of ways choices can be presented to a user. Pre-populating ideas on the large “Quarantine Activities” Post-it Note helps remove the friction of brainstorming what options I can choose from every day. I don’t have to spend cognitive energy on generating ideas, just selecting that day’s activities.
Some days, when I have a lot of energy, I want to accomplish big house projects. Other days I’m still exhausted from my fight with COVID-19, and can barely sit at my desk for four hours. Some days I wake up motivated and focused, but I know that emotional and energy swings are likely so I shouldn’t overcommit. On these days, I may write more than three activities on a Post-It, but include a question mark, to signal “optional”. If I can cross it off the list that day, well done, Alex! If I don’t, no sweat. Things are stressful enough right now.
On the sixth day of using this system, I woke up feeling terrible again. I didn’t want to bail on it, but also knew I couldn’t commit to anything beyond taking care of my foster puppies and watching Netflix. I didn’t write the day’s Post-it until I was getting ready for bed. I hadn’t accomplished much that day, but the virus had made me incredibly ill, and I had found some self-love and empathy. I decided to write the day’s accomplishments in a way that felt supportive. And I still crossed out everything on that day’s list because it felt good to do so.
Make it achievable.
Many experts are referring to the current pandemic experience as a collective trauma. We have to be gentle with ourselves. So I start simple each morning. I don’t overcommit. On really good days, when I am completing my list efficiently, I sometimes add more items, just so I can cross them out and feel a sense of accomplishment.
In his book The Organized Mind, Dr. Daniel J. Levitin explains that “human brains can only pay attention to three or four things at any one time, so writing down a task we plan on getting to later is essential.” So keep each daily list short and simple and save the other potential activities and projects on another list for later!
Make it measurable.
The stay-at-home order means that many of the things that usually bring a sense of accomplishment have disappeared. My professional projects have slowed and shifted, reducing the opportunity for a regular sense of achievement derived from work. My pottery studio has closed for the foreseeable future, so I can’t measure my productivity in the number of bowls I complete. How might I replace the feeling of accomplishment, perhaps on a smaller, more personalized scale?
This is where keeping track of how many times I do a specific activity or task is super helpful. It’s helpful to see that my work days are increasing — this allows me to feel less guilt about the days I was sick in bed. Tracking the number of walks or bike rides I’ve done as the weeks pass provides me with a sense of physical wellness and wellbeing, which is critical as I spend 22+ hours inside my house. My days feel more useful and meaningful as I place tick marks next to “foster puppies” or “do a house project”.
Make it feel good!
This time at home has been challenging. I know I’m not alone in feeling that this pandemic has introduced anxiety and fear into my life in a way I’ve never experienced. This is why it’s so important that the Pandemic Plan bring some joy, along with feelings of productivity.
As Dr. Claudia Aguirre of Headspace explains, “Writing can be a powerful tool to help deal with our thoughts and emotions; some researchers believe it can simplify and organise fragmented memories.” Psychologist Dr. David Cohen also argues that completed lists reduce anxiety, not just about our list of to-dos but about the world around us.
I have felt a sense of control and sense-making through my Pandemic Plan documentation. I am only including activities I enjoy doing (and yes, work is one of those things!) I am making sure to prioritize physical movement each day because I know it makes me feel great. I share my system with close friends when they check in on me and ask what my daily activities are. And they celebrate me when I accomplish everything on my list.
Conclusion
It’s also worth pointing out that even though my Pandemic Plan was “just a to-do list”, to-do lists can actually be powerful tools. They’re one of the world’s most popular organizational tools for good reason, and the subject of plenty of psychological research. To-do lists offer structure, reduce the appearance of chaos, and provide proof of accomplishment, by bringing a person’s “locus of power” into their sphere of control. As Dr. Cohen explains:
“A list is a way of being in charge. Sorting things out and getting jobs done gives you a sense of having influence on a world that seems beyond your control.”
As so many pieces of modern life seem to have been suddenly snatched out of our control, it’s worth focusing in on some of the things that can’t be taken away: our accomplishments, our feelings, our intentions, and our Post-It Notes.
How are you managing your time in self-isolation? What are some ways you have found to stay productive or active during this global pandemic? How are you managing your anxiety and new reality? Feel free to comment below, or share with @alexfiorillo and @GRID_Impact on Twitter!
Alexandra Fiorillo is the Founder of GRID Impact, a behavioral and human centered design firm that works on complex social, health and economic challenges around the world.
