Situational Scaffolding is changing the conditions around you to make success more likely. It’s making what you want to do easier to do: in sight, close by, and adding friction to poor choices: out of sight, extra steps required, built-in delays.
For example, if you are challenged with impulse spending or keeping to your financial plan, leave your credit cards at home; remove auto payment info from your phone and laptop, sign up for maximum 401k payroll deduction. Remove temptations (it’s easier to say ‘no’ in the grocery aisle than in the kitchen!) and distractions; structure things so that the default option is the best option.
I send myself delayed emails as reminders, I make social appointments for exercise (pre-committing), and I’ve deliberately cultivated a social circle that supports my desired lifestyle, friends and colleagues that inspire and motivate me, a form of social and external accountability.
One key is to view your life as an outside efficiency/effectiveness consultant would (consider asking an organized friend with good life management habits for help) and re-design your routines and create the structures to help you create a smoother path to becoming your best self more often. Making good choices becomes less about raw willpower and more about the framework, the environment, you built to support stronger habits and wiser decisions.
Closing Quotes:
“You don’t rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” – James Clear, ‘Atomic Habits’
“Every environment whispers cues: design yours to nudge the version of you who makes good choices effortlessly.” – BJ Fogg (paraphrased)
“Choice architecture matters most when you’re tired, stressed, or distracted—the moments when small supports prevent big regrets.” – Inspired by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein
Affirmations from LLaMA:
“By acknowledging my weaknesses and limitations, I can design situations that help me make better choices, even when I don’t feel like it.”
“It’s not about being perfect; it’s about being aware of my surroundings and how they influence my actions. Situational scaffolding helps me take control of my environment to achieve my goals.”
“I’m not a victim of my circumstances. I can intentionally structure my day, my habits, and my relationships to support the person I want to become. That’s the power of situational scaffolding.”
“It’s essential to recognize that my choices are often a result of my environment, not just my character. By changing the situation, I can change the outcome.”
As always, I share what I most want and need to learn. – Nathan S. Collier
Note: Every effort has been made to properly source any 3rd person material. I am, however, a voracious reader. If anyone finds any unattributed material, pls let me know asap and I will be delighted to give credit where credit is due.
“All intelligent thoughts have already been thought; what is necessary is only to try to think them again.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1749-1832
