The Information-Action Fallacy

Have you heard of the 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗰𝘆?

It’s the notion that if you just give people the right 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀, they will change their 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝘀 and 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝗿. While it’s a neat theory, it unfortunately doesn’t really hold up in the real world; mere facts just aren’t enough.

So what do we do when we have 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨, but are struggling to take consistent action towards our goals? Or to say it another way, what actually drives lasting behaviour change?

The research on habit formation suggests 3 key things:

• epiphanies

• environmental changes

• tiny tweaks to existing habits

𝗘𝗽𝗶𝗽𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 are sudden revelations, which unfortunately are impossible to consciously bring about (unless you posses some kind of magical powers).

𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 are a bit easier to manipulate in your favour, although you can’t make all of your friends suddenly decide to go to the gym at the same time and location as you.

That leaves your daily 𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝘀. These are small actions that compound into large results, if done repeatedly over time. The more often you do them, the better you’ll feel. This also creates a feedback loop that, over time, helps to wire in new habits. And most importantly, a small action is something that you can start to do right now to help form the daily habits you desire for yourself.

Like cutting up some vegetables

Prepping a healthy meal ahead of time

Going for a walk after dinner

Taking 3 deep breaths to calm down when you’re feeling anxious

It’s why ACTION beats INFORMATION, every single time.

And the more you shrink the action step down into something bite-sized and manageable, the easier it is to get started (and stay in motion) with the good habit that you’re trying to form.

Wishing you health & happiness,

♡ Jen

Jennifer Broxterman, MSc, RD
Registered Dietitian
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