At Pavlok we’ve broken down behavior change into a set of specific terms to help you be successful.
The Pavlok system starts with a HABIT, a new behavior that you want to develop in order to lead you to a better life.You can commit to do a variety of things, such as go to the gym, wake up on time, journal each day, or study a new language.
All these have a few things in common. First, they start with a CUE, a certain time of day or event that kicks it off. Second, they each require that you follow a ROUTINE, an action that you perform. So the Pavlok system defines a HABIT as a CUE + ROUTINE. This is the basic framework that makes it all work.
Pavlok has different methods to verify if you’ve performed your Routine. There’s a simple honor system of course, where you can just say if you did it or not. But you can also ask a friend to be a referee to verify that you’ve performed your routine, or you can use the app to check into your gym to verify.
Now we can get more sophisticated. To increase the success rate of sticking to a Habit, we can add Rewards and Punishments. For example, if you don’t write in your journal by 6pm each day, you’ll be shocked. Or if you want to use positive rewards, you can get points or even win money.
By putting all these together, a Cue that triggers a Routine that you verify, reinforced by Punishments and Rewards, Pavlok helps you on your way to building the habits for a better life.