Research — Blog — Give the Grave Only Bones.

I recently started an incredible book by James Clear called Atomic Habits. If you’ve been around here for a while you know that I love books. Right now I'm primarily interested in books on Black liberation and outside of that fiction, so it’s rare that I read self help or self improvement books. I’m glad that I broadened my horizons and checked this one out. This read was recommended to me not only by my therapist but also several of my friends. I’m only a few chapters in but Atomic Habits is incredible.

When I was reading it the other day a point that the author made really stood out to me. On page 70, Clear talks about a strategy called Implementation Intention. There are multiple layers to the strategy but Implementation Intention is essentially the idea that when you map out something that you intend to do, make it plain and obvious, the odds of you implementing it increase.

Half way down the page Clear continues by saying “Researchers have even found that voter turnout increases when people are forced to create implementation intentions by answering questions.” He then goes on to list questions like “What route are you going to take to the polls?” and “At what time are you planning to go?” all related to creating a plan for voting.

When I read that I was reminded of the many posts that I’ve seen on Instagram and Twitter, I’m sure you’ve seen them as well; posts that read “What’s your voting plan?” or “Have you created your voting plan yet?” I’ve had people tag me in posts about creating voting plans. I receive texts from random numbers, almost daily about voting plans and how to route one out. Oddly enough, this book was the FIRST resource that talked about why creating a plan was/is important.

I think I’ve been clear about my feelings in regards to voting and democracy, so texts and reminders in general aren’t necessary for me. I’m absolutely, without question, going to vote. For sake of the discussion though, let’s say that I was someone who was not as engaged with the democratic process and wanted to vote but did not have a deep conviction that I was committed to.

If that was me, I’m not convinced that any of the messages that I’ve encountered on Instagram or received through text would have led to me creating a plan. Why? Because none of them explained the “Why” behind it. They all expressed the “what” and gave steps on how to do it but only Clear explained why a plan is important.

I think that if I came across something like this that it would have been more helpful;

“Let’s talk about Voting! It’s important to create a voting plan because by creating a plan I’m increasing my chances of actually voting and by writing out a plan, research shows that you too can increase your chances of voting. My voting plan is that tonight, I’m going to fill out my ballot and tomorrow at 7:45am I’m going to drive to my local elections office. At 8am when they open, I’m going to take my ballot inside and put it in the drop box.

So now that you know my plan, what’s yours? Take a second to write it out and make it plain because again, creating a plan will increase the likelihood that you’ll actually accomplish the task. If you need help coming up with your plan I would love to connect with you by phone or DM, to talk about it.”

I think that if I encountered a post as blatant as what I wrote above and I was someone that would benefit from making a plan, that post would be very useful for me. A lot more useful I think than just someone telling me to vote or to create a plan without explaining why or offering to support me.

I think that we could all learn a lesson or two from Clear. It’s not enough to just tell people what to do, we have to tell them the reasoning behind it. We have to share with each other why the “What” is important and allow the meaning to motivate the masses. As we get closer and closer to the election, we’re less than two weeks away, I don’t think that we can afford to be so vague.

If you are in the process of creating your voting plan and don’t know where to start, I would love to support you. You can either comment below or send me a Direct Message on Facebook or Instagram and I’ll follow up with you.

Humbly,