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Martin Grunburg

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Habits 2 Goals: The Habit Factor® Podcast with Martin Grunburg

On July 8th, in what can only be described as an act of reckless clarity, we published a white paper (grab it here—>) Unified Behavioral Model™ — Read more… listen now.

Disclaimer: The following is a bit tongue-in-cheek. Just a bit.

I have the utmost respect for the behavioral science community and its vast contributions—including the many scientists whose work has directly shaped my own.

That said, the more I learn about the history of attempts to unify behavioral science (and, by association, psychology)—and then set those challenges alongside the Unified Behavior Model (UBM) as it now exists—formally published (elemental and falsifiable), 500+ downloads later—the more peculiar the entire situation becomes.

To be clear: it’s only in hindsight that these “obvious” errors and omissions—both in behavioral science (BS) and in its unification efforts—come into focus.

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Tip #1: Make Sure Only True Insiders Get to Play

Whatever you do, don’t approach this unification challenge from the outside. That’s where troublemakers and fresh ideas tend to arise—reportedly. 👇

Imagine that… via Stanford Business. Where is Stanford’s own Psychology Department when it comes to UBM? @stanfordpsypodInstead, ensure that no outside ideas are taken into account and non sneak their way in—even via OPEN SCIENCE. 

Better yet, throw up your hands and surrender: 

“Why Psychology Isn’t Unified, and Probably Never Will Be…” 

“PROBABLY NEVER WILL BE.”

Valid points to be sure…

“Why a Unified Theory of Psychology is Impossible”

Unification as a Goal for Psychology

It goes on and on—for several reasons, dear friends, which appear below.

Tip #2 Prioritize Knowledge over Imagination

Ensure that only those fluent in four-letter acronyms, armed with multiple advanced degrees, and a dense theoretical vernacular are entrusted with presenting “novel” ideas.

Further, insist that only those who can quote James, Pavlov, Watson, Bandura, Maslow, Skinner, and Freud backward and forward—and who possess psychological libraries spanning generations—be invited to contribute.

“Imagination is more important than knowledge.” ~Einstein

Tip #3: Form a Large Committee. The Larger, the Better

Nothing unifies quite like 23—or maybe 43—strong personalities in one room.

When “top behavioral theorists” gather for a week-long consortium, be sure to take minutes, roll in the whiteboard, and order extra coffee.

Everyone knows: the more expert opinions, the quicker a consensus.

As history (and a few hallucinating AIs) like to remind us, when it comes to unification attempts, the go-to answers are always consortia, committees, and bowling alleys.

Darwin famously huddled with his nine-person advisory council.

Einstein wouldn’t dream of publishing without first posting to social media.

And Newton? Legendary for his gravitational consortiums.

Here’s a nutty thought: what if that unified model came from one person on the fringe? (The fringe—see above ☝️.)

One person. U N I — F I C A T I O N.

⚠️ WARNING: Unification carries a dangerous synonym—coherence.

By extension, it implies that the 150-year exercise known as behavioral science—and its twin sister, psychology—are, brace yourself...

INCOHERENT.

Oy.

To be clear, that’s not me talking, it’s Webster.

If you didn’t catch the 1991 reference—well, that was when the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) convened a “Top Behavioral Consortium.” 

Its noble goal? 

To create a “Unified Framework.”

“What emerged?” you ask.

The meeting —a week long gathering—brought together “leading human behavior theorists”. While a comprehensive roster of all attendees from this specific 1991 meeting is not fully detailed in the available documentation, a critical outcome of this expert gathering was the acknowledgment that 

“there was no consensus among the theorists” 

on a single, universally accepted unified framework.

Imagine that.
 

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit habits2goals.substack.com/subscribe

How to Keep Behavioral Science Comfortably Incoherent — i.e., Ununified

On July 8th, in what can only be described as an act of reckless clarity, we published a white paper (grab it here—>) Unified Behavioral Model™ — Read more… listen now.

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“Science may be described as the art of systematic oversimplification.” ― Karl Popper

What makes UBM so unique—so different from prevalent behavioral models?

First, let’s clear up a common misconception:

UBM—specifically the Behavior Echo-System (BES)—is a model of behavior, not a model of a person.

People often see the graphic and assume it represents themselves, or a diagram of the human body. It doesn’t.

As Dr. Popper’s statement above suggests, UBM simply articulates how behavior is influenced in the moment and shaped over time—within the system.

Now, here’s the B.I.G. claim:

UBM is falsifiable.

In science, that’s the gold standard.(Period.)

If a theory can’t be tested or broken, it’s just storytelling. Worse yet, Karl Popper would say it’s non-science.

What’s his core claim? 

Science and non-science are divided by a single demarcation: Falsifiability.

UBM asks—check that, insists—“Go for it… Please try to break me.”

Apparently, no other behavior model—certainly not a unified one—has ever done that.

Kind of interesting? Maybe just a bit?

Worth mentioning, at least?

Or dedicating, I don’t know… twenty-plus years to uncovering?

UBM/BES Comparison Table & Major Prevalent Models as provided by DeepSeek.

According to Dr. Karl Popper—and as noted in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, “Karl Popper is generally regarded as one of the greatest philosophers of science of the twentieth century”—if a theory can’t be tested (or broken), it’s just storytelling. Worse, he’d call it “non-science.”

Just to be clear: that’s Dr. Popper, philosopher and trained psychologist, who introduced the idea of falsifiability (and gave us that delightful bit with the Black Swan).

So yeah—if you can’t at least attempt to break it, he says, it doesn’t count.

UBM is so confident in its falsifiability that it’s offering a $1,000 reward to the first person to prove there’s a missing fifth element—one that isn’t reducible or emergent. (See below and bottom for official entry details.)

So far: nearly 500 downloads and…

Nada. Zip. Zilch. NOTHING.

Even the world’s top AIs—ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Grok, DeepSeek—took their shots.

They’ve all struck out. 

Attempts include: Time (environmental), Consciousness (emergent from the system), Willpower (embodied environment), Self-Organization (embodied environment—note the “self” in self-organization).

The list goes on, and it’s kind of funny. Google’s Gemini, for example, offered a “someday” quantum property we don’t even know of yet.

Seriously.

Just to be clear: if we don’t know of it yet, and we can’t test it—it’s not a valid fifth element.

DeepSeek’s parting words? Also comical...

“UBM 1. DS 0... Game respects game.”

And, here’s Gemini’s best response after half dozen attempts…

Gemini tries desperately to break the Unified Behavior Model and fails.

The difficulty in falsification, as intended by the model’s design, is a powerful indicator of its conceptual strength and it’s potential to serve as a TRULY UNIFYING FRAMEWORK FOR BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE. ~Gemini 8/4/2025

Some have argued, “Well, UBM is overly simplified.”

Really?

Then why hasn’t anyone discovered it before—or more accurately, uncovered it and brought it to light?

Surely, by now—150 years in—some behavioral scientist, somewhere in the world, would’ve presented this kind of systematic “oversimplification,” right?

Let’s go over that one more time:

“Science may be described as the art of systematic oversimplification.” ― Karl Popper

This is precisely Dr. Popper’s point: science progresses by oversimplifying—systematically.

Voila: UBM. 👇

“Great theories have simple pictorial representation.” —Michio Kaku

The Behavior Echo-System (BES): the systematic simplification of behavior.

Which makes it—by definition—the elemental science of behavior.

Allegedly.

Until—and unless—you produce the Black Swan.

(Looking at you, top psych departments—according to U.S. News & World Report, 2025): @StanfordPsych, @HarvardPsych, @UCBPsychology, @UCLPALS, @Psych_at_Yale, @UMichPsych, @UCLA_Psych, @UCSDPsych, @OxfordPsych, @PrincetonPsych.

Please, with all due respect, step right up. 👊 🤙 🙏
 

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit habits2goals.substack.com/subscribe

Black Swan Me | Unified Behavior Model™

“Everything should be made as simple as possible—but not simpler.” — Einstein

Let’s cut to it:

The Unified Behavior Model (UBM) may be the first-ever behavioral framework that’s elemental, falsifiable, and actually teachable to anyone—not just researchers or therapists.

UBM reveals what’s really driving your behavior (in the moment and shaping it over time)—not by various aspects, but via the operable “system”—the Behavior-Echo-System™.

The Behavior Echo-System (BES)

Environmentally speaking, the BES consists of multiple, dynamic feedback loops based upon just four elemental, interdependent components:

Environment (your surroundings + your body)

Behaviors, Habits, and Skills (what you do—or don’t)

Stories/Thinking (the meaning machine in your mind)

Emotions & Feelings (your internal salience signals)

Together, these explain the essential four elements involved in influencing and shaping behavior over time.

If you believe there’s a missing, irreducible fifth element—we have a challenge for you. 👇

🧪 UBM’s Built-In Toolset:

P.A.R.R. MethodologyMirrors the scientific method—it’s a process-driven feedback loop to build habits and skills intentionally that leverages your innate, human capacities of choice, intention and reflection. Plan → Act → Record → Reassess(Used in 4-week cycles. 85% = gold standard.) thehabitfactor.com/templates

“No Fifth Element” Challenge (PRIZE MONEY) The model is falsifiable. Be the first to disprove its elemental claim (non-emergent, irreducible, causally independent), fifth element and win $1,000. Official entry here: https://unifiedbehaviormodel.com

Architect Mode vs. Tenant ModeUBM gives you a choice: live on autopilot… or design your life’s BES on purpose.

Behavioral Literacy = The 4th RReading, wRiting, aRithmetic… and now, BehavioR.A modern education requires the tools to understand and shape behavior in a modern internet, smartphone and AI economy

Tracking as a SuperpowerBehavior tracking isn’t just data—it strengthens focus, builds awareness, affirms your intention—a lot of people say “things”—tracking proves it. Behavior/Habit tracking literally trains your brain (aMCC, anyone?).

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” —Marcel Proust

📥 [Download the Whitepaper]🎧 [Listen to THIS Episode ☝️]

UBM is the map. The model. The compass.

It’s time to raise the standard for behavioral literacy—together.
 

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit habits2goals.substack.com/subscribe

Unified Behavior Model (UBM) Meets NPR-Like Hosts

“What is the sound of one hand clapping?”— Zen Koan

Let’s start with a confession.

Developing the Unified Behavioral Model (UBM) revealed, in many ways, a side quest I didn’t expect: Helping large language models (LLMs) navigate the mental spaghetti we humans lovingly call “logic”—which, if followed faithfully, often leads straight to paradox.

You know—the deep, crunchy stuff:

Body vs. environment

Emotion vs. feeling

Skill vs. habit

Logic vs. illogic

These aren’t just philosophical speed bumps.They’re full-blown conceptual cul-de-sacs.Every time the system—human or machine—hits one, it either freezes or splinters into a dozen confident-but-confused directions.

What Is Abstract Thought, Anyway?

Get it? 

To “draw away”

It’s not about sounding smart or solving puzzles.

Frankly, it’s your one real edge over AI—for now.

It’s about seeing things and thinking differently, especially when the pieces don’t fit.

It’s Picasso and Pollock pulling apart realism.

It’s Einstein “riding a beam of light”.

It’s Lao Tzu explaining how “The soft and the weak overcome the hard and the strong.”

Abstract thinking is cognitive flexibility —it’s a different lens to process, beyond logic.

It’s the ability to zoom out and remove the frame.

To hold logic and contradiction in the same hand, without blowing a fuse.

So, we deliberately choose to go back to FUNDAMENTALS.

Not to simplify, but to clarify.

Not to dumb down, but to dissolve—to draw away from false binaries.

Because here’s the thing about dichotomies: Most aren’t real.

They’re often tradition wrapped in Latin, handed down like sacred scrolls, passed around in conference halls and research papers.

They survive not because they’re accurate, but because they’re familiar.

“If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.” ~Einstein

And that’s how the Unified Behavioral Model emerged: Not from divine inspiration, but moderate exasperation.

Not from clarity, but from watching both brilliant humans and state-of-the-art LLMs get trapped in mental corners built by… You guessed it: LOGIC.

Behaviorally speaking:

Is the environment separate from the body?Not really. Both are environmental stimulants.If a headache doesn’t change your mood and behavior, just like an idiot screaming at a baseball game, let me know.

Are emotions and feelings different?Functionally perhaps? Not elementally. Both relay information.They’re conduits—waves influencing your Behavior Echo-System.

What about habits and skills?Turns out, they’re more alike than different. Both are behaviors shaped through repetition, refined over time until they become automatic. Intentional or not, they’re built the same way.

How do we reconcile logic and illogic?Reconcile? Even the most “logical” among us do spectacularly irrational things—because we’re driven by meaning, by narrative, by the stories we tell ourselves.Logic and illogic aren’t separate. They’re co-pilots.

So if you want to teach a machine how behavior works, we first have to ‘draw away’ the various dichotomies logic has constructed.

And once those dissolve?

The behavior model doesn’t need to be built.

It simply... emerges.

Google: “Why doesn’t a unified behavior model exist?”

The answer begins with complexity.

Complexity created by distinctions (above) that are both very important AND fundamentally (behaviorally speaking), not so important.

Like jiggling the old TV antenna for the hundredth time, and suddenly the picture locks in—clear as day, as though it was never scrambled at all.

Turns out, it —A UNIFIED BEHAVIOR MODEL—does exist. ☝️

It just had to be excavated from under layers of distinctions, logic, and dichotomies.

Logic is linear.

Behavior, like the human experience, is abstract.

This is elemental behavioral literacy. This is the Unified Behavioral Model (UBM)

We didn’t invent it—we excavated it.

It was buried.

Habits 2 Goals Premium by Martin Grunburg is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

“What is your face before your parents were born?” — Zen Koan

Because while machines crunch data, humans connect dots.

While models can simulate logic, you can sit with uncertainty.

When you can envision a bigger picture, the frames dissolve.

“Reflection” (Man Sitting) M. Grunburg 1987

Elemental behavioral science shouldn't be reserved for labs and lectures. We teach adolescents the ABCs and 123s —elemental math and grammar. We can, and should, teach elemental behavior. Maybe abstract thinking will come along for the ride.

“Experience and knowledge don’t arrive with labels, silos, or departments—we create those. Sometimes those distinctions are incredibly useful (like language itself). And sometimes—also like language—they make problem-solving harder than it needs to be.”

🚨 #TrueStory: Habit Tracking News Breakthrough!Read what the new science reveals about the unmistakable power of habit tracking in the UBM White paper.

Grab your free white paper (see Section 7.0) —> Just one week ‘old’ and 200+ downloads already, https://zenodo.org/records/15844153P.S. Reminder: The Unified Behavioral Model™ (UBM) is the first behavioral model to be both falsifiable and unified—meeting the scientific gold standard of Ph.D.-level rigor.

Everyone (not just academics) is invited to download the paper and explore the “No Fifth Element” Challenge—with a $1,000 prize on the line.

Grab your free white paper (see Section 7.0) —> Just one week ‘old’ and 200+ downloads already, https://zenodo.org/records/15844153

📄 Grab the free habit tracking template: thehabitfactor.com/templates

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The Trilogy: WARNING! DO NOT READ THESE BOOKS!!!

The Habit Factor®: Habit alignment, momentum and daily wins!

The Pressure Paradox™: Productivity, Performance & Peace of Mind.

EVERYTHING: The stories you tell yourself heavily influence ‘everything.’
 

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit habits2goals.substack.com/subscribe

The Art of Abstract Thought: Your Human Edge in an AI World

“You are not a rodent.”

Revisiting a 2021 Habits Habit Interview by Brian Conroy – Through the Lens of AI and the Scientific Method

“Behavioral science may finally be catching up.”

Catching up to what?

To a simple and powerful truth:

P.A.R.R. (Plan, Act, Record, Reassess) mirrors the scientific method.

When it comes to building habits intentionally, it’s a far superior framework than the overhyped “habit loop.”

🐭 The habit loop? Developed by studying rodents in a maze.

Yet humans can choose their habits.Plan (intend) their habits.And reflect upon their efforts.

Rodents cannot.

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In this episode, we tap into Google’s Notebook LM and upload a 2021 interview I did with Brian Conroy (The Habits Habit podcast). It’s now available as a rich, AI-hosted breakdown—produced like a mini-NPR segment.

Why revisit it now?

Because:

The interview explores how P.A.R.R. is the true human-centric alternative to cue–routine–reward.

It highlights the 15+ year journey behind The Habit Factor®.

It covers why habit ≠ skill… yet they are fraternal twins.

It breaks down the limitations of SMART goals (to-do lists and “next steps”) versus the power of tracking core, related behaviors—habits!

It explains how your character (habitus) is the sum of your habits—past, present, and future.

How P.A.R.R. is the only habit-building framework that not only mirrors the scientific method, but is intentionally designed to cultivate habit strength and automaticity.

P.A.R.R. = The Scientific Method for Behavior Change and Habit Development

Plan = Observe, Question, & Hypothesis

Act = Experiment

Record = Gather Data

Reassess = Analysis & Adjustment

And yes, as the AI hosts correctly observe:You are not a rodent. 🐭

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Tracking isn’t a chore—it’s an asset.It reinforces desire. Affirms intention. Builds discipline. And sharpens focus.

Tired of spinning your wheels?

Listen in. Take notes. Start tracking your behavior.

And always remember:You are both the program and the programmer.

🎧 Listen to the full episode at Habits2Goals.substack.com📥 Or download your free P.A.R.R. tracking template at thehabitfactor.com/templates

“Science is catching up.”And you don’t have to wait.

Start habit tracking today by following P.A.R.R.

And—due to my unexpected trip to Sweden—the UBM white paper release is now likely to land in July.

👊🫵💪🏽🙌🏽🙏~mg

🚨 Tracking News Breakthrough Incoming:What science still doesn’t understand about the true power of habit tracking—…and what we’re about to reveal.

Why Experts Keep Dismissing Habit Tracking—And Why That’s a Massive MistakeThe overlooked key to intentional behavior change is hiding in plain sight.

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A respectful invitation to the academic community:

If you’re part of a university psychology department—or a related behavioral science discipline—we warmly invite you to review, challenge, and explore the Unified Behavior Model™.

The following is a pre-release site for early access and distribution (currently in development): https://unifiedbehaviormodel.comthis is draft--
 

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit habits2goals.substack.com/subscribe

Not a Rodent: Interview Recap

“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few.”— Shunryu Suzuki

Why care about a behavior model?

Because human behavior drives everything—goals, habits, change, progress.

There’ve been countless theories, experts, and frameworks.Over a century of behavioral science.

But never something complete, structured, falsifiable, and truly practical.

UBM is the first UNIFIED model of human behavior— a map, model, and compass in one.

Simple. Teachable. Built for literacy, not legacy.

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For over a century, behavioral science has been fragmented—divided by theories, disciplines, and contradictions.

Siloed. Specialized. Locked away in labs and universities.

UBM changes that.

Developed over two decades—and built from the fringe—UBM has been validated through real-world application and accelerated by AI. Large language models have compared, contrasted, and stress-tested UBM against dozens of frameworks.

The result?

UBM transforms behavioral complexity into CLARITY—finally offering a self-evident, falsifiable, teachable, and practical model of human behavior—just in time.

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”— Nelson Mandela

The Habits 2 Goals podcast is hitting pause for a short stretch.

I’m stepping away to complete something that, by all “expert” logic, should not exist:

The Unified Behavior Model™ (UBM).

According to Google—and decades of academic consensus—this shouldn’t be possible.

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Why isn't there a unified behavior model?

Not just one theory here, or another framework there—but a truly, elemental model of behavior that encompasses the entire behavioral field.

We have models for atoms.

For ecosystems.

For economies, solar systems—even gravity.

But not for behavior?

Not one that is falsifiable, teachable, testable, and comprehensive.

Why?

Because human behavior has long been treated as too complex, too contextual, or too philosophically slippery to model with rigor.

So we settled for silos. Dozens of disciplines, each mapping fragments of the behavioral terrain—but never the whole.

UBM has changed that.

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UBM—the Unified Behavioral Model™—brings together complexity and clarity. 

It reflects the dynamic nature of human behavior, while offering the simplicity of a model that can be understood, taught, and applied.

UBM won’t tell you why Jill never called Johnny back.But it will help both Johnny and Jill understand the full behavioral field from which that decision emerged.

This is what the white paper reveals:

A behavioral model that doesn’t decode every mystery of human behavior— but instead reveals the complete system in which those mysteries arise.

Former efforts revealed remarkable behavioral insights.

Yet none delivered a unified, practical, falsifiable model of behavior.

UBM is behavioral literacy for the 21st century. It’s the missing operating system for anyone who works with people—and it changes how we understand motivation, decision-making, and change itself.

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Side note: Please consider how crazy I’d have to be to announce this—if it weren’t scientifically grounded.

Gravity-like in structure.Rooted in impenetrable truth.

For the fifth time:UBM is structurally falsifiable.(At this point, I’m hopeful you’re looking it up—just like I did, when I was first told UBM is precisely that.)

It works.It’s testable.Teachable.Trackable.And most importantly? 

Simple.

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”—Leonardo da Vinci

In a chaotic, smartphone-saturated world—where children face rising rates of depression, anxiety, and self-harm— even a basic understanding of behavior can be a game-changer.

Elemental behavioral literacy for a disoriented age.

No model or map offers guarantees.

Yet we use maps every day—because they’re useful.

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True to its name, UBM draws from over 30 distinct scientific disciplines—from ecology to education, psychology to design, systems theory, neuroscience, and philosophy.

The breakthrough wasn’t in specializing further— but in synthesizing broadly.

All truth passes through three stages:First, it is ridiculed.Second, it is violently opposed.Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.~ Arthur Schopenhauer

Dramatic, I know.

Back soon(ish) with the final release.

Until then—stay tuned.~mg

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A respectful invitation to the academic community:

If you’re part of a university psychology department—or a related behavioral science discipline—we warmly invite you to review, challenge, and explore the Unified Behavior Model™.

The following is a pre-release site for early access and distribution (currently in development): https://unifiedbehaviormodel.com

Keep on trackin’ ✅

~mg

📄 Grab the free habit tracking template: thehabitfactor.com/templates
 

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit habits2goals.substack.com/subscribe

Modeling the Impossible

Be among the first to get your hands on the Unified Behavior Model™ white paper.

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"Fear is both instinctive and learned—wired for survival, but shaped by experience and environment."

Is fear learned or hardwired?

Yes. It’s both.

Fear is instinctual—wired into our survival.

It’s also learned—shaped by experience, memory, and environment.

A seasoned coach posted after reading a neuroscience study:

“Is fear learned or ingrained?”

I couldn’t help but reply:

“Coach… it’s BOTH!”

And that opens the door for this convo 👇

If fear is innate and trained,

Why do we treat skills and habits like they’re either/or?

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Habits vs. Skills? Same Blueprint.

“Bad habits happen on their own; Good habits happen when planned.”

Intentional habits grow like skills—through the same four levels of learning.

1. Unconscious IncompetenceYou don’t even know you suck. (Yet.)

2. Conscious IncompetenceYou do know—and it stings. But you keep showing up.

3. Conscious CompetenceYou’ve got it, but it takes mental effort. Progress.

4. Unconscious CompetenceIt’s automatic. Habit-like. Reflexive. Feels like instinct.

The Viral “Baseball Dad” Moment

Baby in left arm. Beer in his right hand.

Outfielder tosses ball into the stands.

He lets go of the baby…

Not the beer.

Snags the ball barehanded with his left hand.

Catches the baby with his left arm on the way down.

Barely spills his beer.

Instinct-like? You bet.

Skill? 100% Forged via the habit of laying the game.

He didn’t hesitate.

Most people call that instinct.

But really? It was years of trained reflexes, built through intentional practice.

Without that practice? He might’ve flinched. Frozen.

Fear might’ve even jeopardized the baby.

Instead—Unconscious Competence.Relaxed. Confident. Focused.

Preparedness displaces panic.Practice overrides pressure.

That’s the real lesson: Decades of muscle memory—Intentional reps, delivering in an instant.

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The P-A-R-R Cycle

Behavior change isn't magic—it’s a method.

And, it doesn’t come via “HABIT LOOPS”

It comes from intentional planning, practice and refinement.

Plan → Target Days + Minimum Success CriteriaAct → Show up. Run the play.Record → 1 = Win, 0 = Miss (comments optional but powerful)Reassess → After 4 weeks: 85%+? Level up.

This is human-centered behavior change.Rooted in practice.

Beyond Either/Or Thinking

Habits aren’t just loops.Skills aren’t just talent.

Each can be learned, forged behaviors, crafted with intention.

Over to you:When did instinct kick in?When did practice pay off? 
 

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Instinct-Like

Subscribe and be among the first to get your hands on the Unified Behavior Model™ white paper.

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“Scientist (noun): a person who conducts systematic research to acquire and use knowledge—especially one skilled in the systematic observation of, and experiment with, phenomena in order to answer questions and test hypotheses.”

Today, we’re talking about what it means to be a scientist.

We revere scientists.We admire their rigor.We trust their data.

Why?

Because they test!They measure.They record, reflect, and refine.

Here’s the question (one more time)…

If you love science so much, where’s your behavioral data?Where’s the record of your actions?Where’s your feedback loop driving growth?

P.A.R.R.—The Habit Factor’s method for intentional habit development—parallels the scientific method precisely:

Plan: Form your hypothesis—your goal, your MSC, your “Target Days.”

Act: Execute the behavior as best you can on those Target Days.

Record: Log your successes and misses.

Reassess: Compare “Actuals” vs. “Targets.”

Behavior change—operative word—requires behavior change.

NOT “LOOPS”

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Planning, Tracking, Recording, and Reassessing is how you’ll gather evidence that supports your commitment to developing new habits and achieving your goals.

It’s also how you’ll identify what works for you.

And, perhaps most importantly, how you reinforce your intention.

Plan – Act – Record – Reassess.

YOU ARE NOT A RODENT.

Today, we’re talking about scientists—not just the scientific method.

What does it mean to be a scientist?

Recently, a public figure was slammed for “not being a scientist.”I won’t get into the politics—they don’t matter. The news was all over social media (X and Facebook in particular):

“She’s a kook. She’s no scientist!”

Those comments nudged me to look up the definition of scientist—here it is again:

“Scientist (noun): a person who conducts systematic research to acquire and use knowledge—especially one skilled in the systematic observation of, and experiment with, phenomena in order to answer questions and test hypotheses.”

To be clear, this is NOT a political post.

This is a gentle reminder that anyone who systematically observes, experiments, documents, and tests hypotheses is a scientist.

Being a scientist—for better or worse—is not about a degree; it’s about the act itself—the rigor of following a scientific method.

That’s precisely how P.A.R.R. arrived, by the way. 

So, while the social‑media frenzy prompted this inquiry, it also reminded me of what’s almost certainly around the corner with the release of The Unified Behavior Model™ white paper.

“You’re no behavioral scientist!”
 

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The Scientist

“Bad habits are like a comfortable bed—easy to get into, but hard to get out of.” ~Jewish Proverb

Intention, Data, and the Ingredients for Lasting Habit Development

We love science. We trust scientists.

Why?

Because they use data.

They run experiments. They form hypotheses and make plans. They test, track, and refine.

Here’s the question most people never ask:

If you love science so much, where’s your behavioral data?

Where’s the record of your actions?

Where’s the feedback loop driving your growth?

That’s what this episode is about.

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Repetition without intention tends to breed bad habits.

That’s where most habit models fall short.

The Habit Loop is descriptive, not prescriptive: it explains what happens after a habit forms, but not how to build one deliberately.

That’s where P.A.R.R.—Plan, Act, Record, Reassess—comes in: a proven, habit‑building system aligned with the scientific method itself.

Plan – Form your hypothesis: the habit, your MSC (Minimum Success Criteria), and target days.

Act – Run the experiment: do the behavior as planned.

Record – Track your results using 1s and 0s, and jot down notes.

Reassess – Analyze your results: targets vs. actuals.If you’re 85% or better, raise the bar for the next four-week tracking period.If not, revise and stay consistent.

That’s how you develop habit strength and automaticity. 

Unfortunately, the famed “Habit Loop” — cue, routine, reward — is not the answer.

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Habit and Skill Development Require 3 Ingredients:

There are three fundamental requirements to build a good habit or skill:

Knowledge: You need to know what to do and why it matters.

Capacity (Not skill): The late, great Stephen Covey taught that habit formation requires knowledge, skill, and desire—understandably so. However, upon closer examination, a key distinction emerges:Both intentional habits and skills, once fully formed, reside in the same part of the brain—the limbic structure.When something becomes automatic, it’s no longer a “skill in development”—it’s a capacity expressed repeatedly. That’s why skill cannot be a prerequisite for habit formation. It’s basic capacity that matters. Not skill.

Desire: The most important. With genuine desire, knowledge, and capacity, will be found—or created.

Habits 2 Goals, The Habit Factor® Podcast, Core requirements for habit development. Knowledge, Capacity (not skill) & Desire.

Reminder: Tracking is not your enemy.

Tracking is how you reaffirm intention and keep yourself honest.

Tracking is also how you align with what matters and gather essential data.

You don’t need to track everything forever. 

The idea is to track the right behaviors (habit alignment), long enough for them to become automatic—to build habit strength.

That’s what P.A.R.R. does. 🙌🏼

“It’s tough to improve what you aren’t tracking. And it’s even tougher to track what you haven’t planned.”

If scientists gather data to uncover the secrets of the universe, maybe you should consider the same to uncover the secrets of your own behavior.

P.A.R.R. is your answer. 

Your behavior is the question. (Say that again)

Start tracking. Start testing.

Start building the habits aligned with your goals and ideals.
 

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit habits2goals.substack.com/subscribe

Part III: P.A.R.R.—The Scientific Method for Habit Development and Behavior Change

“People say, ‘Life is for living — not for tracking.’You can — and should — do both.TRACK what matters.”

Want better results? Start thinking like a scientist.

Not with lab coats and equations—just two basic question:

“What did I try? Did it work?”

That’s the core message and method behind The Habit Factor’s habit development framework, P.A.R.R.

»That’s also the heart of intentional behavior change.

We said it before:

Behavior change requires behavior change.

Silly? Maybe.Stupid? Perhaps.Accurate? Absolutely.

You are the scientist. Your behavior is the experiment.

Change. Collect data. Reassess & Interate.

Plan. Act. Record. & Reassess. = PARR

What behavioral data are you collecting?

P.A.R.R. applies the scientific method to your life.

It’s not a theory. It’s a method. And it works.

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🔬 P.A.R.R. = Plan. Act. Record. Reassess.

PlanChoose a behavior (habit) that supports a goal. “Writing”

The Goal is “To write a book.”

Define your Minimum Success Criteria (MSC) — something clear and doable.

Example: Write for 15 minutes or write 1 page.

Pick your Target Days (like M/W/F).

Set the “Bar” low for both of these. NOT EACH DAY. And, not 5 Pages or 50 Minutes. A LOW bar.

Planning to succeed starts with choosing a rhythm you can repeat and a low frequency per week, and MSC.

ActDo the behavior. Or don’t. Either way, you’re generating feedback.

RecordUse 1s and 0s to track your actions:1 = did it. Achieved the MSC. 0 = didn’t.

Add a quick note. You’re collecting behavioral data, not guessing. By adding comments/notes, you affirm your intention and gather data—information about what is working and what is NOT working.

Reassess

After 4 full weeks, review your results.

What worked? What didn’t?

If your execution was 85% or better, raise the bar — update your MSC and/or Target Days/Frequency per Week.

If not, keep the same plan and build consistency.

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Automaticity isn’t magic — it’s by design with PARR.

Some people hope their habits become automatic.

Most habit trackers? Unfortunately, they appear to miss the point.

30 days? Where’s the rhythm of the week?

What are the Target Days? Where’s the Minimum Success Criteria?

Where’s the Reassessment?

To build real habit strength, you need more than hope — you need a method.
 

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit habits2goals.substack.com/subscribe

Part II: P.A.R.R.—The Scientific Method for Habit Development and Behavior Change

By: Nick Palkowski “Starting with the proper intention is everything…” Tweet This There is incredible power when one “begins with the end in mind”. Dr. Stephen Covey’s “Habit #2″ from The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. And, that’s exactly where you’ll want to start to create the right habits that will propel you towards [...] 

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit habits2goals.substack.com/subscribe

Habit Alignment: Crafting Habits That Align with your Goals

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