Finding the underlying problem

Week 2:

To make long term behaviour change, it is important to fix the underlying problem not just the symptoms that are easier to spot.

Cracking down on the problem.

Currently I go for the easiest, most convenient option which often involves the use of plastic. If convenience is a symptom what is the underlying problem?

Laddering exercise

This is an exercise to help uncover underlying motivators of behaviour. Start at the top left of the ladder with either a positive or negative bahaviour you want to explore. Then in the right hand column you write the opposite of that behaviour. Working your way down the ladder, list why you engage in that behaviour and the opposite of that in the right hand column.

Using plastic - Being eco-friendly

Convenient - Hassle

Quick - Time wasting

Busy - Planning out time

Important - Worthless

I keep busy because I unconsciously put my worth in my performance. I believe that that makes me important in the eyes of others and makes me feel important. It’s as if I am trying to prove myself. I know consciously that my worth does not come from what I create but from who I was created by. This is something I need to keep working on to move it from knowledge to an internal belief.

If convenience is a symptom what is the underlying problem?

This exercise showed that using plastic is a symptom of leading a busy life and not allocating the required time to plan out how to avoid plastic. This is again a symptom of misplacing where I source my worth. This means the problem I am addressing is securing my worth to be free to learn to embrace chaos and find security in my new behaviours that lead to reducing my plastic consumption.

Hindering factors

Fear of failure will hinder me from taking on 100% plastic free. I know it will be hard, and because I am not sure that I can do it, I won’t commit. I won’t commit to something I feel I will probably fail at. To overcome this, I need to set small achievable goals and build up this behaviour change from there, otherwise I will just give up.

I need to set small achievable goals and build up this behaviour change from there...

I am someone who has to have a plan and know what is happening, so when a plan goes out the window, I am left in a state of uncertainty and I am not comfortable with that. I can see how that would affect my ability to change as there are set structures in place in my life, of which many involve plastic. This requires me to change my routines and structures without knowing the full consequences, which is frightening for me. This is why, before implementing each change I researched how that change played out for other people through reading their journeys. This helped mitigate my anxiety through social proof (perceived validity through a mass number of people supporting an idea or behaviour).

Moment of truth…

I bought my lunch today from a café because I did not have time in the morning to get a lunch together. I realised later that everything was wrapped in plastic ☹

This is going to be very difficult to cut out all plastic from my life. Maybe just single use plastic…

Goal:

Single use plastics to focus on: Glad-wrap, straws, coffee cup lids, cold drink takeaway cups, plastic bags, plastic cutlery, plastic plates, packaging on food.