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

“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.

Share

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.

Share

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