A short account on TAPs
Overview
Trigger-Action-Patterns
From patterns to plans
Side note: In the academic literature
TAP Design
The Algorithm
Common failure modes
How to master this technique? Some concrete tips for successful TAP design
When/where to use TAPs
The right trigger
The right action
Commitment
Making TAPs stick: the initial investment
Getting better at TAPs generally
A non-exhaustive list of useful TAPs
Broadening the application space
Epistemic TAPs
[I put this together as auxiliary material for the aspiring rationalists in my local community, as a follow up on a meetup where I taught TAPs. This does not intend to be a stand-alone explanatory peice for what TAPs are or how to use them. Instead, this is supposed to serve as a repository and refrence piece of the key ideas behind this technique.]
[Much of the following content is pieced together from a small number of sources. At times, I have copied entire sentences or paragraphs. The soureces are the CFAR Handbook (edition Summer 2016), the Hammertime series (Hammertime: TAPs 1, Hammertime: TAPs 2, Hammertime: TAPs 3), and Kaj’s LW post: Making intentions concrete - Trigger-Action Planning.]
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1 - Trigger-Action-Patterns
Ever come across any of the following, or similar, behavioural patterns:
Hear a buzz or a ping? ➞ Pull your phone out of your pocket.
Opened a web browser? ➞ Go to [your usual first-click site].
Get stuck somewhere in a tasks ➞ Check [site of your choice].
The traffic lights go green ➞ Start driving.
Bowl of chips in front of you? ➞ Grab one. (Grabbed one? Eat it!)
“. . . I’m fine, and you?” ➞ “. . . I’m fine, and you?” (loop)
These are examples of tigger-action-patterns. They always have the same underlying architecture: [when x] → [then y].
System 1 is the driving force behind these automatic patterns. It’s constantly running in the background, aggregating all of our lived experiences and guiding our actions when we’re not paying attention. It’s because of our System 1 that we can do things that approximate multitasking - carrying on conversations while driving, thinking about upcoming weekend plans while cooking dinner, exercising while watching TV.
Often, these patterns are deeply ingrained in our behaviour. They are derived from our model of the universe and constantly reinforced through experience. Consequently, it can be extremely difficult for us to change these patterns, even if we want to.
The above examples were just single-step patterns. We are also capable of chaining together a series of atomic reflex actions into complex and appropriate behavior without any need for active cognition.
Somme trigger-action-patterns are very visible (e.g. a person sneezes, you immediately respond “bless you”). Other patterns can be much more difficult to spot, however. We each have triggers which result in a particular emotion (referred to as trigger-affect patterns), or triggers which bring specific words or memories to mind (like the first few words of a well-known song, or the first half of a common phrase).
2 - From patterns to plans
The overwhelming majority of the time, our brains work in S1-mode. This explains why these trigger-action-patterns can be so powerful. The great news is that we can take advantage of this aspect of mind architecture for our own benefits.
The idea here is to think about what patterns we want (while normally, they emerge naturally and in an unreflected manner). By injecting an element of intentionality, we can streamline our mind architecture to serve our goals.
In other words, we are looking to deliberately draft and implement ‘if-then’ plans - or so called, Trigger-Action-Plans. This can be helpful for better goal attainment, establishing habits and other behavioural modifications, like emotional regulation.
Let’s look at a few more concrete examples of where TAPs can be useful:
Goal: Eat more healthy food
TAP: Grab handle of shopping cart ➞ Ask myself whether this is a “healthy” shopping trip, or a regular one
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Goal: Do a better job of showing my friends that I care about them
TAP: Notice that something made me think of a particular friend ➞ Write it down right away on my list of possible birthday gifts
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Goal: Remember to bring a book from home
TAP: Drop my keys into the bowl by the door ➞ Pause and get the book and put it with my keys.
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Goal: Reducing time spent on phone
TAP: Type in the code to unlock phone ➞ Pause and verbalise what I intend to do on the phone (if no good reason, put it back)
In more general terms, TAPs are able to do different types of work for us:
Helping us notice situations where we want to carry out a specific intention.
Helping us automate the intention.
They help us to get started.
They help us to continue through unpleasant phases of goal pursuit.
They help us to deal with distraction.
They help us to counteract unwanted habitual responses.
Forcing us to make our goals (i.e. thus the situation and behaviour of interest) concrete and specific.
Side note: In the academic literature
TAPs are known as ‘implementing intentions’ in the literature. They have been studied in academia, with a range of individual studies as well as a meta-analysis (covering 94 studies and 8461 subjects) finding them to improve people's ability for achieving their goals.
Gollwitzer, P. M. (1999). Implementation intentions: strong effects of simple plans
Gollwitzer, P. M., & Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta‐analysis of effects and processes
3 - TAP Design
Enough theory, now we want to understand how to make use of TAPs.
The Algorithm
Choose a goal (a desired outcome or behavior)
Identify a trigger (something that will happen naturally)
Decide on an action that you want to occur after the trigger
Rehearse the causal link (e.g. with deliberate visualization)
You can either:
take existing trigger-action patterns and tweak them; or
establish a new pattern from scratch.
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The above algorithm appears simple. The reliable implementation of TAPs in real life isn’t always, though.
Many people experience some frustration with TAPs when they first start using them as TAPs usually require some practice until you are able to reliably and accurately install them.
In order to make the technique more reliable, and consequently useful, it is important to understand what the most common failure modes look like. In the following, we will cover a list of tips and tricks to defend against these and other failure modes to eventually master the technique.
Before we tackle this, it seems worth emphasizing that attaining mastery in TAPs is a process and likely involves a lot of experimentation.
Some common failure modes
Essentially, the technique fails in one of two places:
you either do not notice the trigger, or
you end up not taking the action.
Regarding 1., the difficulty lies in finding the right balance where
the trigger always goes off when you want it, and
the trigger doesn’t go off when you don’t want it.
If the trigger goes off in too many situations, that’s not conducive to your goals and it is unlikely that you can build a solid and sustainable pattern. If the trigger doesn’t go off, that’s not conducive to your goals and it is unlikely that you can build a solid and sustainable pattern. (Remember: TAPs are constantly being reinforced through experience. Thus, if we miss the pattern, we also reinforce ’missing’ it.)
Regarding 2, the key insight is that the more effortful or aversive the intended action, the less likely you are to take it.
Based on experience, TAPs are primarily a tool to notice opportunities. For example, instead of having a TAP like: "when I feel the metal of the door handle in my hand, I'll TAKE the stairs”, you are likely to be more successful in the long run if you adapt the TAP to say: "when I feel the metal of the door handle in my hand, I'll LOOK AT the stairs".
Our unconscious brains do a lot to circumvent micro-hedonically averse states. If the action of your TAP is micro-hedonically too averse or costly (e.g. ‘taking the stairs’), your unconscious mind might track down this link very quickly and work towards sabotaging your ability to notice the trigger in the first place. On the other hand, your unconscious mind has no reason to prevent you from triggering a cheap or costless action, such as ‘looking at the stairs’.
In this latter case, all the TAP does is ‘build affordance’ (in other words: increase the number of perceived action possibilities). Once you notice a situation, meaning you become consciously aware of it, you are turning on your S2 thinking. This gives you the chance to think about what action you want to take that is maximally conducive to your goals - even if that might be a micro-hedonically averse one. Upon reflection, you might come to the conclusion that either the action isn’t in fact as aversive as your unconscious mind thought, or the level of discomfort is worth it in view of your bigger goal.
Furthermore, once you regularly notice the absence of the behavior you want, you are likely to either a) automatically correct it, or b) realize that your motivations might not actually be sufficiently aligned with doing the thing.
How to master this technique? Some concrete tips for successful TAP design
1 - The right places for TAPs
Look for high leverage - places where you’ll have the opportunity to get significant value out of very little effort (e.g. changing shopping habits is much easier than resisting food that’s right there in the cupboard).
Look for weak links - places that will help you head off problems before they arise, and recover quickly from the ones you can’t prevent.
2 - The right trigger
Look for triggers that are clear.
Concrete, specific, noticeable, visible
Examples:
"When I see stairs" is good, "before four o'clock" is bad (when before four exactly?); “When the microwave beeps” rather than “at dinnertime”
Some useful prompts to find clear triggers:
Natural
Whenever possible, look for triggers that are natural, concrete, that you notice already. For example, pay attention to boundaries and thresholds, such as in “stepping across the doorstep of my apartment.”
Sensual/Phenomenological
A felt sense is a bodily sensory experience attached to an emotion or idea. Many powerful cognitive habits amount to building smart TAPs for specific felt senses. A twisting in the heart that feels like Sour Patch Kids can signal romantic feelings. A buzzing of energy that travels up the spine can signal excitement. Physical pressure on the whole chest can signal anxiety. Build plans for responding to each felt sense.
Novelty
Surprise is the easiest way to notice. If, for example, you buy new furniture, their presence is registered as unusual for weeks. Take advantage of new possessions to build micro-habits. A new welcome mat can be a reminder to check your keys and phone before leaving the apartment. A new bean-bag chair can tell you to notice and relax any muscle tension. A new reading lamp wants you to read every night before bed.
Sentimental
There’s a process by which we naturally become attached to the items that accompany us through thick and thin. You might be attached, for example, to the freckle on your thumb, to a long-sleeve shirt gifted to you by a childhood friend, to a particular gaming mouse – relic of a past life. Pay attention to these objects. Notice how they gain three-dimensionality. Inject meaning into them. For example, you might find a well of metaphysical space under your thumb freckle where you store a preternatural calm for a minute of need.
Look for triggers that are consistent.
The action is something that you'll always want to do when the trigger is fulfilled.
For Instance: "When I leave the kitchen, I'll do five push-ups" is bad, because you might not have the chance to do five push-ups each time when you leave the kitchen.
Whenever possible, choose triggers that are close and relevant to the behavior you’re trying to change.
For instance, a toilet flush is closer to the ideal prompt for flossing than a phone alarm would be, even though the phone alarm is highly reliable.
It can be easier to pick triggers of already existing trigger-action-patterns.
Don’t forget that internal triggers (like specific thoughts and feelings) can be just as good as external ones. However, these can be a bit more difficult to install when you are new to the technique.
Remember: “The best triggers are not only easy to notice, but hard to miss.”
3 - The right action
Remember to pick things that you are capable of, and that require as little effort as possible.
Think concretely and focus on relevance—choose actions that are actually useful, not ones that train the wrong skill.
Choose actions that are simple and atomic - if you want to do something complicated, consider slowly building up a multi-TAP chain.
4 - Commitment
Studies have shown that both the level of commitment to the goal as well as to the implementation intention mattered for the achievement of the goal. (see for example: Gollwitzer, P. M. (1999). Implementation intentions: strong effects of simple plans.)
5 - Making TAPs stick: the initial investment
Add new TAPs one or two at a time, rather than in large batches.
Stay close to your current/natural trigger-action patterns, and make incremental changes.
Practice mentally rehearsing each new TAP at least ten times until you’ve gotten the hang of it (not three or five, but actually ten, closing your eyes and going through a complete imaginary run-through each time).
Write down all of your intended TAPs in one place, and check the list at the end of the week.
6 - Getting better at TAPs generally
Practice noticing the trigger-action patterns that already exist in your life by looking backwards (e.g. huh, I’m suddenly feeling tired and pessimistic; what happened in the last thirty seconds?).
Use meta-TAPs, like a TAP to ask yourself if there are useful TAPs to be made in a given situation.
Try gain-pain movies—first imagine some exciting or attractive aspect of the future where you’ve achieved your goal, and then think about the obstacles that lie between you and that future, and then repeat several times.
Use them frequently! They’re good for goals of all sizes, and every CFAR technique can be productively framed in terms of TAPs.
A non-exhaustive list of useful TAPs
When I find myself using the words "later" or "at some point", I'll decide on a specific time when I'll actually do it. [Kaj]
If I'm given a task that would take under five minutes, and I'm not in a pressing rush, I'll do it right away. [Kaj]
When I notice that I'm getting stressed out about something that I've left undone, I'll either do it right away or decide when I'll do it. [Kaj]
When I feel aversion against doing a certain tasks, I check whether I want to apply micro-intentions on it.
When I notice that I am flinching away from a tasks, I check whether the problem lies in its ambiguity - and if so, I make a concrete list of next steps I have to do to reduce this ambiguity.
When I am about to go crawl into bed, I remember that I might want to meditate.
When I notice myself getting ‘mentally restless’ during work, I check a list of likely responses: whether I want to do deliberate focusing, or whether I need to get up, drink, go outside...
When I check my habit tracker and realize that I haven’t been doing a certain thing, I remember installing a mental reminder. (for example with this technique)
When I notice the phenomenology of ‘closing down’ in a discussion, I remember to adapt my body posture and to loosen my mental grip. I also check the volume of my voice and how much I have been talking, and listening.
When I notice my thoughts getting hazy, when I notice myself rambling, an other person being visibly confused about what I just said, I check the level of my mental energy. When it is low, I will consider letting the other person know that I cannot think well right now and what actions I could take to recharge my mental energy.
The Sapiens Spell (Hammertime: TAPs 1, or: be a new homunculus), and possible applications of it:
Refresh: At every scale, the Sapience Spell can be the refresh button you need to clear sunk cost, memory leaks, and bad vibes. A “step back and relax” button for heated political conversation. A Ctrl-Alt-Delete for a clever but content-free blog post. A System Restart button for a project worth nothing but sunk cost. A FACTORY RESET (WARNING: ARE YOU SURE?) for triggering that mid-life crisis you desperately need.
Reality Check: Inspired by techniques used to train lucid dreaming where one has to automise reality checks to figure out whether one is awake or dreaming. For example, you can look down at your hand and count your fingers. A reality check is a moment to notice your body exists and check for a bare minimum of sanity.
A TAP for revisiting your TAPs
E.g. “I frequent a restaurant on campus called The Axe & Palm. Every time I go I reflect on all the TAPs I’m currently installing.” (Hammertime: TAPs 1)
Epistemic TAPs
Beyond the very practical applications of TAPs, their utility can also span into the area of epistemic rationality. We have seen that most of our thinking happens fast and undeliberate - and this is also where we are most prone to fallacies and biases. If you want to get really good at thinking, you need to apply constant vigilance, and get down to the 5-second-level of your thinking. While it’s not humanly possible to always be deliberate about our thinking, we can install ‘epistemic TAPs’ (epistemic micro-habits) that can help us to notice moments where we are prone to be irrational, or even preempt them.
Zeeland NL, July 2019 - Meadows and the smell of sea