B Y : G I N A L A C A G N I N A

DIY Project: Playing the Drums

Why the drums?

Simple – music is a passion of mine that I’ve always strived to improve upon

Feeling stagnant in my skill level

Insights from hyper-journaling

Behavior change:

Practice more

Practice with a purpose

Collaborate with others

The Intervention

Goal Setting: practice each day, learn one new skill each day, play with others 3 times/week

Self Monitoring: keep track of time spent practicing, any key insights as to how I felt or what I learned

Social Component: schedule times to play with others, write these in my planner, remind and motivate one another

Measurement

Continuous assessment- tracking actual time spent practicing, what I learned, and how many times I practiced with others

Comparing Baseline to Intervention Data

Baseline Intervention

Played 2/7 days Played 6/7 days

Average: 15 mins/day Average: 31 mins/day

Insights and Future Interventions

Without triggers, intervention would need to be designed differently

Combination of goal setting, self-monitoring, and social component helped with intervention success (each element on its own may not have had the same effect)

On a long term basis, I would stick to a simpler goal