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

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

“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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Habit development requires more than repetition.

It requires intention. And intention needs a PLAN.

This is where most habit models fall flat.

The Habit Loop is descriptive, not prescriptive.

It explains what happens once a habit exists, but not how to build one intentionally.

That’s where P.A.R.R. 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.

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