Step Down to Change
Many people are looking for quick fixes to improve their health or wealth. In the long run, however, changing behavior or reaching a goal by all or none is unrealistic and may leave you feeling resentful or deprived. Professor Alena Johnson at Utah State University developed the Step-Down principle to explore ways to improve behavior and reach goals with small steps instead of drastic changes.
You have likely seen television advertisements for a product that helps people gradually quit smoking. The product uses the term "step down" to indicate that the amount of nicotine consumed is reduced in predetermined stages. According to the manufacturer, “stepping down” by gradually reducing the amount of nicotine consumed makes it easier to quit smoking than going “cold turkey.” In other words, the odds of successful behavioral change are greater when one makes small, gradual changes rather than one large change all at once.
The step-down principle can be illustrated by picturing a staircase with four steps. A purchase on the top step is the most expensive, while a purchase on the floor below the bottom step is the least costly. In any given situation, you have a wide range of options.
Top Step: Restaurant waffles: a few dollars
Second Step: Frozen waffles: about a dollar
Third Step: Waffles from a mix: less
Fourth Step: Waffles from scratch: pennies
People often believe that to cut back, they must go from the expensive end to the cheapest end of the scale. The point of the step-down method is to encourage you to take a step down from wherever you are. If you eat waffles at a restaurant every Saturday morning, you will save money by eating frozen waffles at home. If you make waffles from a mix and need to cut back, you can make them from scratch.
Try stepping down if you are looking for ways to improve your health or wealth without crimping your lifestyle. By choosing realistic steps, you can stay in control. Additionally, you will see results that can motivate you to make further changes.
Fill in the blanks with increasingly better alternatives to a current financial or health practice.
___ Top Step (Current Behavior): _________________________________________
___ 2nd Step: __________________________________________________
___ 3rd Step: ____________________________________________
___4th Step: _______________________________________
by Joy Miller, Family and Community Wellness Extension Agent, January 2025