This model states that human behavior occurs when three factors—motivation, ability, and a prompt—are present at the same time.
Motivation is the desire to perform a behavior: “I want to do it.” Ability is the capacity to carry it out: “I can do it.” A prompt is the signal to act: “Do it now.”
Take a look at this visual representation of the model: difficulty goes from hard to easy, and the vertical axis represents your willingness to do something, from weak to strong. The curve represents the threshold for taking action, and the dots represent prompts. Behaviors that can be triggered lie above the action line; the farther above it they are, the easier they are to turn into habits. Tossing away trash is easy, and smoking and drinking are things people enjoy. Behaviors you won't do lie below the action line; the closer they are to the origin, the less likely you are to do them. Eating shit, for example.
So most people struggle with three kinds of situations. First, things they can do but don't want to, like going to work. Second, things they want to do but can't, like slacking off at work. Third, things they both can and want to do but lack a prompt for, like telling someone they have a crush on them. Based on the Fogg Behavior Model, addressing these 3 situations takes just two things: moving and detonating.
Moving means shifting the point representing your behavior to the action line. One way is to increase your motivation: stronger motivation can help overcome the obstacles posed by difficulty. The other is to make the behavior easier, turning what you can't do into something you can. That's the idea behind the common advice that breaking down a difficult task makes it easier. Put simply, either move horizontally by changing your ability, move vertically by changing your motivation, or do both.
Detonating means amplifying the prompt so it sets off the behavior like a bomb. For an ordinary behavior, a simple prompt is enough, like a whistle blast when you're already on the battlefield.
But for some behaviors, an ordinary prompt isn't quite enough. This is what gives most people such a headache—getting out of bed or losing weight, for example. Opening your eyes and going for a run seem simple enough: you want to do them, and you're capable of doing them. An alarm going off or stepping on the scale to weigh yourself might help a little, but not much, because the prompt doesn't pack enough of a punch.
To truly trigger a behavior, we need to design a condition that gets us to act. For example, an alarm clock that runs away and won't stop until you get out of bed and catch it. Or having your best friend ask about your weight every day at dinner might make things much better than before, or at least a little better. So when you notice that a behavior that should have happened hasn't, according to this model, it means there isn't enough motivation, ability, or prompting. Just adjust whichever is lacking. Adjusting all three together works even better. And the Fogg Behavior Model isn't just useful for managing yourself; it's also very effective for persuading others to act.
For example, to persuade someone to keep going, amplify their hopes, downplay the difficulties, and set up a trigger: “Short-form video is the way things are going. Even an ordinary person like you can earn a million a month. Give me a like, and I'll tell you how.” To persuade someone to give up, downplay their hopes, exaggerate the difficulties, and remove the triggers: “Scammers. If everyone has a chance, how is that an opportunity? If anyone can do it, it surely can't be profitable. Stop dreaming and get a job. You won't even be able to make next month's mortgage payment.”