The pros and cons of pros and cons

Pros and cons lists are a well-used, easy technique for personal change and are an excellent way of getting the task straight in our minds. On one side, we have all the reasons that support the change, and on the other, reasons against it. However, simple lists of pros and cons have their limits. For example:

1. they often confirm what we already know, and if we want something badly enough, it’s tempting to sway the lists towards our preference.
2. they tend to focus on the things we can control and forget the external factors we can not.
3. they encourage factual and rational analysis but ignore gut feelings, hunches and intuition. In other words, the reasons we find challenging to put into words.

So after we’ve decided to change our drinking, it pays to go a step further by focusing on what really motivates you.