Tiny Habits
By John Brown, The Man
We’re told we can change.
We’re told that a key is to write “SMART” goals. Make them
specific, measurable, realistic, and focused on results. Give them a deadline.
And, for heaven’s sake, put them to paper because “a goal that is not written
down is just a wish.”
We’re told a key is to dream, that “whatever the mind can
believe, it can achieve.”
We’re told that the key to changing our life is changing our
habits, and that they way to change our habits is to stick with something for twenty-one
days.
Except, well, how many habits have you been successful in
establishing? How many of those lofty goals have you achieved? How many New Year’s resolutions have you really followed
through with?
The problem is that all of the good advice on goals and
habits seems to only work for other people. And I grant that there might be
some AAA+++ personalities out there with megawatts of motivation who seem to be
able to do whatever they set their mind to.
But that triple A plus personality passed me by. It passed a
lot of us by. So are we doomed?
B.J. Fogg, a
Stanford researcher, says no. There’s hope for all of us. Because the key is
not in having megawatts of motivation. It’s not that we disregard the power of motivation. It’s
just that motivation, Fogg has found, is never constant. It comes in waves. And
while we certainly want to take advantage of it when it comes and do things
that increase it, a much more effective way to grow habits and meet goals and
change our lives is to focus on the other things that drive behavior.
Fogg has spent his career studying persuasion and habit. He
works with companies to help them create products that are habit-forming. Think
about Facebook, Twitter, or Candy Crush, and the habits those products form.
These and similar companies have implemented the principles of habit so well
that their products have become, for some, something of an addiction.
So what’s the secret?
Fogg has identified three things that must be present if
we’re going to do something:
1.
The motivation
to do the thing
2.
The ability
to do the thing
3.
A trigger to remind us to do the thing
When those three things are present, we act. And we often do
so without thinking. If one of those three elements is missing, we don’t act.
So if we want to start a new habit, we need to focus on these three things.
But if motivation goes up and down, then we don’t want to
rely on that part of the equation. Fogg’s insight is that it’s much easier and
more effective to focus on the ability and the trigger parts.
When we focus on the ability, we make the habit we want to
form so tiny and small that it’s super easy to do. Such tiny behaviors require only
the smallest levels of motivation. And if we’ve planted them in good ground (at
a time of day where they can expand and linked to a good trigger), those tiny
habits eventually grow into the full blown big habit we wanted all along.
Does this work?
Well, I started Fogg’s Tiny
Habits back at the beginning of December. And I’m happy to report that
starting new habits using this approach has been easy.
Like falling off a log easy.
For example, because I work on the computer, I know that to
increase my health, I need to get at least forty minutes of good, heart-pumping
activity each day. But did I start there? No.
Did I start at twenty minutes?
No.
Ten minutes?
No.
Five? Surely, I started at five minutes.
No.
The Tiny Habits approach suggests starting much smaller. I
started with doing one push up after I used the restroom. And it was an incline
pushup on the stairs, which my daughter found hilarious.
Yes, that’s how tiny you start them. Something that takes
less than 30 seconds.
That tiny habit grew. And I am now doing 60 regular floor
pushups each day, plus 75 curls, 75 flies, 75 squats, and 75 bicycle crunches. It’s
about 25 minutes of good activity. And it’s only going to grow. Come April, I’m
pretty sure I’ll be around 100 pushups every day.
And there was no twenty-one day business. Fogg has found
that’s not the secret. Habits can form in just a few days.
I started the delicious habit of kissing my wife for at
least five seconds each day. Along with a five-second hug. And then a little
more kissing, and little more hugging, and a little more kissing (when I can
steal it). Did I mention it was delicious? This is a highly-recommend habit.
I started the habit of daily morning scripture reading. I have
tried to be consistent for years and couldn’t do it. But with this new
approach, I think I’ve missed three times in the last two months.
I started the habit of beginning the day with a positive
thought, the habit of turning off my wireless mouse when I’m done at my desk, and
I’ve also made great headway against the mother of all habits for me—going to
bed by 10 PM.
I can easily stay up until one a.m. reading, “researching”
on the internet, wasting time watching political videos, or Facebooking. Or a
million other things. This bad habit is so ingrained it is almost like someone
else is controlling me. All day long I say I’ll go to bed only to find myself,
yet again well past dark, screwing up my life plans. It’s like some evil
villain has me on remote. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to
“motivate” myself to change this. All to no avail.
But with the tiny habits approach, I finally figured out the
triggers that were driving it. Then I engineered other triggers and tiny habits
to replace them. And now my computer is off and behind a closed door most of
the time in the evenings. I’m actually getting to bed. It’s huge progress. There
are still some kinks to work out, but it’s only going to grow.
I found the Tiny Habits program through my insurance
provider. They had an annual wellness check in November, and on their website
they had a link to Tiny Habits. I clicked, signed up for their tiny program,
and I’m so happy I did. I’m hooked on tiny habits. And the cool thing is that you can begin learning and
developing your ability to plant and grow tiny habits too. For free.
If you want to change your life, I think you will love their
free five-day, three-habit program. It’s
there to teach you how to create tiny habits, triggers, and celebrate.
Let me also recommend a few videos. Here’s the best video
I’ve found that explains Fogg’s model of behavior and why tiny habits work.
And here’s the best video that explains the pitfalls of
relying mostly on motivation instead of bringing in the other two Musketeers.
Researchers say that between 40-70% of all we do each day is
driven by habit and external triggers. We think we’re exercising our agency all
day long, but it’s an illusion. We’re not. Most of the day we’re running on
auto pilot and responding to triggers. But we can change those routines. That’s
the promise of tiny habits. And so far, the results for me have been promising.
Give it a try. I think you’ll be happy you did.
Notes
SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable,
results-focused, and time-bound. SMART goals are helpful. But the key, Fogg has
found, is in not trying to eat the whole SMART whale in one bite. Instead, you
start with the tiniest part of the very first step. And then watch as the habit
grows.
I reviewed The Power
of Habit by Charles Duhigg back in 2012. It provided great insight about
habits, but not a tested program to actually change them. In fact, the author states
himself that his book doesn’t provide a program, just a way of thinking about
habits. I tried to apply his insights, and, as expected, wasn’t very successful
in changing things. But Fogg and his Tiny Habits fills that gap in a
spectacular way. Read Duhigg for great stories and insights about habits in
general. But go to Fogg for a tested program that will guide you step by step.
