Forget big change, start with tiny habits and celebrate

Start tiny

Note that in my Tiny Habits method you start small. Really small. You start so small that I decided to call it "tiny"!​

Tiny is powerfull

Habits are like plants
Forming a habit is like growing a plant.

You start with something tiny (a seed or a sprout).
You find a good spot for it in your garden (proper soil, light, moisture).
You nourish your tiny plant so the roots get established.
As you do these three things, your tiny plant will take root and thrive.

Let's apply the points above to how habit formation works:

You start with a tiny behavior.
You find a good spot in your daily routine for this tiny behavior.
You nourish your tiny behavior so it gets firmly established in your life.
As you do these three things, your new habit will take root and thrive.

With practice, you will form habits quickly and easily.

Of course, you won't be perfect. Just like with gardening, there is some trial and error -- always something to learn. But you will get better. You will learn new skills and gain confidence. And this, in turn, can change your life in big ways.

Focus on tiny
In the Tiny Habits method you always start with a tiny behavior. Below are some examples:

Floss one tooth
Pour a cup of water
Read one sentence in a book
Put on walking shoes
Take one deep breath
At the end of this page, I'll explain how to translate a difficult habit (like 25 pushups each morning) into something tiny. But first, let me explain why tiny matters.

Why start tiny?
As a behavior scientist, I know this is a fact: difficult behaviors require a high level of motivation.

You've seen this in your own life. If there's a tough task facing you, such as cleaning your entire home, you won't do it unless your motivation level is high.

In fact, one person told me this: When she needs to clean her home thoroughly, she invites friends over for a party. She knows this will boost her motivation, and she'll get the tough cleaning task done.

Well, I like parties and a clean home, but my friend's technique is not the Tiny Habits method. She is not creating a cleaning habit; she is creating a cleaning emergency.​

As human beings, our motivation level for any behavior goes up and down over time. That's natural. And you can't always rely on having a high level of motivation. Your motivation is often low for cleaning or exercising or cutting vegetables. That's reality.

Relying heavily on motivation to create a habit does not work.​

Tiny gives you success
When a behavior is really easy, like putting a magazine back on the shelf, you don't need to throw a party to succeed. In other words, when a behavior is easy, you don't need to rely on motivation. You simply put the magazine back on the shelf, and you are done.

In creating the Tiny Habits method, I realized that if I started my change process with a simple behaviors, then I wouldn't need to worry about my swings in motivation. Instead, I could focus on making the tiny behavior automatic. I could focus on creating a habit.

This was my insight: "Okay, BJ. You already know how to floss all your teeth. That's not the problem. You don't yet know how to do this automatically." So I scaled back flossing to just one tooth. I then focused on making this tiny behavior automatic in my life. Soon I created a solid habit, and then I grew the habit to include all of my teeth (hooray).

Simple is powerful
Simple is powerful. You’ll experience that next week.

You can grow your tiny behaviors in later weeks (for example, expand from flossing one tooth to all your teeth). But for this next week, to benefit your own success and learning, please, please keep it simple.

Just like with plants: You start small. It takes root. And then it can grow.

Simplicity changes behavior.

Starter Steps-Examples
Pour a cup of water
Open my sketchbook
Write down one to-do item
Put on my workout clothes
Open my to-do list
Write the name of someone I want to call
Get out my yoga mat
Put an apple in my backpack
Turn off TV (starts process of going to bed)
Get out my vitamins

Tiny Version-Examples
Floss one tooth
Do two pushups
Meditate for three breaths
Read one sentence in a book
Wash one item in the kitchen
Put on one drop of sunscreen
Pay one bill
Drink a sip of water
Tidy one item on my work desk
Think of one thing you're grateful for

A good tiny behavior has these qualities:​​

takes less than 30 seconds (even better: just 5 seconds)
requires no real effort
doesn't create pain or bad emotions
On top of that, make sure it's a habit you want to have in your life. Don't pick something that's a "should."

That's important so I'll say it again: As you practice Tiny Habits, choose new behaviors you actually want.

Create an anchor

Design new habits in your life

​At this point you know that in Tiny Habits:

1. You focus on tiny behaviors, and

2. You use an existing routine (an "anchor") as your reminder.

In the next few minutes I invite you to design your Tiny Habits. In this process you will pair a tiny behavior with a good anchor.

You put these two pieces together, using the format I call a "recipe":

"After I [existing anchor] , I will [new tiny behavior]"

​Some pairings work well, and the habit forms quickly and naturally.

Some pairings don't work at all. But don't worry. If the pairing doesn't work, you revise. In other words, you just redesign the recipe.

Create three recipes
In the next few minutes, I want you to create three pairings and put them into my recipe format.

After I _________________ , I will __________________

After I _________________ , I will __________________

After I _________________ , I will __________________

​You can use suggestions I offer below and on other pages. Or you can create your own recipes

You can also mix and match, pairing any anchor with any tiny behavior. The choice is yours.

Important steps
You can use suggestions I offer below and on other pages. Or you can create your own recipes

These are your next steps:

A. Design three pairings of anchors and tiny behaviors, using the recipe format.
B. Write down the recipes for yourself on a piece of paper.
C. Enter your recipes
D. Prepare to start on Monday (for example, do you need to buy floss?).
E. Start practicing these new habits on Monday!

My advice
Don't turn this process into a big dramatic thing. Instead, be playful and explore. But don't get overwhelmed.

​If the initial recipes you create don't work very well, then you revise things. No big deal..

​Right now, I advise you to pick simple, ordinary things as your Tiny Habits. Don't pick anything earth shattering. Just learn the method.

Similarly, I caution you against picking a super special habit you’ve always wanted but never could achieve. Instead, pick something you want, but not something with lots of emotional baggage. You can take on harder behaviors in the future, after you increase your skills.

This next week is about practicing, not about solving that one special problem in your life.

Some reassurance

If the initial recipes you create don't work well, then you revise things. No big deal.

​Again, most everyone revises their Tiny Habits or their approach during the week. It's part of the process.

​You don't need to form perfect recipes. Just enter some recipes online to get started.

Change is a skill

However, we do care you that you learn the skills of creating habits. Much like a pianist who practices scales, or a chef who practices knife skills, you can practice the skills of creating habits. For example, designing a good Tiny Habit recipe is a skill you can learn.

The big breakthroughs in your life will come from having these skills, not from any single habit.

Two ways to create recipes in Tiny Habits

Start with the tiny behavior and then find a suitable anchor.
Start with an existing anchor and then find a new tiny behavior that would follow it naturally.

Tiny Habit examples to choose from
Be sure to pick new behaviors you WANT in your life, I offer a bunch of suggestions below. Have fun!

Health Routines
After I [your anchor], I will Floss one tooth (BJ’s #1 suggestion)
After I [your anchor], I will Open my vitamin container
After I [your anchor], I will Put on one drop of sunscreen
After I [your anchor], I will Put in my retainer
After I [your anchor], I will Set out my vitamins
After I [your anchor], I will Put on my fitness tracker
After I [your anchor], I will Turn off my Internet router at night

Physical activity
After I [your anchor], I will Do two pushups
After I [your anchor], I will Put on my walking shoes
After I [your anchor], I will Do 3 crunches

Nutrition
After I [your anchor], I will Drink a sip of water
After I [your anchor], I will Take a bite of a carrot
After I [your anchor], I will Fill a glass of water
After I [your anchor], I will Throw out one bad food item in my house
After I [your anchor], I will Write down *one* thing I at
After I [your anchor], I will Put an apple in my bag
After I [your anchor], I will Write down one veggie I like to eat

Calming / de-stressing
After I [your anchor], I will Stretch one part of my body briefly
After I [your anchor], I will Exhale and relax for 2 seconds
After I [your anchor], I will Do a quick sketch
After I [your anchor], I will Yawn to relax my jaw
After I [your anchor], I will Stretch my back
After I [your anchor], I will Turn off the ringer on my phone

Learning & hobbies
After I [your anchor], I will Play 3 chords on the guitar
After I [your anchor], I will Read one sentence in a book
After I [your anchor], I will Sing a scale
After I [your anchor], I will Recite one line of poetry
After I [your anchor], I will Open my workbook

Relationships
After I [your anchor], I will Kiss my spouse
After I [your anchor], I will Think of one special person to call/text today
After I [your anchor], I will Text my mom
After I [your anchor], I will Get out my set of “thank you” notes
After I [your anchor], I will Give my spouse a hug

Organizing
After I [your anchor], I will Set out my workout clothes
After I [your anchor], I will Think of one top priority for my day
After I [your anchor], I will Look at my to-do list
After I [your anchor], I will Plug mobile phone into charger
After I [your anchor], I will Turn on the ringer on my phone

Cleaning & tidying
After I [your anchor], I will Hang up my coat
After I [your anchor], I will Wipe out sink
After I [your anchor], I will Tidy one thing in the house
After I [your anchor], I will Put dirty laundry in basket
After I [your anchor], I will Put my receipts in the basket
After I [your anchor], I will Wipe my bathroom mirror
After I [your anchor], I will Turn off lights in study
After I [your anchor], I will Clean one dish
After I [your anchor], I will Clear one item off my desk
After I [your anchor], I will Pull cover up on bed

Writing
After I [your anchor], I will Write three words in my journal
After I [your anchor], I will Launch Microsoft Word
After I [your anchor], I will Jot down one thing to write about
After I [your anchor], I will Write one sentence

Mindfulness & gratitude
After I [your anchor], I will Look up at the stars
After I [your anchor], I will Smile immediately
After I [your anchor], I will Think of one thing I’m grateful for
After I [your anchor], I will Say one thing I’m thankful for
After I [your anchor], I will Do one visualization
After I [your anchor], I will Read one verse of scripture
After I [your anchor], I will Meditate for 3 breaths
After I [your anchor], I will Do one sun salutation
After I [your anchor], I will Write down one positive word

Your next steps
Again, these are some of your next steps:

Design three pairings of anchors and tiny behaviors, using the recipe format.
Write down the recipes for yourself on a piece of paper.
Prepare to start on Monday (for example, do you need to buy floss?).
Start practicing these new habits on Monday!

Cool And the Gang

Celebration - youtu.be/3GwjfUFyY6M