Tiny Habits

The Small Changes That Change Everything

psychology
habits

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0.1 Executive Summary Cheatsheet: Tiny Habits

0.1.1 The Fogg Behavior Model: B = MAP

fogg behaviour model

Behavior (B) happens when Motivation (M), Ability (A), and a Prompt (P) come together at the same moment.

  1. Motivation (M): Your desire to do the behavior. Fogg argues that motivation is unreliable and shouldn’t be the primary driver for habit formation.
  2. Ability (A): Your capacity to do the behavior. This is key. Make the behavior extremely easy to do, ideally taking less than 30 seconds.
  3. Prompt (P): The cue or trigger that reminds you to do the behavior. Prompts can be external (an alarm) or internal (an existing habit – an “Anchor”).

BJ Fogg explains that people often fail because they start too big, rely on fluctuating motivation, or don’t have a clear prompt. Focusing on making habits easy (Ability) and finding reliable Prompts is more effective.

0.1.2 Designing Your Tiny Habits: The Recipe

The core of the Tiny Habits method is a simple three-part recipe:

  1. Anchor Moment: Identify an existing routine or event in your day that can serve as a reminder.
    • Example: “After I brush my teeth…”
  2. New Tiny Behavior: Design a very small version of the new habit you want to create. It should be something you can do in 30 seconds or less.
    • Example: “…I will do two push-ups.”
  3. Instant Celebration (Shine): Immediately after doing the tiny behavior, celebrate your success in a way that makes you feel good. This creates a positive emotion linked to the habit.
    • Example: “Awesome!” or a fist pump.

Your Tiny Habit Recipe: “After I [ANCHOR MOMENT], I will [NEW TINY BEHAVIOR]. Then, I will [CELEBRATION].”

Good anchors are existing, reliable habits (e.g., “After I pour my morning coffee,” “After I sit down on the train,” “After I flush the toilet”). The end of one action prompts the beginning of your tiny habit.

0.1.3 The Power of Celebration (Shine)

Celebration is not optional; it’s essential for wiring habits into your brain.

  1. Creates Positive Emotion: Celebration generates a feeling of success and positive reinforcement.
  2. Hacks Your Brain: Your brain learns to associate the new tiny behavior with this positive feeling, making you more likely to repeat it.
  3. Personalize It: Find celebrations that genuinely make you feel good (e.g., a smile, a mental pat on the back, saying “Good job!”). It must be immediate.

0.1.4 Making Habits Easy (The ‘A’ in MAP)

To increase Ability and make habits stick:

  1. Start Tiny: The behavior should be so small it feels almost effortless. (e.g., floss one tooth, read one sentence, put one dish away).
  2. Reduce Friction: Remove any obstacles that make the habit harder to do.
  3. Focus on Simplicity: The simpler the action, the less motivation you need.

If a Tiny Habit isn’t sticking, use the B=MAP model to diagnose:

  1. Prompt (P): Is the Anchor clear and reliable? Are you noticing it?
    • Solution: Choose a more distinct Anchor or set an additional reminder.
  2. Ability (A): Is the Behavior truly tiny and easy?
    • Solution: Make it even smaller or simpler. Break it down further.
  3. Motivation (M) / Celebration: Are you celebrating immediately and genuinely?
    • Solution: Find a celebration that truly resonates and creates a positive feeling. Ensure you are not skipping this step.

0.1.5 Skills for Successful Habit Formation

  1. Describe the new habit you want with the Tiny Habits recipe: “After I [Anchor], I will [Tiny Behavior].”
  2. Practice the behavior and celebrate immediately: Create that positive emotional link.
  3. Troubleshoot and iterate: If it’s not working, adjust the Anchor, the Tiny Behavior, or your Celebration. Don’t give up, redesign.
  4. Allow habits to grow naturally or scale them up intentionally: Once a tiny habit is well-established, you can let it expand if you feel motivated (e.g., doing more push-ups, reading for longer).

0.1.6 Other key ideas

  1. Identify the Prompt: What triggers the unwanted behavior?
  2. Redesign the Routine: Find a positive tiny behavior you can do instead when the prompt occurs.
  3. Celebrate: Reward yourself for doing the new, positive behavior. This helps to weaken the old neural pathway and strengthen a new one.

Golden Behaviors are habits that:

  1. Have a significant positive impact on your life.
  2. Are something you genuinely want to do (intrinsic motivation).
  3. Help you become the person you want to be. Focus your Tiny Habits efforts on these high-leverage behaviors.

Tiny Habits are like seeds. Once planted and nurtured (through consistent practice and celebration), they can:

  1. Grow on their own: You might naturally find yourself doing more of the habit without forcing it.
  2. Be scaled up intentionally: Once the root system is strong, you can consciously increase the duration or intensity.
  3. Lead to other positive changes (“Habit Ripples”): Successfully adopting one tiny habit can create momentum and confidence to tackle others.
  1. Relying on Motivation: Motivation is fickle. Design for consistency, not intensity.
  2. Starting Too Big: Overambitious goals lead to failure and demotivation.
  3. Forgetting to Celebrate: Skipping celebration means you’re missing the key ingredient for wiring the habit.
  4. Vague or Unreliable Prompts: If you don’t know when to do the habit, it won’t happen.
  5. Judging Yourself: Focus on the process and adjust as needed, rather than criticizing setbacks.

Celebrations should be quick, immediate, and make you feel good. Examples:

  • A fist pump (physical)
  • Saying “Yes!” or “Good job!” (verbal)
  • Smiling genuinely
  • A little happy dance
  • A mental high-five
  • Visualizing success or a positive outcome The key is that it creates a positive emotion for you.

0.1.7 Key Phrases to use

  • “After I [Anchor Moment], I will [New Tiny Behavior].”
  • “Yes! I did it!” (or your preferred celebration)
  • “How can I make this behavior even tinier?”
  • “What’s a solid Anchor for this habit?”
  • “Am I celebrating immediately and effectively?”
  • “Is it easy enough? Do I have a clear prompt?” (Checking B=MAP)
  • “This is a win!”

0.2 Summary Video

0.3 Practise

The best way to understand Tiny Habits is to design one for yourself. Think of a small positive change you’d like to make.

  1. Choose a behavior you want. (e.g., drink more water, stretch, meditate)
  2. Scale it down to be TINY. (e.g., drink one sip of water, do one neck stretch, take one mindful breath)
  3. Find an ANCHOR moment. (e.g., After I turn on my computer, After I finish a meal, After I use the restroom)
  4. Plan your CELEBRATION. (e.g., smile, nod, say “nice!”)

Write your Tiny Habit Recipe: “After I ______, I will ______. Then I will celebrate by ______.” Try it for a few days and see how it feels!

0.4 Learn More

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