Tiny Habits, Big Realisations

Honestly, I was cynical that there was much more to know about habits.

After James Clear's 'Atomic Habits', I thought that 'Tiny Habits' (BJ Fogg) was a bit of a cheeky title really.

But as often happens, a very simple formula provided a slightly different lens.

Tiny Habits is all about reducing habits down to micro actions that build momentum.

Fogg talks about breaking aspirations (goals) down into three factors:

🔹Prompt - a signal to take action

🔹Motivation - the will/interest to do it

🔹Ability - the ease and ability to do the thing

Ok, seems pretty obvious I thought. Nothing to see here.

But - then I realised that for some of the habits I've wanted to change, I've simply been missing the prompt, or haven't made it easy enough to execute. 🤦‍♀️

Tiny changes can remove the micro blockers that stop us from doing the things we're actually motivated to do.

For example, I can fall into deep work holes for hours, so have been frustrated at myself for not taking a short walk break during the day, which I would love to do. Motivation is not the issue.

I've realised that I need a clearer prompt to walk after lunch (calendar block and reminder). Plus, to increase the ease of taking action, I also need to put my runners and suncream on in the morning, so it's frictionless to walk straight out the door.

So simple. But I hadn't examined properly what was getting in the way.

🟢 What's a tiny habit you would like to shift? Is it a case of a lack motivation, the prompt, or the ability to execute it easily?