Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything

by B.J. Fogg

Keeping changes small and expectations low is how you design around fair-weather friends like motivation and willpower. When something is tiny, it’s easy to do—which means you don’t need to rely on the unreliable nature of motivation.

You’re not alone if you previously focused entirely on motivation. But now I hope you see that you can’t rely on motivation alone to create lasting change because you probably can’t sustain it and you might not be able to manipulate or design for it reliably. And I hope you see that this is not a character flaw. It’s human nature.

I’m here to tell you that you should shoot the moon, daydream, or create a vision board. The more vividly you can picture what you want, the better.

The important thing to remember about procrastination is that the perception of difficulty can be just as important as the actual difficulty.

every day you don’t do the task, it grows in your head, which makes the task seem more and more difficult.

Think about how many of these tiny to-dos that you don’t want to do are clogging your brain every day. It can get mentally exhausting. Taking the first step, no matter how small, can generate a sense of momentum that our brains love.

No behavior happens without a prompt.

On the flip side, if there is no prompt, there is no behavior even if you have high levels of motivation and ability.

underlying secret to why Tiny Habits works so beautifully: People change best by feeling good, not by feeling bad.

Feeling good is a vital part of the Tiny Habits method.

When you celebrate in the Tiny Habits way, you create a positive feeling inside yourself on demand.

This good feeling wires the new habit in...

When you celebrate effectively, you tap into the reward circuitry of your brain. By feeling good at the right moment, you cause your brain to recognize and encode the sequence of behaviors you just performed.

you can hack your brain to create a habit by celebrating and self-reinforcing.

#1 Help people do what they already want to do. #2 Help people feel successful.

One of my personal themes for the last year has been to “strengthen others in all my interactions.”

All I have to say is something positive that is sincere.

Habits may be the smallest units of transformation, but they’re also the most fundamental. They are the first concentric circles of change that will spiral

Help yourself do what you already want to do. Help yourself feel successful.

And that we start a habit by planting a tiny seed in a good spot, then keep nurturing it. As the gardeners of our habits, we won’t be perfect. There will be trial and error—and that’s okay.

Teach and guide others in Shine. Explain that there’s a new word for a powerful emotion. Describe what Shine feels like and what it does (wires in new habits).

You can also explain how to celebrate. And you can actively celebrate others when they do something good.

Create a family tradition of positive change. Start now no matter how challenging it seems. By sharing the Tiny Habits method and the concept of Shine, you can begin today to support one another in change.

The first step toward fixing what ails us is to embrace feeling better. Habits are a means to this end.

They teach us the Skills of Change, and they propel us toward our dreams, and they add more Shine to the world.

They regained control of their lives and discovered what we all are capable of making—the small changes that change everything.

ANCHOR MOMENT An existing routine (like brushing your teeth) or an event that happens (like a phone ringing). The Anchor Moment reminds you to do the new Tiny Behavior. 2. NEW TINY BEHA VIOR A simple version of the new habit you want, such as flossing one tooth or doing two push-ups. You do the Tiny Behavior immediately after the Anchor Moment. 3. INSTANT CELEBRATION Something you do to create positive emotions, such as saying, “I did a good job!” You celebrate immediately after doing the new Tiny Behavior. Anchor Behavior Celebration

After I hear my alarm, I will turn it off immediately (no snooze). After I put my feet on the floor in the morning, I will say, “It’s going to be a great day!”

After my children leave for school, I will get out my to-do list for work.

After I buckle my seat belt, I will press play on my audiobook.

After I clean up from dinner, I will make an herbal tea.

After my head hits the pillow, I will think about one thing I’m grateful for from the day.

After I find myself mindlessly browsing social media, I will log out.

After I leave my house for a walk, I will press play on my podcast player.

After I finish listening to a podcast episode, I will think of one takeaway that I got

After I feel hungry in the afternoon, I will eat a handful of blueberries.

After I arrive home from work or errands, I will hug my spouse and kids.

After I hear about my spouse’s stressful day, I’ll say this: “I’m here for you.”

After I leave an event with a close friend, I will send them a quick text of thanks.

After I get ready for bed, I will plug my phone in a different room to charge overnight in order to stop scrolling Facebook in bed.

After I start cooking dinner, I will pour myself a nonalcoholic beverage.