Tiny Habits with Bj Fogg
What does it look like to “start small?” While there are no shortcuts, or fast tracks to success, taking multiple small steps will get you where you need to go. It doesn’t matter how long it takes you to get there, what matters is that you arrive. After listening to an episode of the Armchair Expert podcast with special guest BJ Fogg PhD, a behaviour scientist and Stanford professor, we learned a fantastic tactic to take on anything we set our minds to. After reading this, we hope you feel the same way too!
The episode had a focus on BJ’s theory, and book, Tiny Habits. To give you a brief run down, it is the idea of creating tiny habits that collectively get you to your ultimate goal or aspiration. You take whatever it is that you want and you make it really small, then find out where it fits naturally in your day. You begin with asking yourself “what is my aspiration, or goal?”. Once identified, ask “what are the different behaviours that can take me to that aspiration or goal?”. Create a list and explore the different behaviours that can help, then choose the option(s) you would like to do.
“After I _______ I will _______”.
The next step is finding where the new habit will fit into your day. Think of everything you do throughout the day as a piece of real estate you can add to. Find something you do every day; like after I put on the kettle, after I brush my teeth, after I eat lunch, after I meditate, anything can work. The habit will become seamless in your life. “Just like adding a piece of clay to a pot as you create it, you rub it in and its indistinguishable to the rest of it” BJ expresses. Say to yourself “after I _______ I will _______”. After I do the dishes, I will move my body. The amount you do is vital as well, you can do as many as you like but give yourself a small attainable amount first.
Let’s get honest.
Now, choosing a goal can be easy but truly understanding why you would like to achieve it is a whole other can of worms. Whether you think that sounds super easy or a bit difficult, the biggest piece you must understand is that you need to be honest with yourself. You will need to really think about those aspirations you wrote down last week and ensure you are in it for the right reasons. Be clear on your motive and accept that this could actually change your aspiration, which is great! This means that you are truly figuring out what you would like to do and this will allow for a greater behavioural impact. Ask yourself “is this a should or a want?”, “am I choosing this because it is a societal norm or do I genuinely desire the outcome?”. Find what is good for YOU!
The eb and flow of motivation.
When we first write down our goals, we have this overwhelming feeling of motivation. Setting oneself up for success, creating a plan, and telling ourselves we are going to achieve it brings us the inspiration we need to get the ball rolling. When we do this, it is important to acknowledge the inevitable eb and flow of motivation. When motivation goes up for one thing it goes down for another. It is very difficult to sustain high levels of motivation. Humans do not have the capacity to feel driven about all aspects they would like to at once. This brings us to the point of designing your tiny habit for when you will be at your lowest point of motivation. This will help you with creating a goal that is attainable and give you the ability to stay consistent.
I am AWESOME!
One of our favourite pieces of BJ’s theory is the focus on celebrating yourself (WOO)! He encourages individuals to give self-praise when they do what they intended to, such as the tiny habit. Say something like “I am awesome!” or have a mini celebration, anything that makes you feel good when you complete it. Now as simple as this sounds, there is actually some science behind it. When you evoke a positive emotion after your tiny habit your brain automatically associates that with the behaviour. Eventually, your body and mind will crave the habit. Although repetition is important with creating a new habit, the main focus is association. This leads to the importance of “lowering the bar” when creating these habits. This will help you feel successful and call for more happy dances (who doesn't love that?!).
Now that you have a grasp on how tiny habits work, it’s time to put them into practice. This is a spectacular way to create the life you want to live and work towards any of the aspirations you dream of achieving. Get honest, start small, celebrate yourself and remember tiny gets big!!
Written by Sarah Abuja