A better metaphor is a complicated snarl of knots in a string. We usually use the word “break” when talking about stopping a bad habit, but this metaphor doesn’t work in the Tiny Habits context. When applying Tiny Habits to bad habits, we’re talking about the Downhill Habits. To begin with, we can classify habits into three types: Uphill Habits, which we have to work to keep going (going to the gym every day, getting up early, cleaning the kitchen), Downhill Habits, which we have to work to stop doing (scrolling through social media, sleeping through the alarm, eating fast food), and Freefall Habits, which are almost impossible to stop (serious addictions). ![]() This doesn’t apply to serious addictions, however-Tiny Habits aren’t a substitute for professional help. Though Tiny Habits wasn’t initially designed to help people get rid of bad habits, you can also apply the Fogg Behavior Model and the Behavior Design process to “reverse engineer” habits out of your life. The important thing is to keep the habit alive by unscrewing that bottle cap every day. Sometimes, of course, you won’t have time for this, and sometimes you won’t have the motivation. In time, your tiny habit of unscrewing the cap on the lavender oil bottle may evolve into a luxurious hour-long bubble bath. You allow it to grow naturally, not pushing yourself to build it up too fast or getting down on yourself if you mess up. When repeating, refining, and upgrading, you gradually expand the Tiny Habit to make it less tiny. Remember that if a new habit fails, the problem isn’t you-it’s how the habit has been designed. If the prompt you’ve chosen is unreliable or if you’ve become good at ignoring it, pick another one. If your tiny habit isn’t working, go back to your Swarm of Bs and pick another one. Play around with the sequence and modify things as you go. The Behavior Design process is like an experiment. A genuine celebration immediately after you do your habit helps your brain to encode and automatize the behavior sequence, so it’s important not to skip this step.įor example, a good celebration for the tiny behavior of unscrewing the cap on the lavender oil bottle might be smiling wide, yawning, and stretching luxuriously.ħ. Perhaps your best route to Shine is raising your fists in victory, or humming a snatch of the theme song from Rocky, or nodding your head quietly to yourself in affirmation. Aim for celebrations that make you feel “Shine”: an authentic sense of accomplishment and happiness. Experiment to find some celebrations that work for you. In fact, celebrating well is a habit in its own right, one that we can cultivate to make us happier, more resilient, and nicer to be around. Celebration is incredibly important in Tiny Habits. And for an Anchor, you could decide to do your tiny habit right after you’ve put the kids to bed.Ħ. They’re called Anchors.įor example, a person-based prompt for the lavender bath might be “when I feel tired at night.” For a context-based prompt, you could leave the lavender oil bottle in the bathroom where you can see it. Action-based prompts are special in Tiny Habits. You can tie this prompt to yourself (some kind of internal emotional or physical cue), your context, or an action in a pre-existing routine. ![]() Once you’ve identified which tiny behavior you want to introduce into your life, you need to find a good prompt to remind you to do it. Remember, no behavior happens without a prompt. Prep just one item when you get home from the grocery store (e.g.5.Set out your meal prep containers the night before you plan to prep.Set a timer for 15 minutes every time you get home from the grocery store and wash and chop as much as you can in that time.Print meal plans every Friday – don’t forget to set your prompt – print before your weekly Friday meeting or after dropping your kids off for school on Friday, etc.Purchase a food processor to speed up chopping.Ask family members which part of meal prep they can help with. ![]()
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