In the last post I told you that creating new habits is simple, but you don’t have all the information yet so you may not believe me yet. So let’s get to it!
Remember, to create any new habit you WANT …
Make it TINY, find where it naturally FITS in your day, and NURTURE its growth.
It’s that simple. And it’s based on science.
First, pick a habit you WANT to create.
❌ Not one you SHOULD create.
✅ One you WANT to create.
Remember, any new behavior relies on the interplay between motivation, ability, and a prompt or trigger.
So let’s talk about ABILITY and its role in creating new habits.
- The easier something is to do, the LESS motivation you need.
- The harder something is to do, the MORE motivation you need.
Motivation is fickle.
Even when it starts out strong it tends to wane over time.
So the best way to solve for motivation is to remove it from the equation.
Make the behavior so easy that it takes no motivation to do it.
- We do this by making it TINY.
- Tiny is something you can do in 30-60 seconds or less.
- So even when you’re busy, tired or not feeling well, you can still do the TINY behavior.
Let’s say you WANT to start meditating.
And you decide to start “small” at first because meditation is new to you.
- So Day 1 you start with 5 minutes.
- And you do it the first day because you’re motivated to do it.
- But it was harder than you thought to sit and “not think” for 5 minutes.
- On Day 2, you may or may not mediate depending on how motivated you are to do it.
- By Day 3, your brain is looking for excuses not to meditate—I don’t have time, it’s too hard, it’s not going to help, I’m not a meditation type of person, etc.
- And by day 5 if not sooner, your new meditation habit goes down the toilet.
Sound familiar?
So what’s the antidote? It’s so simple – start TINY.
Let me explain.
TINY means the action or effort is so small that your brain can’t find excuses NOT to do it.
Using our meditation example, instead of I will meditate for 5 minutes
TINY looks like this: I will meditate for 3 breaths
OR you can use a starter step: I will sit down on my meditation cushion
It’s THAT easy.
Now you know how to make it TINY.
Next we’ll cover planting the new habit where it naturally FITS in your day (this is where the magic happens!), and NURTURING its growth.
You’ll see how simple it is to create new behaviors when you use this scientifically proven, highly-effective method.
➡️ And then you can apply it again and again
➡️ To any other new habit you want to create in your life.
All you have to do is keep reading—I’m going to guide you every step of the way!
For now, think about the new habit you want to create and use the example above to think about how you can make it TINY (30 seconds or less) or use a starter step.
Here’s to creating your best life – no motivation required!
Denee