Small Habit Adoption Can Lead to Big Change
The easiest way to accomplish a health goal may be through the adoption of tiny or micro habits. Trying to achieve a big goal “all at once” can be overwhelming and lead to failure. Taking small deliberate steps can help you get there.
For example: not a runner, but want to run a 5k? You don’t start by running 3 miles day 1, right? You may start day 1 by committing to a longer walk when you pick up your mail, walking around your home, your block or your living room. Does that sound ridiculously easy? Then it’s the perfect small step according to the article To Achieve Big Goals, Start with Small Habits in the Harvard Business Review.
Ready to improve your diet? You likely won’t succeed if you start with overhauling your pantry and stocking it with foods you have no idea how to prepare? Maybe you start with adding an apple at breakfast.
Successful small habit adoption is deliberate, with choreographed steps to sustain them.
BJ Fogg’s formula for change is simple: “Make it easy, make it fit your life, and make it rewarding. Whenever you get in your car, take one yoga breath. Smile. Whenever you get in bed, turn off your phone. Give yourself a high five. Change can be easy—once it starts, it grows.”
How to break down a goal into small steps is outlined in the book Tiny Habits: The Small Changes that Change Everything by BJ Fogg, PhD.
Read the article To Achieve Big Goals, Start with Small Habits in the Harvard Business Review and the book Tiny Habits: The Small Changes that Change Everything by BJ Fogg, PhD to learn strategies for incorporating these small steps into your daily routine.
