I was struck by this powerful reminder.
It’s worthwhile to keep in mind that you have little chance of doing something a second and a third time if you haven’t done it yet a first time. This may sound a bit ridiculous, but the message cannot be overemphasized: You simply must get started, or, as Nike says, “Just do it®.” And, of course, The Habit Factor’s corollary to Nike’s famous slogan might be: “Just do it – often.
To create a habit, we must get started. DO IT. And repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. It helps if the habit is part of a larger goal. It also helps if you have a darn good answer to the question “Why?” Knowing your intention and having a vision for where you would like to be and why you want to be there is very important. However, when all is said, analyzed, processed, and done, it circles back to “Just do it – often.”
“Just Do It” is not as simple as it sounds, particularly if you are depending on motivation. Motivation is a slippery little devil. Motivation is emotion based. Humans, by our very nature are highly emotional and our emotions tend to vary from day to day, hour to hour, and even moment to moment. Emotions blow strong and weak, hot and cold like the breeze. The highly motivated person on one day can easily shift to the completely unmotivated person the next. Though many of the self help books point us down the “get motivated” path, attempting to build habits on motivation alone is like building a house on quicksand. Dependence on motivation is why so many people fail at creating the habits they desire. So what does it take?
Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.~Jim Ryan
Willpower
Move over motivation, hello willpower. Yes, good old fashioned willpower. The key to beginning and repeating and repeating and repeating actions until they become habits, is willpower. Willpower is what will get you out of bed to put on those running shoes when motivation will tell you you’d be better off hitting the snooze button. Willpower will get you down on the floor doing your one “habit starter” sit up rather than plopping on the couch first.
Willpower combined with reward is a powerful duo. I hate to point this out, but I must. Willpower involves forcing yourself to do or not do something you may or may not want to do at the moment. Willpower involves taking that very tiny step toward creating a habit you have decided (in a more motivated state) is valuable. Like motivation, willpower is controlled by the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s manager. Willpower is your ignition key for taking the tiniest step forward which, when done repeatedly over time, has a cumulative effect with a potentially large payoff… HABIT formation.
Habit Neurology
The brain is stupid, in the sense that it doesn’t consider lung cancer while you smoke or the perks of great abs before you exercise. Worse, this is the strong part of your brain that usually gets its way long term. It recognizes and repeats patterns until told otherwise. It’s called the basal ganglia.
There is another section of your brain, however, that is really smart. It’s called the prefrontal cortex and it’s located behind your forehead. It’s the “manager” that understands long-term benefits and consequences and thankfully, it has the ability to override the basal ganglia. It handles short-term thinking and decision-making too. The two critical tools involved in habit change are in essence, the basal ganglia and the prefrontal cortex. Psychologist Dr. David Nowell differentiates the prefrontal cortex from the rest of the brain. He says that everything except the prefrontal cortex determines “what is” and the prefrontal cortex focuses on what could be.
The only way to create habits is to teach the rest of your brain to like what the prefrontal cortex wants. The prefrontal cortex is what resists chocolate cake (if at all possible), wants to learn French, wants to be fit, and would like to write a book someday. It’s the conscious part of your brain that you’d identify as “you.” But the problem is that it tires out easily. Perhaps more accurately, because its functions are so powerful, it’s an energy hog that tires you out. And when you tire out (or are stressed), the repetitious part takes over. The basal ganglia isn’t conscious or aware of higher-level goals that are unique to humans. But it is an efficient patternrepeater that saves us energy. So while it may not be “intelligent” like the prefrontal cortex, it is an incredibly important part of the brain. And once we train the basal ganglia to do positive behaviors automatically, we’re really going to love it. This is the system we all have to work with. It sounds poorly designed at first, as the smart prefrontal cortex has less stamina than the thoughtless, repeating basal ganglia does, but it’s actually brilliant when you know how to work it.
Point A to Point B
When behavior is a habit it becomes a no brainer. The brain’s manager does not have to get involved anymore. The journey from pre frontal cortex to basal ganglia will most likely be longer than ‘the, “It takes 21 days to form a habit,” myth.’ However it is doable and achievable if approached mindfully and systematically. Motivation has helped to get my client started on deciding which habits she wants to create. It even works for a day, or two, once in awhile. And while my client seems highly motivated during our coaching session, it simply doesn’t stick with her on a regular basis when it’s time to take her daily walk.
Remedy: a hefty dose of willpower. BUT, willpower is tough to muster when the task seems too large, complicated, long, or difficult. Willpower can feel like an enormous hurdle to fire up when you’re just not in the mood, are tired, resistant or simply have other things to do. How do we overcome the challenge of willpower engagement?
Welcome to Mini Habits by Stephen Guise
A mini habit is a VERY small positive behavior that you force yourself to do every day. Small steps work every time, and habits are built by consistency. Its “too small to fail” nature makes it weightless, deceptively powerful, and a superior habit-building strategy. You will have no choice but to believe in yourself when you’re always moving forward. The barrier to the first step is so low that even depressed or “stuck” people can find early success and begin to reverse their lives right away.
A mini habit is basically a much smaller version of a new habit you want to form. 100 push-ups daily is minified into one push-up daily. Writing 3,000 words daily becomes writing 50 words daily. Thinking positively all the time becomes thinking two positive thoughts per day.
The foundation of the Mini Habits system is in “stupid small” steps. Of course, small steps are relative too; a small step for you could be a giant leap for me. Saying “stupid small” clarifies it, because if a step sounds stupid relative to the most you can do, it’s perfect. The power of the Mini Habits system is in the application, mindset, built-in positive feedback looping, naturally increasing selfefficacy, and of course, leveraging small steps into habits.
The way we act on these mini habits is by using a small amount of willpower to force ourselves to do them. It doesn’t take a lot of willpower to do one push-up or come up with a couple of ideas. The benefit from following the Mini Habits system is surprisingly big results. First, there’s a great chance that you’ll do “bonus reps” after you meet your small requirement. This is because we already desire these positive behaviors, and starting them reduces internal resistance. The second benefit is the routine. Even if you don’t exceed your small requirement, the behavior will begin to become a (mini) habit. From there, do bonus reps or scale the habit up. Another benefit is constant success. Mini habits are too small to fail; and so they lack the common destructive feelings of guilt and inadequacy that come with goal failure. This is one of the very few systems that practically guarantees success every day thanks to a potent encouragement spiral and alwaysattainable targets. Mini habits have made me feel unstoppable; prior to starting mini habits, I felt unstartable.
According to Stephen Guise,
Doing a little bit EVERY DAY has a greater impact than doing a lot on one day. How much greater? Profoundly so, because a little bit every day is enough to grow into a lifelong foundational habit, and those are a big deal.
Stephen Guise points out that
Mini habits destroy fear, doubt, intimidation, and hesitation. These things are best conquered by taking action. Taking the first step kills fear immediately, or definitely, over time. Mini habits compel you to take that first step, because it’s so easy. And even if you step back into your safe zone right after that, you’re stepping out again tomorrow. Mini habits expose you to your doubts and fears in a way that feels safe and empowering.
Mini Habit Road Test
To validate the power of the mini habits method, I am road testing the mini habit method and thus far, have experienced firsthand the destruction of my own fears, doubts, intimidation, and hesitation. With the passing of each day, I feel incrementally more empowered. I am experiencing the feeling of being on the road to my new habit.
I have committed to playing one song on the piano each day. I have a love/resistant relationship with my piano. I enjoy playing. I truly do. I love immersing myself in the music. I enjoy the challenge of a new piece and taking it from so very raw to polished and smooth. I love what I know playing the piano is doing for my brain and soul. But I have struggled with regular practice for the six years I have been taking lessons. I have been known to skip playing for weeks.
In deciding to play one song each day, I am making a one minute (approximate) commitment. Very small. Stupid small, in fact. Perfect, according to Mini Habits. So far, it’s working amazingly well on both my highly motivated days and my low energy/too busy/zero motivation days.
Tale from the trenches: Today I am wiped. I’m super tired and feel a little like I might be coming down with something. I’m heading toward the end of the day and so grateful that bedtime is fast approaching. I would rather lay here on the couch and watch nothing on TV. BUT
Oh yeah, I’m committed to my mini habit. <Groan>.
But I only have to play one song. How hard could playing one song be?
OK, I will show up at the piano and whip out the song. Just get it over with.
One minute later:
Dang, that felt good. But I can play it better the second time.
Then there was the third and the fourth time. By the tenth time I was satisfied. I didn’t have time to think about my state of motivation. I was busily engaged in a mindful state of action. Before I realized what had happened, twenty minutes elapsed and I played three songs multiple times. Phew, what a feeling of accomplishment! Imagine what I could do when feeling strong, in the mood, and motivated. Again, my intention was not to play that much. My intention was to work on habit creation by playing one song and creating a feeling of success. Feelings of success are fuel for the willpower muscle. I am flexing mine and it’s looking darn good.
One month later: I am playing every day and loving it. Sometimes it’s the minimum mini of one song. However, most of the time it’s much more than that. I have already mastered two simple pieces and have now begun to crave time at the piano each day. I show up to my piano lesson confident and competent.
In summary: Inertia. A body at rest tends to stay at rest and a body in motion tends to stay in motion. Personally, mini habits have proven to be a slap in the face to procrastination. They are too small not to want to start.
Habit Change
Most of us struggle with the notion that we have a wagon full of habits of thought and action which do not serve us. We may keep spotlighting the nagging habits which hold us back from living the life we want to live or being the person we want to be. We may judge ourselves harshly for this accumulation and for our struggle with habit change. We may forget to notice, acknowledge, and appreciate the habits that serve us well, make us happy and have been the key to our successes.
Dr. Gail Brenner, psychologist, reminds us that “habits can’t sustain themselves in the light of conscious awareness. They thrive on resistance and evasion. But when we illuminate them with laser-like attention, when we are willing to see things exactly as they are, they soften. The momentum begins to slow, and we become aware of space for new perspectives and choices. We realize freedom.
This is a very powerful perspective. With courage and commitment, we can change habits that affect every aspect of our lives with a ripple effect that impacts the people in our lives and in the big picture, our destiny.
Habits are powerful, but delicate. They can emerge outside our consciousness, or can be deliberately designed. They often occur without our permission, but can be reshaped by fiddling with their parts. They shape our lives far more than we realize — they are so strong, in fact, that they cause our brains to cling to them at the exclusion of all else, including common sense.
Habits are the stepping stones to achieving goals. They turn goals and dreams into reality. Habits are also the killers of our spirits and ultimately, of our physical bodies. Habits rule. And the good news is, with increased awareness, we can sit in the driver’s seat, take the wheel, and control the car.
It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives. It’s what we do consistently. ~Tony Robbins
Ready, Set, Go! Action!
If twelve frogs are on a log and seven decide to jump off, how many frogs remain on the log? Correct. Twelve frogs are still on the log. They only decided to jump.
Tony Robbins has a great quote for this:
It’s not a real decision until you’ve taken some action!
Crafting Habits the Mini Habits Way
Step One: EXPLORE
Write a quick list of habits you’d like to have at some point. Minihabits.com has a wealth of ideas if needed. And they are already minified. Or, ask a life coach to support you in exploring where you may be sabotaging yourself on a daily basis, what’s missing in your life, or where you can feed your heart and soul, or take better care of your physical body and health.
Step Two: CHOOSE
Choose one (or more) habits to commit to and write it down. Make your mini habits very specific and very small. MINIFY them! Exercise may become 1 push up. Drinking more water may become drinking 1 glass of water per day. Mindful breathing breaks may start as 1 deep breath per day. Because mini habits have such a small willpower cost you can build multiple mini habits at one time. Or, test drive the method by starting slowly with one habit.
Step Three: WRITE IT DOWN
Write the habit down. Go further by aligning it with the goal it’s connected to and/ or your intention behind creating the habit.
Writing something down instantly elevates it above all of your other thoughts. One study found that all thoughts (positive or negative) held greater prominence in the mind when written down on paper. The same impact has not been found for typing.
Step Four: TRACK
Set up a SIMPLE system for tracking your habit. Track the success of each habit as either a check (YES) or no check (NO) on a calendar.
Stephen Guide reminds us that,
Physically making a check mark makes your success feel more tangible than digital tracking does. Additionally, if you put it in a prominent place where you’ll see it often, it’s going to make you mindful of your mini habits, your progress, and your success. Don’t underestimate the impact of this.
Digital apps for habit tracking can also have advantages as well. The Habit Factor has an app where you can tie your habits to goals. Lift for iPhone is another app which has a community support component to it. Digital checking may not be as powerful as manual checking, but it works and it’s something you’re likely to have with you much of the time.