This is the season for change, isn’t it? At the start of a new year, don’t you feel as if you have a clean slate, a brand new list, and fresh enthusiasm? It’s time for dreaming about big new accomplishments.
But sometimes, the way to accomplish something big is by going small.
I just discovered an interesting book about achieving big things by taking tiny, even laughably small steps.
In this heavily footnoted book by Stephen Guise, we are reminded that willpower will only take you so far. The good news, however, is that you can build great new habits without much willpower.
Guise says habits are formed when we do something repetitively enough that your neural pathways are strengthened (I’m paraphrasing here, just FYI to my neuroscientist friends and cousin, not mentioning any names, so they’ll cut me some slack.)
But life is complicated and you can’t always find the time or mental bandwidth to repeat those habits. The answer is to reduce your habit to something “stupid-small,” something so easy you almost can’t NOT do it. This is what forms the habit.
For example, Guise wanted to write 2000 words a day to author a book, but he set his goal at 50 words a day. Can you be a successful author if you only write 50 words a day? Not likely. But here’s the beauty of it: you sit down to write that 50 words, and motivation often kicks in, turning it into something greater. But if it doesn’t? Still okay, because you accomplished your goal of 50 words, which effects all sorts of downstream benefits. (There’s more to it but that’s the essence.)
So, using this strategy of mini-habits, willpower is only needed to prime the pump. You perform the tiny little action, a repetition is continued, and your habit forms. Once the pump is primed, motivation might kick in, and you end up doing more. Bonus!
Rather than any particular big goal, the following are the daily habits I want to form or solidify in 2019 using the Guise strategy:
- Writing
- Walking
- Practice piano
- Meditation
- Work on Business #1
- Work on Business #2
I’m feeling very optimistic about 2019. How about you? What do you hope to accomplish?
Actually, I like the idea of mini-habits and think it could work for a lot of people, including me. My goal is 500 words a day, which often overwhelms me so I don’t write at all some days 50 words is so doable, I’d start there and never stop! Happy New Year! 🙂
Pamela, I keep a chart on my whiteboard showing the mini-habits I want to address every day, and it really helps me feel, at the end of the day, that I’ve done something good for myself. So often we get busy and can’t remember, let alone follow through on, our habits/goals. So this is really helping me feel like I’m accomplishing something. Thanks for commenting.
Very inspiring for 2019 and doable for everyone! I love this post!