Key Ideas

• It’s great to dream big, but the way to achieve big is to start small — through micro habits. By breaking down an ambitious job into smaller, more achievable ones that you build over long periods of time, micro habits help you complete big goals.
• Identify a “ridiculously small” micro habit.
  • It usually takes my workshop participants between three and eight tries before they come up with something sufficiently small enough to be considered a micro habit.
• Piggyback on a daily task.
  • The benefit of micro habits is that you should be able to perform it with minimal effort every day. It’s important to execute on a new ritual daily so it becomes second nature, and if it’s small enough, you won’t be as tempted to defer your task from one day to the next.
• Track your progress.
  • As the saying goes, “What gets measured, gets done.” Again, if your measurement process is elaborate, you’re less like to complete it.
• Hold steady for a long time.
  • It’s hard to think small, to begin with; it’s even harder to stay small. You’ve stuck with your original micro habit long enough when you feel bored with it for at least two weeks in a row. Then increase it only by about 10%.
• Seek help in holding you accountable.
  • Having people support you and hold you accountable can cement new behaviours, and it helps them in return. When someone consistently fails to act on their micro habit, the group helps them further refine the task or address possible hindrances to action. The simple act of accounting for not achieving your micro goal can be a motivator — even if it means completing that day’s task right before you communicate.
• When you want to change behavior, jumping headlong into a major goal with both feet is often a waste of time. Instead, make tiny, incremental adjustments until they are part of your muscle memory. By starting small, you can attain big results.