Tiny changes to develop new habits

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sunkacola

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I read an interview on the NPR website with a man who wrote a book called "Tiny Habits". It's about changing our habits by starting very small, and I thought I would quote a few things here, because I know this is a great approach, and since some of you may be thinking about "New Years resolutions", such as getting more exercise, it could help. Of course, credit goes to the author, BJ Fogg. I have not read the book, and I am not promoting it. But just this much of what he said in an interview seems great to me.

"It's easier to create habits and change than most people think, and it's faster than most people think," Fogg says. "It can even be fun, if you do it in the right way."
First, you take any new habit you want, and you scale it back so that it's super-tiny. In the case of wanting to read more, that might mean read one paragraph. In the case of meditating, it might be take three calming breaths. You make it so simple that it's almost like you have no excuse not to do it. So even when you're in a rush or you're sick or you're distracted, it's so tiny that you can still do it.

"Then you find where it fits naturally in your existing routine. ... For example, reading might come after you sit down on the subway........[then] in addition to making it tiny and then using an existing routine to remind you of it, calling up a positive emotion, by celebrating — whether that's fist pumps, raising your arms, doing a little dance, singing ... in your head. Whatever it is that it helps you feel successful, that's what will help wire in the habit.
Our motivation won't always be high, and the way we get around that is to make the behavior really, really easy to do.

"If a behavior is easy to do, it doesn't require a whole bunch of motivation. Let's say somebody wants you to donate 5 cents. You don't have to be super-motivated to do that. But if they're asking for $5,000, that takes a lot of motivation.

"In the same way, if you think, "Hey, I've got to clean my entire house," you're going to have to be super-motivated. But if [you tell yourself to] tidy one item, all you need is a tiny bit of motivation.

Take two minutes to list all the ways that you criticize yourself when you do a bad job. Now take two minutes and list all the ways you tell yourself you did a good job. And what typically happens is the self-criticism list is long and rich, and the celebration list is very, very short. My research [shows] as you make these changes and feel successful, the way you think about yourself starts to change. When you learn how to feel good about your successes, no matter how tiny, then that changes how you think about yourself and your opportunities. That's what leads to transformation."
 
It’s worth a try.I have a chihuahua and that’s made me have to walk.but as she’s small I don’t beat myself up if I can’t walk to far.But it has helped me move more
 
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