The Butterfly Effect of Micro Habits - How small behaviors can lead to incremental outcomes

Step-by-Step you can reach your goals.

It's January 21st, three full seven-day weeks into the new year. Do you remember your New Year's Resolutions? Are you still on track with the goals you set yourself? Or were they too ambitious and you have fallen off the wagon?

Don't worry if you have slacked off. You are not alone. It happens to all of us. 

Psychological studies prove that the best way to tackle an ambitious goal is to start small. We need to "slice the elephant". The best way to do this is through Micro Habits.

What are Micro Habits?

A micro habit is a behavior small enough to be performed daily without requiring a lot of effort. It needs to be small enough that you cannot find a valid excuse not to do it.

Following that behavior will accumulate over time and will help you reach your - potentially - bigger goal. A good example would be the following:

You want to read more. Originally you set out to read one book a month but failed miserably. A micro habit that can help you achieve your goal is reading one page a day. This habit will turn into a routine and expand over time.

Why are Micro Habits so effective?

Micro Habits don't overwhelm you

Setting a new and ambitious goal can be exciting. But our fight-and-flight system often switches into panic mode when faced with a challenge and we freeze. We only see the mountain ahead of us and have no idea how we thought we could climb it. Our goal becomes unattainable.

You cannot climb Mount Everest on a regular Tesday. But you can manage a gentle walk up your neighbourhood hill. And that is what you are going to tackle today. Step-by-step.

That is what a micro habit is. A small improvement, easily implementable, and not overwhelming.

Quick Wins

The two examples I have already given you were "read one page a day" and "walk up your neighborhood hill." Both are very achievable and both give you a quick win. Project managers all over the world love "quick wins." Trust me, you will, too.

It will give you a small sense of pride. 

If you don't believe me trust Admiral McRaven who said, "If you want to change the world, start by making your bed. If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished your first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task."

You and I need a proud sense of accomplishment - a win - to keep going. A micro habit gives us just that.

Continuous Improvement

We already learn at an early age from Aesop's fable, “The Tortoise and the Hare.” that slow and steady wins the race. The Japanese "kaizen" philosophy tells us that consistent progress can lead to significant change.

Why reinvent the wheel? Let's trust the process and follow continuous small steps with micro habits to reach incremental outcomes.

Minimal entry barrier

The whole idea of a micro habit is that it should be super easy to follow. You don't need to change clothes or need any special equipment. You can do it and it won't take long.

You should have no excuse to do it. 

It has a minimal entry barrier, like reading one page before falling asleep or stretching for five minutes while watching TV.

What if I have no idea which micro habit to try out?

Here are a few examples of potential micro habits you can incorporate into your daily life. They are grouped by fitness and health, relationships or personal development:

Fitness and health

• getting off public transportation one stop early and walking 5-minutes

• stretching for five minutes every morning

• drinking a glass of water right after waking up

• doing one minute of planking every day

Relationships

• meeting one friend a week

• sending a short message to a friend every day

• giving a compliment daily

• sharing one meal with your family per week, no devices

  
  

Personal Development

• planning the next day every evening

• setting 1-2 goals/things you want to accomplish

• writing down what you are grateful for each day

• repeating a positive mantra every morning

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Did you like these ideas but have a hard time formulating a goal and coming up with good habits? No worries, I am here to help:

Help me!

Just choose an appointment via Coaching and I am looking forward to getting to know you!