Want to start a habit? Big behavior change can come from setting small goals.We pressure ourselves to go big. Instead, we should think small. The idea is to make these behavior changes so small that they're easy to do.
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 reading more, that might mean reading one paragraph. In the case of meditating(冥想), it might be taking three calming breaths.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.
. Ask yourself, what does this habit come after? For example, reading might come after you sit down on the subway. That might be the perfect time for you to open a book and read a paragraph. Now, you can read more if you want.
In addition to making it tiny and then using an existing routine to remind you of it, activate your brain by calling up a positive emotion, by celebrating—whether that's raising your arms, doing a little dance or singing a song in your head..
You make these changes and feel successful.So you begin to think, "Oh, I'm the kind of person who tidies up", "I'm the kind of person who meditates" or "I'm the kind of person who reads." You find other opportunities to tidy up or meditate or read. So the habit naturally spreads to other parts of your life.
A. These big expectations are often unrealistic.
B. You start thinking of yourself in those ways.
C. It helps you feel successful and form the habit.
D. The way you think about yourself starts to change.
E. Changing our behaviors can feel like a complicated task.
F. You make it so simple that you have no excuse not to do it.
G. Then you find where it fits naturally in your existing routine.
