How small steps lead to lasting change: proven strategies for building healthy habits
A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. No doubt you’ve heard this Chinese proverb before, but it’s so true. Small, consistent steps over time eventually add up to big changes or huge achievements.
We have to start somewhere. This is where many people fall down when it comes to creating lasting change. When we make changes we so often want to go from where we are right now to where we want to be straight away, but it’s rarely that simple. Even if we are able to create the dramatic changes we want in our life immediately, it rarely lasts. It’s why I don’t believe in the “go hard or go home” mentality when it comes to creating healthy habits. Small, simple changes are so much more effective.
I’m going to talk about two strategies that will make a huge difference to you: focusing on the journey and starting small.
Focus on the journey: A sustainable approach to creating lasting change
Let’s say you’re wanting to lose weight. Your goal is to lose a stone in weight. In order to lose weight safely and healthily, the recommended weight loss is between 1-2lbs per week. If you focus purely on the number on the scales, you may become frustrated and quickly lose motivation. Focusing on the journey means you can celebrate your successes along the way and concentrate on how much progress you’re making in other areas of your life.
If you’re eating more vegetables and drinking more water, the chances are you’ll have more energy. If you’re managing your stress better, you might find your sleep has improved. Your commitment to improving your health might motivate your partner or a work colleague to finally make that change they’ve been thinking about for years. Focusing on the positives along the way will help keep you on track and increase your motivation.
When you focus on the journey instead of the destination, it’s also easier to deal with the inevitable mistakes and be more forgiving when things don’t go to plan. Seeing mistakes as learning opportunities instead of failures gives us chance to completely change or tweak our goals as needed so they do work for us.
Start small, achieve big: Simple habit building techniques for long-term success
Last week I talked about how doing something small consistently for a few minutes every day can make a big difference to our health. In B J Fogg’s fantastic book, Tiny Habits, he takes this principle even further. Fogg recommends starting with a behaviour that can be done in 60 seconds or less.
In his book, he talks about a personal habit he created of doing press ups every day. His habit started with just 2 press ups at a time and he used this formula to get started:
After I pee then I will do 2 press ups !
His reasoning for this is that if you start with a habit this small, you’ll always be able to do it, regardless of how tired you are, how bad your day’s been or how busy you are. The idea with starting small is that it’s always achievable and realistic. If you have time or feel like doing 10, 15 or even 20 press ups, fantastic. The important thing is that you don’t have to. If you do 2, you’ve done enough to meet your goal and it’s important to celebrate your successes every single time. There were some other reasons he created his habit in this way, which I’ll talk about below.
Tiny changes, big impact: Small daily habits can lead to major life transformations
Fogg suggests this simple, but effective strategy for creating habits that last:
1. Identify an existing habit. This will act as a trigger or reminder for your new habit.
2. Take your new habit and make it tiny. This will make it manageable and more likely to happen.
3. After you’ve finished the first habit/action carry out your new habit.
The final step, step 4 and the step that Fogg argues is the most important is to celebrate your achievement, no matter how small you think it is. You can celebrate however you want, saying “well done”, with a fist pump, doing a little dance or singing your favourite song. The important thing is that you celebrate and do it straight after you’ve done your new habit. Fogg says, “When you celebrate effectively, you tap into the reward circuitry of your brain. By feeling good at the right moment, you cause your brain to recognise and encode the sequence of behaviours your just performed”. Feeling good can really help you to do good by making your habits more likely to stick!
Try this…
After I _____________ then I will __________________ (don’t forget to celebrate)
Here are some examples you could use, adapted from the examples in Fogg’s book:
Tiny habits to help you reduce stress
After I turn on the shower, I will take 3 deep breaths
After I sit down on the train, (this could be adapted to any time you’re sitting down on public transport or to wait for an appointment) I will open the Kindle/meditation app on my phone
After my head hits the pillow, I will think about one thing I am grateful for from the day
Tiny Habits for Better Sleep
After I finish my lunch I will go outside for a 5 minute walk
After I see it is 2pm I will drink water instead of coffee
After I see it is 9pm, I will turn my phone onto airplane mode
If you’re trying to create healthy habits in your life and have been struggling for some time, try this method. Start small or, even better, start tiny. Starting small doesn’t mean thinking small. In time your small habits might grow. In fact research shown it’s very likely that your small habits will blossom over time, a bit like a seedling that is watered and cared for each day flourishing, slowly but surely, into the most beautiful flower. Don’t forget to celebrate all your wins along the way and enjoy the journey. Doing this? You’re not accepting that you’ll only ever walk for 5 minutes. What you’re actually doing is building a rock solid foundation of healthy habits that will become part of your day no matter how busy, stressed or overwhelmed you are.
Let me know in the comments - what small habits will you start today?
If you’re ready to make lasting change, but still need a little more help? My step by step PDF guide, Step by Step Guide to Create Healthy Habits That Last.
Need a little more support? My coaching packages might be exactly what you need. Book a free, no obligation call with me here.
Take care,
Catherine xx