Another Brick in the Wall
Or- Building Our Unassailable Citadel
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Think.
When it comes to building habits using the Task-Condition-Standard method we have talked about, it is useful to dive (but not too deep) into the research and literature on habit development. There are a lot of great books on the subject.
My favorite is James Clear’s Atomic Habits (2018). Also great is Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit (2012), but both of these owe a lot to the research of Dr. BJ Fogg who finally decided to write his own book, Tiny Habits in 2020.
All of these writers agree that big change begins with small steps.
If it’s small, we are more likely to complete it.
Success increases our likelihood of further success.
More success leads to noticeable effects.
Noticeable effects increase the self-efficacy we discussed last month.
Each success is a brick in the wall of our unassailable citadel.
BJ Fogg expresses the components of a tiny habit as A B C.
A- Anchor - The thing in your current routine that prompts you to take action.
B- Behavior- The new habit action you want to take.
C- Celebration- The positive reinforcement you engage in after completing the action.
The Fogg behavior model is expressed as B= M A P or Behavior happens when Motivation, Ability, and Prompt converge.
If we were to apply this model to the habit of reading in the morning:
Behavior — Reading in the morning for 15 minutes
Motivation — You’ve selected a book you are interested in
Ability—You wake up with plenty of time to read and have a quiet house.
Prompt—You place the book on the couch where you drink your coffee so you will see it.
Because you took the steps necessary to make the behavior as easy as possible, you are far more likely to complete it.
We can see the Task, Condition, and Standard we have been talking about in Fogg’s model.
One of the keys that all experts agree on is to keep the standard very easily achievable – reading for 15 minutes rather than one hour.
You can always read longer, but the standard is inviolable. You can’t read for 10 minutes and claim victory.
Read. Guide to Human
By
I’m sharing this a little late, as the officially designated Quitter’s Day has passed, but it’s great advice none-the-less.
Write.
The prompt for last week was to make a list of habits you want to break, and those you want to begin. This week pick one or two and use the Fogg model to build tiny habits.
Repeat.
Words of wisdom from those who said it best.
“The difference between an amateur and a professional is in their habits. An amateur has amateur habits. A professional has professional habits. We can never free ourselves from habit. But we can replace bad habits with good ones.”
Steven Pressfield
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See you next Thursday!
Thanks for the shout out John. Loved the writing today. I'm a huge fan of Atomic and Tiny Habits. I use the concept of habit stacking as the "go to" way to anchor a new habit.
Another cracking article, John! I discovered in the past three months that I'm not great at working out in the morning. I adjusted my workout time to noon and I'm seeing much better results. The habit is easier to do and I feel much more productive in the afternoon.