6 Benefits of Tiny Habits
Developing tiny habits involves small, sustainable changes to your daily routine with the aim to achieve larger goals over time. Here are 6 benefits of starting small.
1: The Small Barrier to Start
Tiny habits focus on small, easily achievable actions that require a minimal amount of effort to get started. The minimal effort required minimises the resistance to getting started, often overcoming procrastination and feelings of being overwhelmed.
2: Being Consistent is Essential
Small changes are easier to achieve and repeat consistently. Being consistent is the key to forming new habits and making sustainable changes to your lifestyle. Developing a positive feedback loop through a sense of achievement provides motivation to continue with new habits.
3: Gaining Momentum
Completing a tiny habit develops a sense of accomplishment creating momentum and improving motivation to make changes for longer lasting habits. Gaining momentum encourages people to become more self motivated, often initiating other tiny habits. The momentum has a compounding effect further more improving motivation to address more complex habits without external pressure. Overtime the cumulative effects of tiny habits can lead to significant changes.
4: Behaviour Anchoring
Tiny habits can be anchored to existing routines for example add in a 5 min stretching routine after a run or use your lunch break to go outside and take a 10-15 minute walk to encourage more movement during the day. Tiny habits are easier to integrate into your daily routine. If you struggle with motivation starting small may be the first step forward.
5: Overcoming Procrastination
Remember it start’s with you! Often the hardest part is starting. Tiny habits reduce the barrier by bringing attention to the smallest steps to started. Introducing small changes, can help people to move through their resistance to change, developing a new routine that is more likely to be sustained overtime.
6:Behavoural Shift
Being consistent with tiny habits can help create a behavioural shift, leading to a change in mindset. For example consistently walking the dog everyday after dinner for 5-10 minutes helps you identify as someone who values and enjoys physical activity.
Choosing the right behaviours at the start can influence how effective the tiny habits become. While you won’t see fast and drastic results with small steps toward tiny habits you will see gradual, sustainable changes that evolve overtime.
About the author: Jo Francou is an Exercise Scientist and Polestar Pilates Instructor and former Australian lightweight rower. Jo has over 25 years experience in the health and fitness industry and has a special interest working with women transform their lives through developing healthy habits in food and well balanced exercise programs using pilates and strength and conditioning.