Are you sick and tired of promising yourself you will FINALLY (insert new habit here), but then never following through?
Me too! For years I’ve been trying to “hack my habits,” but only some of them stick. Enter: The Tiny Habit, which turbo-charged my ability to follow through — and thrill of thrills! — works beautifully for my teenage clients as well. For example:
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I’m finally remembering to take my supplements daily
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An 8th grade client with ADHD is actually turning in his homework AND is doing 15 pushups a day.
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A 9th grade client with ADD is packing his backpack each night with key school supplies.
Seriously. This feels miraculous.
A Tiny Habit is an action that takes 30-seconds (or less) that you do right AFTER something you’re already doing regularly. It has three parts:
- After I turn on my coffee maker (something I’m already good at doing),
- I will fill up a glass of water and take my supplements (a habit that takes under 30 seconds).
- Then I will celebrate by saying “Awesome!” (or another short, fun affirmation of your choosing).
Although the 30-second habit is key, in my experience the affirmation at the end is the most revolutionary. It forever binds the new habit to the experience of delight…which is the key to automaticity. Here’s my 8th grade client’s wacky celebration after a successful round of push-ups. Can you hear the commitment and delight in his voice?
What tiny habits would you like to create for yourself? What’s your favorite celebratory word?
Playfully yours,
Gretchen
P.S. I still have some room for new clients this semester. If you know a student who could benefit from developing some academic Tiny Habits, have them sign up for a complimentary breakthrough session.
P.P.S. Stay tuned for more info about The Anti-Boring Approach to Powerful Studying, my new course that’s being beta tested right now and will be released in May. Super excited about this!