tiny habits - just before hump day

well @bjfogg, this second time around with tiny habits is a bit unlike the first time, for which i believe in my first experience, i hit the mark each day with my anchors and the tiny-ness of my habits.

two days into this week, my 3 tiny habits have been -

• after i brush my teeth, i will floss one tooth.
• after i take off my shoes, i will stretch my legs.
• after i use the bathroom, i will stretch my arms.

bravo-ish! ... my little victory-awesomeness cheer has been exercised when doing my habits, albeit not 100% of the time.

• day 1 - accomplished each of my tiny habits
• day 2 - accomplished 2 of my 3 tiny habits consistently

super habits ... in my daily report, for day 1, i did share that i am on travel. i learned a new "term" when bj fogg responded - 

travel is really tough on habits. 

if you can do these habits, then they are what i call "super habits" - things you do no matter the situation.

swirling thoughts ... indeed, after my day 2 experience and thinking about how i am making an effort to develop a my tiny habits, i shared the following - 

i am on travel, and i appreciate [bj fogg's] comment about "super habits" - for which i have come to realize a few things:

• visualization - i am thinking that my "visualization" for preparing for tiny habits was too "specific". that is, i actually envisioned my taking off my shoes at home (after coming home from work, from socializing, from exercising, e.g., familiar home environment settings). my tiny habits seem simple enough. i was thinking it's not a difficult thing to do while i'm on travel, BUT i realize the setting/environment is different enough. i've been (re)visualizing in a "generic" context setting - JUST the anchor and action.

• blog post with tiny habits written - HAVING written the tiny habit AND a "public place" (blog) makes a difference for me.

• my "n" on my tiny habit "bathroom / i will stretch my arms"
 - i have actually done this habit MOST of the time, today, HOWEVER, i reported "n" because i did NOT do it when i arrived back at my hotel room and used the bathroom. i just wanted to freshen up, change attire, etc, and completely forgot to stretch. in fact, i realized it because i opened up this email and reported my results. HOWEVER, at the work venue where i spent most of my day, i stretched afterwards each time - usually after i dry my hands.

• awesomeness - i have not been consistent with the "awesomeness" celebratory statements and "happy dance". i do believe this makes a difference to celebrate, as you have advised and shared.  

SIDE NOTE: from my other existing tiny habits, VERY HAPPY that i continue to "touch my water glass" (aka drink water), i have a designated area in my hotel room to "corral" my work bags, and i'm getting my walking in! in fact, i am STILL celebrating these when i do them!

got anchors

getting habits

celebrating victories

tiny habits - gimme more!

thanks again, @bjfogg ... i'm going for another opportunity to be part of 3 tiny habits this week. i shared about my initial experiences, i gots me some habits that have formed solidly and a few that i'm modifying and tweaking.


traveling this week ... i purposely signed up to see how i would fair with 3 tiny habits while on travel. i've chosen the following anchors and tiny habits, which represent a bit of tweaking from some of my initial experience ...

• after i brush my teeth, i will floss one tooth.
• after i take off my shoes, i will stretch my legs.
• after i use the bathroom, i will stretch my arms.

recap of habits from initial experience ... i had 7 tiny habits, and 4 of those habits are part of the fabric of my life - 

• after i sit down in my office chair, i will place my water glass next to my phone. ... i am a water-drinking-freak-a-zoid! LOVE. IT.
• after i park my car at home, i will clean out one thing from my car. ... i am no longer driving around a secondary closet or mini-storage unit. i don't apologize for any disarray when passengers enter. what disarray?!
• after i come home after working, i will place my work bag near my stool. ... no more scavenger hunting in the morning before i go to work. i actually look forward to being relaxed before i start my morning commute to work.
• after i use the bathroom at work, i will walk once around the floor before going back to my desk. ... this not only has stuck as a habit, i find myself choosing the longer routes, picking up my walking-pace, and even just making sure to get enough walk-time (rather than plopped in my office chair). AND i am as (or even more) productive.

tweaking habits ... meanwhile, there are a few other habits - primarily related to stretching and teeth brushing - that i'm tweaking, and this week's effort is my tweak week. i have not been feeling the anchors from before, so i'm trying out other anchors. the anchors i have chosen for this week should be fine - EVEN when i'm on travel. an interesting part will be how the habits stick when i'm back home, as well.

got anchors?!

get habits!

tiny habits: revisting

from behaviormodel.org

over-share ... i have shared quite a bit about bj fogg's 3 tiny habits experience. so just to pull it all together through today .. 

• during the moderated program ... jibber-jabber about  before, day 1, day 2, days 3-4, and day 5
• a week later ... reporting a week later that i have been still keeping up with my tiny habits
• going rogue ... un moderated, prepping for my rogue 4 tiny habits and reading through the behavior model information, days 1-2 and days 3-5

my water glass near my phone

and my tiny habits ... from bj fogg's tiny habits program, i have started 7 tiny habits - health and organization.

1. after i sit down in my office chair, i will place my water glass next to my phone.
   
2. after i park my car at home, i will clean out one thing from my car. 
3. after i come home after working, i will place my work bag near my stool.
4. after i get out of bed in the morning, i will do one back-related stretch exercise on my yoga mat.
5. after i use the bathroom at work, i will walk once around the floor before going back to my desk.
   
6. after i drop off my work bag near my stool, i will brush my teeth.
   
7. after i brush my teeth at the end of the evening, i will pick up my yoga mat and unroll it near my bed. 

any other positive changes? ... when asked after the end of the week, in addition to sharing that i would totally do 3 tiny habits again, i responded to bj fogg's wrap-up question about any other positive changes. 3 came to mind -

• self-awareness of choices
• positive anticipation
• seemed to unleash creative juices

image image: BJ Fogg's behavior grid

what's working with/without little hiccups ... i have thought about my behaviors. of the 7 habits - 1, 2, 3, and 5 are done deals. for my wanting to be more regularly stretchy with 4 and 7, well, hmmm ... the sequencing does note quite feel natural enough, however, i am better about getting my to stretches; oddly, it helped to have that hip/back problem earlier in the week. and with 6, i am realizing it's simply important that i'm better about brushing my teeth during the work day after lunch; will change up the anchor and make sure to have my toothbrush/toothpaste available (e.g., structure).

victory celebrations ... during the formal program, i was quite regular with my celebratory moments of "woo-hoo" at the end of each day, when i remembered and did the habit, and just because i was excited about my evolving tiny habits. i also celebrated with friends! (i was not a regular about celebrating during my rogue week.) as for the little tidbits to keep in mind while also celebrating ...

Simplicity changes behavior.

If you pick the right small behavior and sequence it right, then you won't have to motivate yourself to have it grow. It will just happen naturally, like a good seed planted in a good spot.

You can create many Tiny Habits at once. And, in fact, I believe you should work on multiple habits at once because that's how you learn what matters.

You need to match the new behavior you want with the best anchor to trigger your new behavior.

bringing the trigger, motivation, and ability

together all at the same time!

plant the seed ...

got anchors?

get habits!
JOIN HERE

tiny habits: rogue report

new habits ... oh @bjfogg, i have become a mini-promoter of tiny habits. i enjoy hearing my friends' ah-ha moments. and for me, i participated formally at the end of january and have continued with my original, virgin 3 tiny habits!

rogue week wrap-up ... in this post, i'm resharing my "rogue" week (outside of the moderated program), revisiting some reminders and tips, and sharing what was the most automatic of habits THIS WEEK. ALSO, something kinda funny about one of my other tiny habits that was spawned because of a bad habit i used to have. ENJOY!

going rogue ... outside of the moderated tiny habits program, i chose new habits this past weekend with the intent of reading more about the behavior model and developing my habit of checking-in with myself about the outcome of my tiny habits.

reminder tidbits ... from the habits experience i have had this week, i am experiencing a few things that bj fogg shared during my virgin voyage week -

If you pick the right small behavior and sequence it right, then you won't have to motivate yourself to have it grow. It will just happen naturally, like a good seed planted in a good spot.

You can create many Tiny Habits at once. And, in fact, I believe you should work on multiple habits at once because that's how you learn what matters.

You need to match the new behavior you want with the best anchor to trigger your new behavior.

keeping it simple ... for the day 5 check-in, the following question was posed in the moderated program -

"After 5 days, which habit became MOST automatic for you? (Extra credit: Why?)"

- for my rogue week, this is simple after looking at the daily results and experiencing it ...

taking the long walk back to my office after using the restroom. it is so simple to turn left (long way) rather than turn right. and as mentioned during day 3 check-in, i do have the bonus of re-filling my water glass (if needed). the MOST AUTOMATIC habit of last time is tied to the MOST AUTOMATIC habit this time around. 

revisiting a BAD HABIT i USED TO HAVE but don't because of my tiny habit ...  a habit i have is

•  after i come home after working, i will place my work bag near my stool.

on day 5 (friday) in the morning, i was scavenging around the house looking for my work bags (purse, computer bag, project bag) to leave my house for my commute. THAT is what i USED TO DO pretty much every morning - kitchen, family room, office annex, bathroom, living room, etc. ... i LAUGHED OUT LOUD as i walked from my kitchen to my stool where my bags were all nicely organized. i guess i just got reminiscent?! haha.

simplicity changes behavior 

 

days 1-2 went well. i am learning about whether a couple of habits are sequenced well, as well as whether i have the best anchor for my trigger.

• after i get out of bed in the morning, i will do one back-related stretch exercise on my yoga mat.
• after i use the bathroom at work, i will walk once around the floor before going back to my desk.
  
• after i drop off my work bag near my stool, i will brush my teeth.
  
• after i brush my teeth at the end of the evening, i will pick up my yoga mat and unroll it near my bed.

day 3 summary: yyyn. and "yes" i intend to do my tiny habits. about my 4 tiny habits for day 3  ...

• bed in morning / stretch ... i did this habit. and perhaps because i want NOT TO BE in pain (see day 1 and 2), i'm definitely getting the stretching in.
• bathroom / walk ... still lovin' this tiny habit. and not only am i taking the "longer walk" back to my office, i'm simply taking advantage of walking more. oh! and often, this is coupled with my filling up my water glass (because the water fountain is near the bathroom).
• work bag stool / brush teeth ... i did this habit. home fairly early, toothpaste and toothbrush near sink. simple.
• brush teeth / yoga mat ... i did not roll out my mat. after i brushed my teeth in the evening (3rd time in the day), i watched some television and fell asleep on my couch. just didn't roll out my mat because i wasn't sleeping in my bedroom.

day 4 summary: yyny. and "yes" i intend to do my tiny habits. about my 4 tiny habits for day 4  ...

• bed in morning / stretch ... i did an extra stretch. one thing i realized is that if i am running late for getting up in the morning (because this is a day when i carpooled - which means i am out of the house before 5:55 am), i CAN STRETCH - and frankly, i used to blow off stretching.
• bathroom / walk ... no brainer walking. i also DO NOT take a few shortcuts around the office buildeing, which i used to do.
• work bag stool / brush teeth ... i did not do this habit. i realized an hour after i arrived home that i did not do this. i checked the bathroom sink; i had stored the toothpaste out of sight. i don't know if that is part of what contributed not to doing this, but that is one thing i noticed.
• brush teeth / yoga mat ... i did roll out my mat, remembering that i had not rolled it out the night before. 

day 5 summary: yyyy. this is the one day of the 5 days where i did all 4 tiny habits.  and "yes" i intend to do my tiny habits into the weekend and then some, although i see i will be refining a couple.

• bed in morning / stretch ... i did extra stretches. i have a sheet of paper that outlines various stretches. i definitely want to get to the point where i do not have to refer to the sheet of paper.
• bathroom / walk ... check!
  
• work bag stool / brush teeth ... i did this habit, making sure the toothpaste if visible, when i drop off my work bag.
• brush teeth / yoga mat ... i did roll out my mat. and for this habit, i am pondering whether this is the best anchor.

bringing the trigger, motivation, and ability

together all at the same time!

plant the seed ...

got anchors?!

3 tiny habits: days 1, 2

new habits ... @bjfogg, as mentioned this past sunday, although i'm not in the formal program this week for feb 13-17 with bj fogg and his gurus (but i was a couple of weeks ago), for this week, i choose 4 tiny habits. and unlike a couple of weeks ago where i did my 3 tiny habits each day, that has not been the case for a couple over the past 2 days.

• after i get out of bed in the morning, i will do one back-related stretch exercise on my yoga mat.
• after i use the bathroom at work, i will walk once around the floor before going back to my desk.
  
• after i drop off my work bag near my stool, i will brush my teeth.
  
• after i brush my teeth at the end of the evening, i will pick up my yoga mat and unroll it near my bed.

day 1 summary: nyyy. and "yes" - i intend to do my habits on day 2. about my 4 tiny habits for day 1 ...

• bed in morning / stretch ... i did not do this habit. i had a previous hip/back issue sunday night that was quite painful. i decided to forgo the stretch because i was concerned if i would hurt myself somehow. however, my yoga mat was ready to go in case i was ready to go.
• bathroom / walk ... this is really simple to do. it's just doing a quick lap around my office floor before going back to my chair. taking the longer way rather than shorter way.
• work bag stool / brush teeth ... this habit is AFTER the habit i now have of dropping off my bag nearby my stool. my stool is nearby my bathroom sink. simple!
• brush teeth / yoga mat ... i did this but ALMOST did not. it's a totally new habit. it sets up for my morning stretch.

day 2 summary: yyny. and "yes" i'm starting day 3 already and intend to do my tiny habits. about my 4 tiny habits for day 2 (valentine's day) ...

• bed in morning / stretch ... i did this habit. the day before (day 1), i mentioned about my hip/back pain. during the early evening of day 1 (after talking with my doc's office and a couple of folks) after getting home from work, i decided to stretch out, walk a bit, and relax. significantly much better heading into day 2, and therefore got my morning stretch. ALSO, i made sure to take breaks from sitting in my office chair too long throughout day 2.
• bathroom / walk ... love this tiny habit - just take the longer walk back to my chair. so simple. AND i also am more aware of the benefit of getting up and walking rather than being seated for too long of periods in my not-as-comfortable-as-i-would-like office chair.
• work bag stool / brush teeth ... i did not do this habit. i see how sequencing is tied to this habit. my intent for this tiny habit was to get an extra brushing in the day, and i usually am home before 7. i went to dinner after work and got home around 9:30, pretty much near my bed time when i'd normally do my evening teeth brushing.  in other words, if i do not go out for dinner, the intent of the habit works. i had not thought about those times when i am home late.
• brush teeth / yoga mat ... mat rolled out (after brushing my teeth). simple habit.

i kinda miss the email rah-rahs 

from bj fogg and crew.

(the little note is nice to get.)

onward, nevertheless!

tiny habits: going rogue-ish

well @bjfogg, while continuing my 3 tiny habits (which is going great) on my own, i'm going to do new tiny habits this week.

passing along the excitement ... for the week of feb 13-17, a colleague of mine (a mentee) will be part of 3 tiny habits. it's his first time, and i am excited for him. he's pretty self-aware to begin with, so i'm looking forward to hear what he gains from his experience. 

remembering the basics ... i've got to make my behavior tiny, do it with an "after anchor" (one-time anchor or multi-anchor) for natural sequencing, and celebrate (woo-hoo!).

other tips to remember include ... the easier the behavior, the less it depends on motivation; arrange the world around me to make my new habit easy to do; mentally and physcially rehearse the existing anchor then the new behavior 5 to 8 times, quickly ... each time declaring victory; and the stronger i feel a positive emotion after my tiny habit, the faster it will become automatic in my life. and of course ...

simplicity changes behavior 

my new tiny habits ... although i'm not in the program this week with bj fogg and his gurus, it's simple enough to take on tiny habits and self-report each day (via girl nutkin). for feb 13-17, i have 4 tiny habits, with two of them kinda related to each other...

• after i get out of bed in the morning, i will do one back-related stretch exercise on my yoga mat.
• after i use the bathroom at work, i will walk once around the floor before going back to my desk.
  
• after i drop off my work bag near my stool, i will brush my teeth.
  
• after i brush my teeth at the end of the evening, i will pick up my yoga mat and unroll it near my bed.

as part of choosing my new tiny habits, i re-read the email information and also re-read information about the behavior grid and behavior model, which has led to the behavior wizard. for all 4 tiny habits, i am starting or increasing a behavior. after answering the wizard questions ...

from BJ Fogg's behaviorwizard.org

... i have learned my "colors" within the context of fogg's behavior grid 

• bed in morning / stretch ... blue path => doing a familiar behavior from now on
• bathroom / walk ... purple path => increase a behavior from now on.
  
• work bag stool / brush teeth ... green span => doing a new behavior for a period of time.
• brush teeth / yoga mat ... green path => doing a new behavior from now on.
  

image: BJ Fogg's behavior grid

bringing the trigger, motivation, and ability

together all at the same time!

got anchors?!

3 tiny habits: a week later

OH @bjfogg ... i pee more, and i use my time more wisely, thanks to 3 tiny habits, you (and me)! i loved day 1, day 2, days 3 & 4, and day 5 (last day). onward! time for continuing habits and creating new habits!

refresher resources ... for those that may (should) give this a whirl -

• JOIN tiny habits over here (it's free) to experience your 3 tiny habits (and get hooked!)
  
• a shareable article on a kind of how to - go tiny for new years resolutions that work
• bj fogg's website over here with many links to fogg's work and his gig at stanford's persuasive technology lab
  
• on behavior with the behavior grid and behavior wizard
• slideshare top 10 mistakes in behavior change over here

Top 10 Mistakes in Behavior Change

View more presentations from Persuasive Technology Lab at Stanford

my memory lane ... my 3 tiny habits last week -

• after i sit down in my office chair, i will place my water glass next to my phone.
  
• after i park my car at home, i will clean out one thing from my car. 
• after i come home after working, i will place my work bag near my stool.

results? ... yup, i gots results -

• water glass ... i definitely drink water and not just at my office. 
• car ... i am always pleasantly shocked surprised when i get into my car that i can see the upholstery and flooring AND that my car is not a closet random storage compartment.
• work bag ... no more scavenger hunt in the morning and therefore more time.

any other positive changes? ... in addition to sharing that i would totally do 3 tiny habits again, i responded to bj fogg's wrap-up question about any other positive changes. 3 came to mind -

• self-awareness of choices
• positive anticipation
• seemed to unleash creative juices

- and a couple suggestions, e.g., on-going stats for the week, community journal for participants.

got anchors? 

get tiny habit.

CELEBRATE!

3 tiny habits: day 5

thanks @bjfogg for 3 tiny habits

bravo @bjfogg ... here is my last tiny report for day 5 (and also the last day) of 3 tiny habits, i'll miss bj fogg's checking in on my 3 tiny habits daily victories.

this past week's victories ... sharing day 1, day 2, days 3, 4 ... and now day 5 (tear). 

my 3 tiny habits ... it has been great fulfilling my 3 tiny habits with the anchor afters -

• after i sit down in my office chair, i will place my water glass next to my phone.
  
• after i park my car at home, i will clean out one thing from my car. 
• after i come home after working, i will place my work bag near my stool.

keeping it simple ... for the day 5 check-in, bj fogg posed the following question -

"After 5 days, which habit became MOST automatic for you? (Extra credit: Why?)"

- my response as i reminisced about my 3 tiny habits experience ...

habit MOST automatic and why? ... my office chair/the water glass habit was the MOST automatic. i think it has been the most automatic because sitting in my chair is no-nonsense, no judgment. and just making sure my water glass is next to my phone is really, REALLY simple. and i realized that i didn't just do that habit when i first arrived at work, it was each time i sat back down in my chair. it has been a TOTAL BONUS that i would fill up my glass with water, drink, and repeat!

looking forward to answering the wrap up questions.

THANK YOU!

got anchor? got habit?

celebrate. 

 

 

3 tiny habits: days 3, 4

woo-hoo @bjfogg ... i have a witness to my victories! (past victories: day 1 and day 2) and i continue to be more fascinated, esp. with the behavior grid and therefore the behavior wizard.

celebrating ... celebrating the awesomeness of 3 tiny habits is a must! yesterday (wednesday) morning at cubeopolis, i celebrated my 3 tiny habits victories with a princess cake slice (paddy's coffee house). i shared slices with friends.

and then post-cubeopolis as i was preparing for my commute home, a friend's (shiny penny andy's) disbelief and surprise echoed in the parking garage -

OH - MY - GOD!
YOUR CAR IS CLEAN!!!
WOW!!!

(DAMN STRAIGHT!)

surprises? ... for the day 4 check-in, bj fogg posed the following question -

"To this point in 3 Tiny Habits, what has surprised you most?"

after deciding which of the many surprises is the one that surprised me the most, i shared -

"there are SEVERAL surprises, and as i think about the many surprises ... what has surprised me the MOST is how quickly i became very excited and engaged not only with my tiny habits but with what i know to be my more long-term goals associated with each of these tiny habits. it's like the tiny habit is a runway for me to totally take off onward and upward!" 

my 3 tiny habits ... it has been great fulfilling my 3 tiny habits with the anchor afters -

• after i sit down in my office chair, i will place my water glass next to my phone.
  
• after i park my car at home, i will clean out one thing from my car. 
• after i come home after working, i will place my work bag near my stool.

recap of day 3 (wednesday) ... something quite surprising happened -

• ofc chair/water glass ... CHECK! **AND** here's something surprising i experienced today. today, i started taking a class after work (once a week for a month). when i got situated around the conference table setting (e.g., setting my computer, organizing my notebook, pens out, etc.), i noticed an offering of chips, power bars, soda, and water. i picked up a can of soda. as soon as i sat in the chair, i looked at the can, got right back up, put the soda back, chose the water, and sat back down. WHAT THE HECK?!  i chuckled when that happened. maybe it was the combination of soda is bad, water is good. but i do believe when i sat down, i looked in the direction of where my phone would be if i was in my office and there was no water glass. i saw the soda i just picked up and that just didn't seem right.   
• car park/clean car ... CHECK! looking good in my front and rear seating areas and floors! tomorrow, it's 30-seconds with that trunk of mine! 
• home/work bag ... CHECK! i practically ran to drop off my bags, i was so excited.

 

recap day 4 (thursday) ... here, i explain a bit more about my "surprise" with my 3 tiny habits experience to date -

• ofc chair/water glass ... my long-term goal is simply being hydrated and cleansing my system. my tiny habit is just to have my water glass near my office phone. i'm actually filling it up with water and drinking water MUCH MORE regularly. 
• car park/clean car ... my long-term goal is simply to keep my car organized and not cluttered; this means the seats, glove box, console, under the chairs, trunk, coin holders, etc. - my whole car! today, a friend (who has been a passenger in my car regularly) exclaimed with a happy and incredible chuckle this evening after he opened the passenger door - OH MY GOD! YOUR CAR IS CLEAN!!! WOW!!! SUCCESS!!! 
• home/work bag ... my long-term goal is to minimize my morning scavenger hunt around my home for my work bag and ultimately for many other items that don't quite have a consistent home, e.g,. keys, bluetooth earpiece, jewelry, mail, etc.

got anchor? got habit?

celebrate.

looking forward to 

a fantastic friday finale!

3 tiny habits: day 2

work bags near stool? CHECK!

thanks @bjfogg. day 1 (over here) was easypeasy. yesterday (tuesday), easypeashy-ish with a few thoughts (about each of the 3 tiny habits) swirling about.

my tiny habits status ... "bravo!" all the way around for me fulfilling my 3 tiny habits with the anchor afters -

• after i sit down in my office chair, i will place my water glass next to my phone.
  
• after i park my car at home, i will clean out one thing from my car. 
• after i come home after working, i will place my work bag near my stool.

i done good for day 2 ... and i totally enjoyed getting a response from bj fogg for my checking in on how the day went.

 

swirling thoughts ... here is what i shared about each of my tiny habits as part of my email response of checking in at the end of the day -

sit in office chair / water glass - - - this habit is the SIMPLE version of eventually getting in the habit of drinking water regularly. not only am i placing my water glass next to my phone, i am filling it up with water and drinking. my friends know i've not been good about meeting even just 6 glasses a day; however, a few have noticed i'm drinking water! and i'm excited telling people about the 3 tiny habits and sharing information with them! i'm going to continue with this - and if there are added benefits like using a travel container for water, so be it!

park car / clean car - - - WOW! i was actually excited about parking my car because i knew that for 30-seconds, i'd clean out a part of my car. today, i was almost compelled to start doing more - the trunk, glove box - and then i remembered ... 30-seconds. i can't wait until tomorrow! (my trunk will love me!)

home / work bag - - - admittedly, knowing i am reporting to someone else (you), i feel extra motivated to do this for the "triple y"! i ALMOST dropped my bags off in another place in my home, and then i remembered and put them in the designated place. i kind of happily smirked - not only because i dropped the bags near my stool but also because i know that in the morning, i will not scurry around looking like a scavenger hunt for my work bags as i'm getting ready for my morning commute!

 

got anchor?

 get habit ...

celebrate!

3 tiny habits: day 1

soon to be cleaned water glass next to eyebomb'd phone.

fun with @bjfogg for my tiny habits one-week experience. day 1 (monday) - victory for all 3 tiny habits! (a quick overview of the "how to" for tiny habits from an article over here)

my tiny habits ... on sunday, i mentioned about my participating in 3 tiny habits over here. the duration engaging the tiny habits is from monday - friday.  my 3 tiny habits are pretty tiny, indeed (thanks much to the guidance fogg provides).

• after i sit down in my office chair, i will place my water glass next to my phone.
  
• after i park my car at home, i will clean out one thing from my car. 
• after i come home after working, i will place my work bag near my stool.

... and after receiving bj fogg's email asking 2 simple questions (needing only yes or now responses), i shared in my first daily check-in -

• whether i did my tiny habits today -  "yyy" (aka yes, yes, yes)
• whether i intend to do them tomorrow - "yes, definitely! this is fun. i am seeing these "anchors" in my life, and it's neat! meanwhile, i'll continue with my 3 tiny habits!"

... and by anchors, they are essentially solid habits i already do.

health month upcoming coupling ... and because of this, i can see how i will definitely benefit from applying this to the health month rules i am choosing for february's health month. in fact, i have not been consistent in meeting my "drink XX glasses of water a week" rule. well, guess why i decided to make one of my week's tiny habit of having my water glass next to my office telephone?

got anchor?

get habit!

3 tiny habits starting!

from Fogg's Behavior Model site

THANKS @bjfogg (on twitter, web) and his team for this week's opportunity to experience 3 tiny habits. this will be my first week to be part of changes in my behavior.  

when i learned about tiny habits ...  buster benson (on web, twitter), creator of health month, mentioned 3 tiny habits in an email just prior to signing up for the january 2012 health month. and given that my january '12 health month rules are intended to contribute to overall goals for my different elements of health, reading about  bj fogg's behavior model (FBM) over here immediately made me realize why several health month habits have stuck with me, and why others have not. for some of my rules that i have not been regularly meeting, i can see where - when considering FBM, the 3 elements of motivation, ability, and trigger - the elements are askew in how i approach particular health month rules. there are sprinkles of all three elements, however, their converging at the same time? uh ... not so much. 

my 3 tiny habits ... i've primarily chosen "organizing" habits for my 3 tiny habits. my after anchors include after i park my car, after i sit down in my office chair, and after i come home from working. i understand it is not necessary to pick habits in one area, however, these were the first that popped into my mind after reading about the program, reviewing examples, and heeding your words - 

simplicity changes behavior

rethinking approaching goals ... after being introduced to tiny habits through health month, i immediately thought about my whole yhd goal-setting event and activities that i've been doing since 1999. although i am neither well-versed in nor have i read about the depth's of fogg's model and findings, persuasive technology lab, and related resources (for instance over here), what fogg has provided on his site is extremely accessible, in my opinion. in other words, it's not all gobbledy-blah-blah-jibber-jabber-yappity-yap speak. it's a great read! (that's a compliment.)  after beginning to dive into fogg's information (which totally made clear more of the "how" for chipping at my yhd), rather than rethink or redesign my "goal stuff", i figured i'd throw 3 tiny habits into the mix as part of my 2012 mash-up of goals.

where will 3 tiny habits lead me ... 

and where will i lead myself?!

2012 mash-up goals

mash-up? ... yup! mashing up yhd + my 3 words + scanner tendencies + 3 tiny habits (upcoming) for being in 2012. it is all part of my continual effort to pursue my curious discoveries.

what does it all mean? ... it's just how i "australian-shepherd" (aka herd) what's swirling around in my head AND my heart AND my hands. the beginning of the year is simply a convenient time, however, there's readjusting throughout the year.

overview mash-up ingredients  ... the following lists a little about each of the mash-up tidbits.

 

yhd ... or your heart's desire is something i started in 1999 (more detail over here for yhd2011), thanks to my friend, debbie. author sonia choquette's your heart's desire: instructions for creating the life you really want is a workbook of sorts with 9 principles. i consider this a woo-woo book - a kind of spiritual and law of attraction thing. as stated on choquette's website -

"There are metaphysical laws at work in the universe that bring to us both what we want and what we don't want, depending on our habits of thought and behavior."

9 principles ... each chapter includes exercises as part of learning the 9 principles presented by choquette. the principles (in order) include ...

1. focus your desire (bring your dream into focus)
2. send clear messages to your subconscious mind. repeat them and make sure they are positive (gain the support of your subconscious mind)
3. deeply imagine realizing your goal ~ do it in detail (imagine your heart's desire)
4. establish order in your physical environment (eliminate your obstacles)
5. open yourself to your intuition ~become aware of synchronicity, etc. (be open to intuitive guidance)
6. rein in impulsive behavior (choose to support your dream with love)
7. honor the power of your words ~ say what you mean (surrender control)
8. persist in your dream (claim your dream)
9. surrender to divine power and allow the universe to do the rest (stay true to your dream)

ten categories ... there are 10 categories one can touch upon. i identified tools and put forth a mindset for each category, and as part of my own journaling and personal reflection, revisited each regularly. the 10 categories are (here, listed in order of my yhd2011):

• health & body, 
• finances, 
• creative expression, 
• relationships, 
• spiritual, 
• work, 
• special intentions, 
• travel & adventure, 
• home, and 
• possessions. 

my yhd2012 ... although i will be mashing up for 2012, the yhd categories will continue to serve as my basic framework because i have become quite accustomed to my yhd process for being mindful.

 

my 3 words ... i mentioned my 3 words for 2012 last week over here - believe, foresight, expression. a little bit more about chris brogan's my 3 words is that it includes a #12in12 (from over here), which is basically accomplishing something each month. 

my friend, yvette, wrote an article last year for pick the brain over here about monthly habits. as a side note, yvette (her blog) - also boulder examiner's dating advice columnist - suggests another creative idea of using the alphabet throughout the year over here - every week, just move on to the next letter in the alphabet. (and yes, it's not just for dating.)

3 tiny habits ... i learned about this through health month. bj fogg (on web, twitter) states  -

My expertise is creating systems to change human behavior. I call this “Behavior Design.”

- and 3 tiny habits is explained a little more over here on shareable. although i won't be starting yet, i have signed up; i received health month has been a great similar approach. this is actually a bit akin to the health month fun i also mentioned last week over here.

yup, this is how i am herding

my 2012 swirls!