One (Tiny) Step at a Time
One of the key elements in creating sustainable, long-lasting transformation in our behaviours is the application of small actions on a regular basis. Rather than making sweeping, radical changes, new habits are more likely to stick with regular and repeated micro steps.
But when we are unhappy or dissatisfied with something in our lives, we all too often think we need to make drastic changes. We set ourselves big goals - we crave complete upheaval and launch a whole new approach all at once, setting out with the best of intentions.
The issue with this is that our brain is wired to work against us. While our rational brain understands the benefits of implementing these changes, new ideas trigger fear in the midbrain (amygdala) – and it will do its best to stop us. This part of our minds craves safety and familiarity and has a lot to answer for when it comes to us continuing old, unhelpful habits and routines – even when we know they are making us feel unproductive, unhealthy or unhappy.
And when we are unable to live up to these grand plans, we may find ourselves not just back at step one, but possibly even worse due to the feelings of failure we experience as a result.
By implementing tiny, incremental changes, we can bypass the fear response in our brain, while also laying down the neural connections that ultimately form unconscious habits over time.
The Japanese philosophy of Kaizen is all about extremely subtle, ongoing changes towards continuous improvement. These micro-steps are often imperceptible changes in our actions that are so tiny (almost laughably small and easy) that we barely notice them. Over time we build on these, and our micro-actions eventually grow into a firm habit.
For example, if we decide we wish to improve our physical health and fitness by exercising more, it can be tempting to set ourselves the goal of running for 30 minutes three times a week. While this seems achievable initially, if it is too different to our current routine, we are unlikely to sustain this. Instead, we might begin with the step of simply putting on our running shoes every day after work for a week. The next micro-action could be to walk around the block every evening (no further) – we do this for another week. Gradually, week by week, we build on these small steps (that are becoming habits in themselves) until we eventually build up to the ultimate behaviour we are striving for (i.e. running 30 minutes three times a week).
It’s great to set ourselves stretch goals and targets, but it’s the smaller steps along the way that will best help us achieve them. We form habits when we consistently repeat an action in the same way over time. And when these actions are tiny, we have a far greater chance of long-term success.