Tiny Habits

Happy New Year!  Chances are, quite a few of you have jumped on the annual bandwagon of making New Year's resolutions.  And chances are, your list looks very much like ones from previous years.  Am I right?

According to an interesting study by author Rory Vaden about New Year's resolutions, about half of Americans made resolutions in 2012.  Unfortunately, about half of those people fell off the wagon sometime during the year.  Boo...  *sheepish face*

But for those of us with serious good intentions, there's hope:  I was encouraged by a recent NPR interview with New York Times investigative journalist Charles Duhigg, where he talked about the practice of adopting specific, tiny habits into our lifestyle (like "start with a 15-minute walk each day") as being more effective than going for a more dramatic or abstract change (like "lose 50 pounds" or "eat healthier").  The idea is to incorporate the new habit slowly so that it naturally becomes part of our daily routine.  It could start with less than 5 minutes a day, with gradual increases toward the ultimate goal.  Less daunting and more attainable that way.  Oh, and don't forget to give yourself a "tiny reward" for each accomplishment, which helps your brain remember the pattern.  (Read an excerpt from Duhigg's book, The Power of Habit.)   

Okay, so preliminary possibilities for my 2013 "tiny habits" list: devote at least 15 minutes a day to devotional time, exercise, writing, reading, and news; and be on time for every appointment.  (A Kit Kat comes immediately to mind as a potential "tiny reward", but I need to put more thought into that.)  My next challenge: To be careful about not introducing too many "tiny habits" into my life.

All the best with your resolutions -- or tiny habits -- for 2013!

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