Tiny Habits
by B. J. Fogg · first published 2019
63% recommend37% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Practical method for building habits: anchor a tiny, under-a-minute behavior to an existing trigger, then celebrate. Covers motivation versus ability, with concrete steps; suits people who struggle with routines.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
The world's leading expert on habit formation shows how you can have a happier, healthier life: by starting small.
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BJ Fogg's Tiny Habits. Essentially: 1. Pick a trigger -- something you already will definitely do at the rate of the new habit. 2. Find a version of the habit that takes no cognitive load and can be done in less than a…
on “Ask HN: Changing habits” ↗Alternately, I found Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg to be more actionable and was able to stick a number of new habits using the recommendations from the book.
on “Ask HN: What are some available force multipliers that most people don't know?” ↗I got mileage out of replacing habits of checking social media with reading longer-form articles. I picked up the idea from books on habits (Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg, Atomic Habits by James Clear). To replace a habit, it helps to understand the prompt that causes it. When I feel tired, or worried about something, I found myself opening social media apps.…
on “Life before smartphones (2020)” ↗There's actually worthwhile evidence on how the new internet works to keep you addicted. I suggest reading through tiny habits by bj fogg (who's work is largely influential in this space) and turning it around to protect yourself from any addictive impulses you may have. https://www.bjfogg.com/
on “Using a mild Twitter addiction to get things done” ↗Atomic Habits is good. I personally found much more success with BJ Fogg’s “Tiny Habits” regime. He has a book by that title (which I’ve not actually read) and lots of resources online.
on “Screw motivation, what you need is discipline” ↗…compulsive behavior, there is no reason you can’t too. If you are genuinely clear as to your values and what gives you meaning then mostly it would be a case of building new habits. I’ve found B.J. Fogg’s Tiny Habits to be really effective for that. One other thing worth mentioning is that you might be beating yourself up for not being productive in your spare time, which is particularly self defeating since the…
on “The Definitive Guide to Dopamine Fasting 2.0” ↗Tiny Habits by B.J. Fogg would likely help you further. The key trick is to start really small to remove the hurdle of getting going and establishing the habit, and returning to small in moments of low motivation…
on “How to Boost Self Esteem and Stop Procrastinating” ↗+10 to this. I would actually recommend Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg (whose research is referenced to in Atomic Habits) as a more complete book with regards to this topic.
on “How James Clear is writing his next book (2021)” ↗Try "Tiny Habits" by BJ Fogg. I found it quite interesting and I implemented few habits by using it. Though there's ADHD and other neurodivergent scenarios, and when you have it making anything of a habit is a hard work.
on “Ask HN: Ive quit six systems for tracking my illness. What works?” ↗"Tiny Habits" by Dr. BJ Fogg, a research associate at Stanford, is my preferred book (though my view is more boring: I think "Atomic Habits," "The Power of Habit," and "Tiny Habits" are all worth a glance-through).…
on “Goodreads Has No Incentive to Be Good” ↗For those looking for an easy way to begin forming new habits, I'd definitely recommend professor Fogg's "3 Tiny Habits" guide. link - http://tinyhabits.com/.
on “The exercise habit” ↗Check out the literature on habit formation. Charles Duhigg just wrote a good book on habits recently, and BJ Fogg of Stanford runs a weekly 3 Tiny Habits course on helping people develop habits. Or the tl;dr: Promise to yourself to do no more than sit somewhere quiet at a regular time (e.g., as soon as you wake) for one minute. If you sit at least a minute,…
I recommoned BJ Fogg's tiny habits course: http://tinyhabits.com/. It's a really simple and easy free email course that shows one way of creating new habits. How do you like those two apps? I'm currently trying out strides, but it seems…
on “Ask HN: How do you create productive habits?” ↗BJ Fogg's tiny habits is a good way. You might know him as author of the book "persuasive technologies". But his habit tools are well studied and tested (according to him ;) http://tinyhabits.com/
on “Ask HN: Are there any systematic and scientific ways to develop a habit?” ↗For people struggling with forming a productive ritual/routine, you guys should try BJ Fogg's Tiny Habits: https://www.tinyhabits.com/ I went through the 5-day program this week and it seems to help a lot.
on “Why you need both rituals and routines to power your workday” ↗