Try a Microhabit

We’re over a month into 2021, and it’s possible some new year’s resolutions have fallen by the wayside (that’s if you bothered to make any). I know many people who are struggling at the moment, it’s been a very tough winter. However spring is on the horizon, the days are getting longer and hopefully warmer too. It’s a good time to start implementing any healthy changes you hope to make.

Trying a microhabit is definitely the easiest place to start. The clue is in the name, as they say, and developing a microhabit is all about starting small. For instance, if you mean to floss your teeth, start with flossing just one tooth. It’s possible you might get into that very small habit. And from small things, big things grow. Just think of a seed – you’re placing the seed of a habit there.

An example is this blog post you’re reading right now. I had procrastinated for a week to start. It got to the silly point of procrastination. So I thought “I’ll just write the intro and save the file” – hey presto, a blog post written more easily that initially imagined. But don’t expect too much. Start very, very small, and see what happens.

Try one squat or even just start by putting on your walking shoes. Once you’ve got your walking shoes on, who knows, you may even go for a walk! One thing I like to do is pick up one bit of litter every day. I find the idea of hours of litter-picking daunting, but I’ve been picking up one bit of litter every day for a few years now. It’s not my job, but I get satisfaction in picking up one thing every day. Sometimes it ends up more, but I’m OK with just one bit.

Too often we set grandiose plans, or try to do too much too soon. It can be overwhelming, so start small, and see how you get on. It gets easier. Start with just one thing.