Did you know that it is possible to reach your goals with very little conscious effort on your part? Actually, most habit experts will tell you that little efforts yield huge rewards. There are many reasons why: 

 Manageability: Small changes are easier to incorporate into daily routines without causing a significant disruption. This makes it less daunting to start a new habit. 

Sustainability: Smaller changes are more sustainable because they require less effort to incorporate into your life.  

Success and Motivation: Small changes can lead to small wins, which can boost self-esteem and motivation. This sense of accomplishment can help you sustain your small changes and step up to larger ones. 

Neural Adjustment: When changes are small, it’s easier for our brains to adjust and accept the new habit as part of our daily routine. 

Less Resistance: There’s typically less internal and external resistance to small changes. When changes are small and gradual, we are less likely to feel overwhelmed and those around us are less likely to feel uncomfortable or threatened. 

Building Momentum: As small changes become habits, they can set the stage for more changes.  New changes can be “stacked” onto the original changes creating big results. 

B.J. Fogg, author of Tiny Habits asserts that when we depend on motivation and self-discipline to create real change, we are more likely to fail.  This is not because we are weak-willed, we are simply humans whose resolve ebbs and flows throughout days, weeks and months. 

How Do You Choose a Baby Step? 

 James Clear, author of Atomic Habits (yes there is a “Tiny Habits” book and an “Atomic Habits” book, which only underscores that this is a very popular approach), recommends following the “two-minute rule,” which is based on the simple premise that “when you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.” 
 
It is possible to break down any task to the two-minute version. 

• “Go for a walk every night after dinner” becomes “Step outside for a minute.” 

• “Clean the house” becomes “Wipe the counters in the kitchen.” 

• “Cut out my daily soda” becomes “Pour some soda out, then drink the rest.” 

• “Meditate every morning” becomes “Take three calming breaths.” 

To find the two-minute version of any goal, break it down into tasks that range from “very hard” to “very easy”. For example, if your goal is to read 20 books a year, here is a breakdown: 

• Read one hour a day = very hard 

• Read 30 minutes a day = hard   

• Read a chapter a day = moderate   

• Read 10 minutes a day = easy 

• Read one page a day = very easy 

A page a day may seem pretty meaningless, but the point is to feel how rewarding it is to try, and succeed, at something new, without the fear of failure that often accompanies such effort. Instead of trying to master a perfect habit from the start, doing the easy thing on a consistent basis will give you the confidence to take a bigger step when the time is right.   
The idea is that once you prove to yourself that you are someone that shows up, tries and succeeds, you can increase the difficulty of the task. 

 
2 Examples of the Magic of Small Steps 

1. One sugar granule at a time 
    
   An English woman, who routinely put 4 teaspoons of sugar into each cup of tea, realized she must change this habit.   
    
   With willpower and determination, she was able to remove 3 of the 4 teaspoons but could not cut out the remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar. 
    
   So, one day, she removed 1 granule of sugar from the teaspoon, and dumped the rest in her cup. 
    
   She removed one additional granule each day until the teaspoon was empty. 
    
   It took a year. 
    
   She still drinks her tea without sugar. 
    
   2. Baby steps off the couch   
    
   Julie, a busy, divorced single mother working full-time, has been worried about her health, but feels overwhelmed by her enormous responsibilities at work and home. 
    
   Julie also has less obvious fears that compete for her attention. She is afraid of losing her job, afraid for her children’s safety, afraid she isn’t a good mother – and afraid of disappointing her doctor for not following the recent instructions she received to exercise daily. The overwhelm became so much that she eventually stopped seeking medical care and found herself relying on TV and junk food for comfort.   
    
   When she did go in for a physical, her doctor told her to stop making excuses for herself and asked her to find ways to move her body every day. He suggested taking small steps, like marching in front of the TV while she watched her favorite shows. 
    
   One day, Julie marched in front of the TV for 1 minute of her nightly downtime on the couch. After a few weeks, she marched throughout a full commercial break. Then, two commercial breaks. And then she forgot to stop. 
    
   Julie finished her second 10 K running race recently and is considering training for a triathlon. She feels like she has more control in all aspects of her life and is proud of herself for setting a good example for her kids. A win-win! 

 
The Bottom Line: 

Taking small steps toward a goal is like walking on a path that winds so gently up the hill you hardly notice the climb. When the only requirement is to place one foot in front of the other, you’ll experience a constant feeling of success 
 
At Amaze we want to help you get healthy and stay healthy. And of course, we’re always here to help.