Mini Habits. My Self Help Journey

I recently read Mini Habits: Smaller Habits, Bigger Results eBook by Stephen Guise. Are you stuck in a rut? Does every step you take forward somehow result in 2 steps back? If this is the case, then this quick read is something I would highly recommend. Stephen Guise believes that setting lofty goals will set us up for future failure.

If we make a commitment to write a 1000 words a day when we are in a motivated inspired state of mind. What happens on a day when we are not feeling well, or we are tired, or the universe has decided to take a poop in our cornflakes?
Chances are we are going to allow ourselves a day off from that commitment. The next day, we think about writing again, and we think, "I'm still not feeling it, maybe I will wait a few more days. Maybe in a few days, I will be in a better state of mind, then I will write more than a 1000 words. I will write 5000 words to catch up". Now this task has become overwhelming.

So instead of committing to writing 1000 words a day, Stephen suggests that we only commit to writing 50 words a day. 50 words a day is something we can pull together with little effort. We can go to bed in the evening not thinking of ourselves as a failure for not honoring our commitment but instead with a feeling of achievement.

Fifty words a day is a mini habit I have set for myself. If I am having a good day and I surpass fifty which so far I have every day, I have surpassed my goal. Sometimes the most difficult task is just getting started.

The book suggests that we choose four new mini habits. Being an overachiever, I choose seven. He doesn't recommend this but my goals just feel too easy. Perhaps in the long run. I will regret this but this is my fourth day in and thus far I have achieved 100% (and beyond) success.

My daily goals are:

1. Chew one bite of food at least thirty times. ( I eat too fast)
2. Do ten cleaning tasks a day. ( One task could be as simple as hanging up a jacket)
3. Hulahoop to one song.
4. Make my bed.
5. Write fifty words.
6. Read two pages.
7. Drink one big glass of water.

This is the fourth day in and so far I met and exceed my goals.

1. I have eaten a complete meal chewing mindfully 30 times a bite.
2. I have done ten cleaning tasks mulitple times a day and now am tackling organization of the basement.
3. I have made my bed everyday. (can't really overachieve at this one)
4. I have written appx 4000 words, this article included.
5. I have read two books and I am on my third.(With help from a speed reading app)
6. I have drunk multiple glasses of water daily.

So far so good, however, I am still in a motivated and inspired mindset. We will see how I progress on the days to come.