Do you ever feel like the changes you want to make in your life are just too big and overwhelming to tackle? The truth is that big changes often require small steps. This is where micro habits come in.
By starting with small, but consistent changes, you can build up momentum and make meaningful improvements over time.
Get ready to explore what micro habits are, and how they can change your life, the power of habit stacking, plus get inspired with a list of 50 micro habit ideas to try for yourself.
What Are Micro Habits?
Micro habits are small actions or behaviours that you can do consistently, every day.
They can be as short as 15 seconds and require minimal effort to complete.
By repeating these small habits regularly, they can eventually lead to bigger, more significant changes in your life. The key to micro habits is starting small and being consistent.
How Micro Habits Can Change Your Life
Micro habits are an effective way to make positive changes because they focus on progress, not perfection.
By starting small and building gradually, you can avoid feeling overwhelmed and discouraged.
Microhabits can also help you build better habits over time.
When you stick to a new habit consistently, it becomes a part of your routine, making it easier to maintain in the long run.
Research has shown that it takes around 66 days on average for a new habit to become automatic and between 18 and 254 days to form a new habit.
Micro habits are much smaller habits and the true power is in your ability to stack these habits once they become routine.
A Stanford University behavioural scientist, Dr Fogg, author of Tiny Habits, uses emotions to create a habit. An example of his Maui Habit practice is getting the day started on the right foot, literally. As you place your feet on the floor, you say to yourself “It’s going to be a great day”.
I use a similar practice in my own daily routine with a phone reminder that asks “What am I excited about today?” to start my day with intentional gratitude and positivity. A tiny habit that takes less than 10 seconds.
The Power of Habit Stacking
Habit stacking is a method of combining multiple micro habits to create a more significant impact.
James Clear, author of the bestselling book Atomic Habits, writes “The more you do something, the stronger and more efficient the connection becomes”.
So if you are combining two or more micro habits – habit stacking, you can use the connectedness of these behaviours to increase the likelihood of maintaining both of these habits.
For example, if you want to get into a daily journal habit, you could stack your habit by doing your journaling immediately after you pour your cup of coffee in the morning.
If your coffee habit is already a routine you’ve built, by linking these two micro habits together, you are creating an environment and behaviour that supports each other. This trigger (pouring your morning coffee) increases your chances of completing the second habit (journaling).
Powerful stuff, right?
Don’t try to stack too many habits at once, or the complexity might overwhelm you and cause you to give up altogether.
Start with one or two micro habits and build upon them over time as they become routine.
Additionally, micro habits can help tackle procrastination and improve motivation by using the natural momentum of building larger stacks of small habits that interconnect.
100 Micro Habit Ideas You Can Try
If you’re looking to incorporate micro habits into your life, there are endless possibilities. This list of habits is by no means exhaustive.
In fact, it only just touches the surface of the possibilities, but I hope it does give you some inspiration for the type of habits you might like to build into your own routines (or habit stacks).
Here are 100 micro habit ideas to motivate you:
- Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning
- Make your bed as soon as you wake up
- Do a 1 minute deep breathing exercise
- Meditate for 1 minute
- Do 2 minutes of stretching or yoga each morning
- Write down three things you are grateful for each day
- Read for 5 minutes before bed
- Stand up and take a quick walk every hour
- Floss your teeth before bed
- Tidy up for 5 minutes each day
- Compliment someone each day
- Write down a to-do list for the next day before bed
- Listen to one new song each day
- Do 5 jumping jacks when you wake up
- Spend 3 minutes journaling
- Take a moment to appreciate your surroundings and practice mindfulness
- Do 10 squats while you wait for your morning coffee to brew
- Do a 30-second plank before getting dressed each day
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator
- Put one item away whenever you leave a room
- Write down one thing you learned each day
- Declutter one item from your home each time you buy something new
- Wipe down the kitchen counters before bed
- Send a quick text message to a friend or family member
- Balance on one foot as you brush your teeth & swap halfway
- Adjust your bedtime by 2 minutes earlier each night
- Start your work day with 3 deep breaths
- Practice mindful eating as you eat your lunch
- Spend 2 minutes in the sunshine getting vitamin D each day
- Do shoulder stretches every 30 minutes at your desk
- Take a moment to appreciate your meal before eating
- Take 1 minute to tidy up your workspace before leaving work for the day
- Do 3 push-ups during a TV commercial break
- Stop and take 10 deep breaths whenever you feel stressed
- Unsubscribe to an unwanted email newsletter immediately
- Write down your top goal every single day
- Get off the elevator one floor early and take the stairs
- Immediately unfollow social media accounts that give you negative feelings
- Do 10 sit-ups before scrolling social media
- Use a water tracking water bottle to make sure you drink enough
- Engage your core while waiting in line
- Place your phone face down on silent when you need to be distraction-free
- Action an email immediately
- Leave the remote control next to the television
- No screens at the dinner table
- Drink a glass of water before having a snack
- Listen to your hype music while doing chores
- Do a guided meditation before bed
- Throw out broken items straight away
- Use positive affirmations while washing your hands
Tips For Incorporating Micro Habits Into Your Daily Life
While micro habits may seem small and simple, the power of consistent practice is what makes them effective.
Over time, this combination of regular habits can result in massive changes and personal growth, without the huge shock to your system of trying to start new big goals and habits all at once.
Here are a few tips for successfully incorporating micro habits into your daily routine:
- Start small: Begin with one micro habit at a time, and gradually add more as you become comfortable with them.
- Be consistent: Set a specific time each day to practice your micro habits, and stick to it.
- Make it easy: Choose tiny habits that are simple and require minimal effort, making them easier to maintain.
- Track your progress: Use habit-tracking apps, printables or a journal to keep track of your progress and celebrate your achievements. You can get a free printable habit tracker here.
- Be patient: Micro habits may seem insignificant at first, but remember that small changes over time can lead to big results.
- Set clear intentions: The best micro habits are those that align with a bigger goal or intention. Consider your ideal life and the good habits you want to have and create small shifts through these daily habits.
The power of micro habits can have a huge impact on your long-term goals and healthy habits. By focusing on small, consistent actions, you can build momentum and eventually achieve bigger goals. There are endless micro habit ideas to try, so don’t be afraid to experiment and find what habit stacks work best in your daily life.
The key to success with any new habit is starting small, being consistent, and celebrating your progress along the way.
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