Start Small, Stay Consistent, and Make Change Stick
Inspired by conversations with BJ Fogg, Katy Milkman, and Angela Duckworth.
Start Tiny So You Can Actually Start
Every January, people make big promises to themselves.
Run more. Work smarter. Eat better. Be more disciplined. But the people who actually follow through don’t rely on willpower—they rely on design.
BJ Fogg taught me this in our conversation: If you want a new behavior to stick, make it tiny. Toothbrush-tiny.
A push-up after brushing your teeth.
One deep breath before your first meeting.
The trick is pairing the habit with an anchor—a behavior you already do reliably—so the new habit has a stable place to “live.” And then comes BJ’s secret weapon: celebration.
A small internal “Yes!” signals your brain to wire the behavior faster.
Tiny. Anchored. Celebrated. That’s how habits stick.
Beat the Traps That Derail You
But knowing what to do isn’t enough. January has a way of reminding us that humans procrastinate, get distracted, and chase what’s easy instead of what’s important.
This is where Katy Milkman’s work comes in. She showed me how to outsmart the behavioral traps that trip us:
Similar to BJ’s message - turn procrastination into progress by making the first step ridiculously small.
Reduce impulsivity by designing your environment, not relying on self-control.
Use streaks and “fresh starts” to create momentum—because we’re wired to care about not breaking a chain.
In other words: you don’t need more discipline. You need better defaults.
Add Grit—But Not the Lone-Wolf Version
Angela Duckworth reminded me that grit isn’t about white-knuckling your way through the year. It’s about sustained commitment, fueled by two things we often forget:
Purpose and community
We stick with habits when we believe they matter, and when the people around us reinforce that belief:
Change is social.
Resilience is social.
Even grit is social.
If you want your habits to survive beyond February, don’t go it alone. Build a team—even if it’s just one person who checks in with you, cheers you on, or asks how the tiny habit is going.
Pick One Tiny Win This Week
Not ten. Not five.
Just one!
Some ideas:
A 10-second habit.
An anchor you already do.
A celebration that makes you smile.
And a friend who keeps you accountable.
Start small.
Stay consistent.
Let the wins compound.
Here’s to a year built on tiny habits, smart design, and the grit to keep going—one small step at a time!
Mahalo!
Guy
Fantastic synthesis of Fogg's anchoring with Duckworth's social grit concept. The toothbrush-tiny framing is way more actionable than vague "start small" advice because it gives a literal measurabletarget. I've noticed in my own habit attempts that the celebration piece gets skipped most often even though its probly the most neurologically important part of the loop.
Grit! Purpose +Community! Thanks