Mistakes That Can Prevent Your Success in Using Micro Habits

You were on the right track. You set small goals for yourself, working to build micro habits to take control of your life, but suddenly everything went horribly wrong. The changes you expected to see weren't happening. And it seems that the harder you try, the less momentum you gain.  You are left wondering - what just happened?

Even when using micro habits to make changes for the better, it is still easy to crash and burn. An important aspect to realize is that the fault wasn't in you but in your approach. We fail, even when the change is small, for several reasons:

1. Taking on too much at once.

Because the habits were so small, chances are you piled them on, one after another. The problem is you can't form too many new habits simultaneously.  If you try to form too many new habits in one go, you overload yourself.  Then when you are overloaded, you set yourself up for failure right from the beginning.

This is easily solved by scaling back and establishing just one habit at a time. Once that habit is formed, you are free to add another.

2. Staring at the finish line.

By focusing on the goal instead of the habit, you are putting your attention in the wrong place. Chances are you're now rushing to get there and looking for shortcuts.

The solution here is to realize that change takes time.  Keep your eyes on the change you're trying to make now by focusing on the journey and not the destination.

3. Procrastinating.

Putting things off is one of the most common problems in starting any habit, even small ones. Once you realize that this is your problem, you need to ask yourself why you're putting things off – and what you can do to solve that.

4. Not using your schedule.

When using micro habits, it's easy to think that the change is so tiny that you don't need to be concerned about when things need to be done. You assume that your small goal (like drinking more water) can be accomplished by focusing on a vague deadline (like drinking more water during the day). Instead, it would be best if you were intentional. One way to do this is to set reminders on your phone or pencil the micro habit into your calendar. Make it a deliberate part of your day.

When you've tripped yourself up, the critical thing to remember is that you were not the failure; your approach was. By understanding what went wrong, it is then easy to find a solution that will put you right back on track.

Micro habits – done correctly – will change your life.