What prompted this post of 13 tiny habits? Let me list those quickly (not 13 here, I promise) before going to my plan of 13 tiny habits which have nothing to do with my resolutions/goals for the year, or maybe they do, or with my word(s) of the year.

• One, the Thursday Thirteen meme that I love to join in whenever I can!
• Two, my son asking me over the holidays to give him a few more tasks to do, for he had added this ‘do ten random small tasks daily’ to his list (and he had already emptied the dishwasher plus sorted laundry for me along with couple other things). I was impressed with him but told him to maybe either make it ten tiny tasks or reduce it to five tasks so he can keep it going once college restarts!! Talk about inspiring him 🙂
• Three, yesterday’s post about tiny beautiful things + blogs where I read about gratitude and ‘things that make me happy’ or ‘good things‘ lists
• Last but not the least, the Tiny Habits program or idea that takes the idea of one tiny step at a time and applies it to better ourselves in well, tiny totally doable ways! I read the book a few years ago but somehow never actively applied the concept to my life. This is the year I do it.

About Tiny Habits and Related Stuff

According to Fogg, the creator of this program, a tiny habit is one that you do at least once a day, takes you minimal time, and requires minimal effort. Fogg uses an ABC method to come up with the tiny habits themselves.

• A for Anchor – something we already reliably do everyday, and one that will help trigger our new tiny habit (like brushing our teeth in the morning).
• B for Behavior – the tiny habit itself (drink a cup of water as soon as we brush our teeth).
• C for Celebration – a tiny way to celebrate that we worked on the new habit (as simple as saying ‘yay, I did it’)

Note: Another way to work on these tiny habits this is MAT or Motivation, Ability, and Trigger.

And now the habits themselves. While Fogg’s tiny habits are generally those that take 30 seconds or so, I did really want to get started on a couple that will, even at the start, need about 5 minutes, but wanted to have them here anyways.. Maybe will start with a minute or so and then add on as needed.

References, Additional Reading, and h/t:

• Mini Habits ideas
• 6 Tiny Habits
• 48 Tiny Habits That Will Make You Awesome

13 Tiny Habits I Want to Work on

While I am not sure if I will recall the celebrations I have put for each one, I plan to print this out so I can see it and am hoping I will remember the ABCs as easily as the alphabet itself.

Waking Up

Wake up 5 minutes earlier each day till…  I used to be a morning person ages ago and loved it – I almost always had an whole hour or more to myself and found myself most productive both mentally and physically in that time. I need to get back to that, so this is my way to get to where I was before and where I want to be in the future too! Celebrate by throwing out my hands high!

Get Outside

Walk barefoot for a minute each day outside before lunch (my backyard should be good). Do a victory jiggle!

Phone-Free

Keep the phone away during dinner and far away from reach before going to sleep. My hope is that I will get out of bed to turn the alarm off, and well not be on my phone late into the night or first thing in the morning by doing this. Keeping it in another room might be better, but then starting tiny, right? High five myself and/or family members who also kept the phone away!

Brain Dumping

Do a brain dump before falling asleep each night. Write down anything and everything on my mind at that time. When done, I’ll think to myself “that is awesome!”

Connections

Call someone each day and speak for just a few minutes; this will be a quick check in – on way back from dropping my daughter off at school or on the way to picking her up (I will be doing it safely of course). And say, “yes, I feel better now”

A List to Make Me Feel Better

Write down one thing I accomplished each day, one thing I am thankful for, and one thing that made me smile and/or laugh. Do this right after dinner. While this is a celebration in itself, like the previous habit, I plan to imagine confetti all around me!

Stretch and Move and Breathe!

Stand up and stretch every hour when I am working; and add on a quick exercise to it (like 5 squats) (that reminds me, it has been an hour since I have been seated). Also, after I stretch, I will breathe deeply (Inhale for 3 seconds; pause for 1 second; exhale for 5 seconds and repeat this five times). And say “yippee!” Did you hear those victory trumpets blowing?

Words!

Learn one new word a day. I know, I have added this goal many times and do learn words often but keep falling behind so here I go again. When to do it? On the way to school with my daughter maybe so we can learn the word together! (weekends – another strategy to come). Use the word in a cool sentence together and hear that audience applauding! And yes, I plan to include words from Tamil, Hindi, and Kannada as well randomly into this mix.

Cleaning

While I wait for my tea to get ready in the morning (or after every tea break I take), I will clean up one thing around me (maybe dust a shelf/put something back in place/etc) and do a fun dance move (maybe the latest trending tiktok move or anything else)!

Walking Through Doors

Every time I walk into my home, I plan to stand up taller, smile, and say the best thing that happened that day to whoever happens to greet me. And then smile wider! And the walking through doors – well, every time I walk through any door, I plan to stand up straighter and smile, no matter which door!

Scribble Something

Keep my sketchpad/journal handy, and each morning when I sit down to start work, I will spent a minute writing down a random thought or idea (no to-dos here), or doodle a quick sketch. And then write “good job!”

Take One Photo Each Day

Kind of like documenting the everyday moments of life, be it the constant drizzle outside right now or that hint of a rainbow in the sky, or my family as they go about their tasks unaware there is paparazme waiting! When? When the moment arrives.. And celebrate with posting it on my family chat with a fun text.

Affirmations

The Maui Habit (that started it all, or – the first tiny habit from Fogg). When I wake up in the morning and put my feet on the ground, I’ll say to myself, “Today is going to be a great day!” and celebrate with a smile! And add on another positive affirmation each day.

And Now, the End of This Post

Dear reader, do you use the tiny habits concept in your life or something similar to get started on new habits? What is a tiny habit that you really want to work on? I love the idea of those goofy celebrations at the end, and while I am not sure how my family will react to random dances and yays and smiles, I think it will liven up everyone and make the day better overall, so why not be goofy if that helps, right?