You want to do big things, great things. And why not?! Other people do it, other people have done it, why not you? You can. You will. But start small.
It his book Atomic Habits, James Clear writes one of the keys to a consistent effective habit is to “make it easy.”
Since starting to read this book about a month ago I’ve experimented.
Small for me then was a 5 minute calisthenics/stretching workout (doing four exercises and one stretch, each activity for one minute). [You may be thinking, “Ha, that’s nothing! What a wimp!” Or, “Oh that’s so hard I wouldn’t last for 60 seconds of push-ups…”. If you thought this you’re missing the point. The point is to start small, whatever that is for you, 1/2 a push-up or 100, one jumping jack or 200. Now back to the story].
I started by completing one 5-minute workout once a week. Now I’m up to four workouts a week. I didn’t push too hard. I didn’t beat myself up when I missed. Psychologically, I even told myself, “I don’t have to do this. I can if I choose to.”
With this approach I felt empowered. I felt like I could choose and it gave me motivation to do it.
I noticed this morning my body is stronger compared to when I started. Before, at the end of a minute of an exercise I would be tired but this morning I found I could do alternating arm and leg raises from a kneeling position (https://youtu.be/uofd3HJWrWg) for TWO minutes instead of one without great difficulty. Such is the power of starting small. Had I started with a 20 minute workout 4 times a week I could have completed it but it would have been so hard and uncomfortable at first that I wouldn’t have repeated it or it would’ve been scattered and inconsistent.
Clear calls the optimal difficulty level for a habit the “Goldilocks Rule”—the point where the habit is not too easy, not too hard, it’s just the right amount of difficulty and challenge. A habit started at this level is on track to stick.
Pro Tip:
As you and I begin this New Year, start small to go big.
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