As you can see, this has some positive implications for fixing bad habits as well. "Wild" bad
habits grow unintentionally, and grow everywhere.You'll have 98 cues to smoke a cigarette,53
cues to watch YouTube videos, and 194 cues to browse the Internet mindlessly. It's possible to
let your good mini habits grow "wildly" like this. Like plants competing for nutrients, your good
habits can then crowd out your bad habits. You can see that writing now competes with watching
TV shows for me. This is less likely with specific-cue habits, as they're tethered to just one
cue.They can be very strong, don't get me wrong, but unless it shares a cue with a bad habit, it
will be isolated from it.
A word of caution: You want to be deliberate about what habits you "let grow" wildly. For example,
some people can't relax now because they are workaholics. The work habit gets so ingrained into
their identity that retirement confuses and bores them.They want to work. I've decided that I
want to write and write a lot for the rest of my life, so I'm willing to let my writing habit
mesh into my identity(same for reading and exercise). But I'm not sure I'd like the same type of
habit for bathing (once a day is fine). For that,I prefer a cued habit like showering once I get
out of bed. Sleep schedules and meals might also be best structured so as to let the body get
into a circadian and dietary rhythm, respectively.
If you want something to become an encompassing part of your life-good examples include thinking
positive thoughts, writing, being thankful,exercising/being active, giving to others,
minimalist living, etc.-I recommend setting no specific cue for your mini habit. Only give
yourself a daily deadline of doing it before you sleep for the night.