If you have a hybrid Mini Habit like driving to the gym or doing one push-up, you can
note them by writing G for Gym or P for Push-up. Then you can look back and see how
often you've been choosing each.
Another option is a yearly "at a glance" calendar if you're just going to be checking off
days. And a smart budget move is to print one of the many free printable calendars
you'll find online(tip: simply print out your Gmail calendar). Physically making a check
mark makes your success feel more tangible than digital tracking does.Additionally, if
you put it in a prominent place where you'll see it often, it's going to make you
mindful of your mini habits,your progress, and your success. Don't underestimate
the impact of this!
Jerry Seinfeld appears to have been a pioneer in mini habits. He famously marked
each day on his calendar with a big X if he completed his joke-writing task. He
recognized that daily progress was the key to forming a habit and improving his
craft of telling jokes.He first told young comedian Brad Isaac about his productivity
secret before a show one day. Brad wrote about Seinfeld's response in an article for
Lifehacker:
"After a few days you'll have a chain.Just keep at it and the chain will grow longer every
day. You'll like seeing that chain, especially when you get a few weeks under your belt.
Your only job next is to not break the chain."
This is a good summation of mini habits.We don't want to break the chain. And the only
excuse for breaking the chain is forgetting, because mini habits are too easy to fail. But
forgetting is a poor excuse too, because your calendar will be in plain sight and every
night before bed you'll ask, "did I do my mini habits today?" And just to throw this out
there,I don't see mini habits as a fad you'll drop in a few months, but as a lifetime
pursuit. It works too well and is too flexible to quit!