Bruce's Book Blog

Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything

By B. J. Fogg

New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Personal transformation roots in habits. Changes in habits come from management of those habits, according to Fogg. With extensive research done in Stanford’s research lab, which he founded, the Behavior Design Lab. He writes, “Take a behavior you want, make it tiny, find where it fits naturally in your life, and nurture its growth.” That is, a habit may be developed or removed from life, one tiny bit at a time. He espouses starting a new habit small, think three pushups (a regular example in the book).

Find where the habit fits into your life. That is not just in terms of time but also accessibility. It also includes some sort of trigger, which Fogg calls a “prompt.” Fogg’s research stresses that there must be a trigger for the habit, such as, every time someone turns on the shower, they are going to do things while waiting for the water to get warm.  The reader must apply the information to their own life, of course, especially for spiritual habits. The author does not write with hostility to spirituality but also not with advocacy. One adaptation comes from Fogg’s assertion that habits fail because we try to do something too big in the beginning. Therefore, if one wants to start a prayer habit, they should not start trying to pray for an hour. Rather, Fogg’s work suggests it would be much better to start with five minutes.

Fogg walks the reader through a method for developing and reenforcing new habits. He also uses the same strategies for a method to remove any unwanted habit(s). Either way, it is a matter of motivation, ability, and a prompt. “No behavior happens without a prompt.” A prompt is anything that triggers a reaction (often automatic). A prompt can be something we do regularly, something we build into our context, or something like a text message from a friend or friendly organization.

I use the concepts from this book regularly in my life and teaching. It has been helpful in counseling people who wanted to stop a bad habit, as well as people who wanted to make a major change. While other books have been written about forming habits, most are based on Fogg’s research, which he distilled into this highly accessible book. If my rating system allowed for six stars, this book would merit such a strong affirmation!