Instead of committing to a huge goal, try to stick to a micro-habit.

If you’re like most people, you’ve probably tried to follow a new big habit just to find yourself faltering a few days later. Maybe you made it a goal to follow a plant-based diet only to find yourself reaching for bacon at breakfast. Or maybe you promised yourself you’d read four books a month only to scroll social media instead.

There’s a reason it’s hard to adhere to a new behaviour. “Many people struggle with motivation because they set goals that are too ambitious or require drastic lifestyle changes,” said Israa Nasir, a therapist and author of Toxic Productivity.

This is where a certain type of approach ― known as a micro-habit ― comes into play.

“Micro-habits remove that overwhelm,” Nasir said, noting that they “improve well-being by reducing the gap between intention and action.”

“There are two parts to a micro-habit,” Nasir continued. First “it is a small, easily repeatable action that requires minimal effort but has a compounding positive impact. When you do it consistently, it creates a large impact.” Second, “micro-habits fit seamlessly into your existing routine, unlike big habit overhauls that can feel overwhelming.”

Micro-habits tend to have a compounding effect because they trigger the brain’s dopamine response, which is the brain’s reward chemical, explained Gina Cleo, the director of the Habit Change Institute in Australia.

“So that reinforces the habit loop — when we get a hit of dopamine, our brain’s like, ‘whoa, that felt really good, we should do that again,’ and so our brain actually starts to make us want to do that habit again,” Cleo said.

And while the micro-habit may not seem as rewarding as a huge goal, that’s actually not true. Our brains don’t know the difference between a big habit and a small habit; you’ll get that dopamine hit whether you wake up and follow a micro-habit like taking a sip of water before having coffee or a full-blown habit like having water and........

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