As I gear up to hit the road alongside habit guru James Clear next week to host and moderate his Atomic Habits Tour , I wanted to talk about a few of his game-changing concepts that have reshaped how I chase my goals and embrace new habits - Minimum Viable Habits (MVHs) and the power of repetition.
One of the reasons I resonate with this approach is because working in and around change and transformation as much as I have over the last decade I often see size and scale overwhelm people. When the initial "ask" — whether it's a process change, a stretch goal, or a new routine — is too hefty, two things occur:
- 1. Fear and worry
paralyse us, questioning our ability to handle such a departure from our current ways, and/or
- 2. Even if we (and our teams) can make it happen once or twice, sustaining that change becomes tough alongside a busy BAU.
MVHs involve identifying that tiny, almost effortless action (even just 1 minute) that kickstarts the change - a change so small
it’s irresistible to refuse. Think learning a new vocabulary word each day to enhance your communication skills, reading a page a day to jumpstart your reading journey, or dedicating a daily 5 minutes to hone a new leadership skill – it's the epitome of "small steps, big change."
Once you've got your MVHs rolling, it's all about those consistent reps. Remember, missing one rep is a pause, skipping two can become a detour. In essence, it’s really a mindset or focus change: Shift your attention from the weight you're lifting to the rhythm of your reps, and you'll be amazed at how swiftly you approach your goals.
