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Helping My Brain Say “Yes” – Mini March

Decision Making· Goals & Priorities· Habits & Routines

11 Mar

My mother told me, former procrastinators, “Your eyes are bigger than your stomach.” A child puts more food on her plate than she can possibly eat.  I still plan more for my week than I can do.  I set ambitious goals I’m not able to reach in the time allotted.

My husband and I just read a small book that’s helping us make progress by putting tiny portions on our plates –  Mini Habits by Stephen Guise.

For some people, going big with massive change works.  Most of us benefit from an incremental approach. What are mini habits?  Why do they work so well?

Guise’s original mini goals were do one push-up and write 50 words.  He’s now physically fit and usually writes 2000 words a day.  He says mini goals should be “stupid small.”  When done, you’ve succeeded.  You have the option of doing more, but no more is required.  If you do 1-4 mini goals, it should take no more than 10 minutes all together.  Do more  if you like, but do not raise the goal.

His overly simple explanation about how our brain works regarding habits helps me see why this works. From his book:

  • Doing a little bit every day has greater impact than doing a lot on one day.  A little bit daily is enough to grow into a lifelong habit.
  • The mini habits strategy is forcing yourself to take 1-4 strategic actions every day.  These actions are too small to fail, too small to skip.  The best habits are sourced straight from your life values.
  • Guise thought he should do a 30 minute workout but inner resistance was huge.  One push-up?  His brain agreed.
  • Repetition is the language of the subconscious brain.  The subconscious loves efficiency so it prefers to act automatically.
  • The goal in creating habits is to change your brain with repetition.
  • A habit’s assigned neural pathway is triggered by a thought or cue. An electrical charge fires along the pathway and you have an urge to engage in the behavior.  (Get up.  Shower.)  We want to create and strengthen specific neural pathways with repetition.  Since new behaviors have no neural pathway, we have to manually override the typical behavior. The more you override, the more the “baby neural pathway” grows.
  • The brain’s basal ganglia (seat of the subconscious) repeats patterns unless told otherwise.  (Stay on the couch.) The pre frontal cortex (our “manager”) understands long-term benefits and consequences.  It has the ability to override the basal ganglia. (Get up.  Do one push-up.) You create habits by teaching the rest of the brain to like what the prefrontal cortex wants.  Now Guise’s brain enjoys multiple push-ups.
  • The basal ganglia doesn’t care to “defend” against small steps, only drastic changes.  By changing slowly one step at a time, you’re playing by its rules.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made!

I’m reading two pages in two books daily.

What’s a habit you’d like to form?  Identify one ridiculously small step you can take daily.

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4 Comments

« The Value of Small – Mini March
Motivation and Willpower – Mini March »

Comments

  1. Lynn Sterkenburg says

    March 11, 2019 at 10:00 pm

    Always make sure the dishes are washed before I go to bed.

    Reply
    • Beth Sterne says

      March 12, 2019 at 10:07 pm

      And it’s so nice to enter a clean kitchen in the morning. Ready to roll.

      Reply
  2. Wendy McLean says

    March 12, 2019 at 8:33 am

    I Love this iDea Of “stupid small” mini Goals!

    Thanks beth!

    Reply
    • Beth Sterne says

      March 12, 2019 at 10:09 pm

      Small is so doable – but effective. Small amounts of progress mount up.
      And kids can do this too, Wendy – you know!

      Reply

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BETH STERNE
Welcome! It's great to have you here. I'm a follower of Christ and a learner of new ways. By His grace, I am gaining victory over procrastination. This is where I share struggles I face and lessons I'm learning. Join me and other sisters as we put off procrastination and put on peace.

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“After Beth came and shared about procrastination, many realized that it is possible through the Lord's power to stop putting off what God has called us to do. One mother finally started a blog and another posted a ladies; tea for her church months in advance so that ...she would not put off having it. Although I thought I was not someone who procrastinates, I realized I had some relationships that I needed to work on. Procrastination, I learned, is not just about getting things turned in on time, it's about listening to God and doing what He says to do when He tells you to and obeying God's Word.”
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“I never saw myself as a procrastinator until her talk – I just thought of myself as productively busy! She helped me to gain new focus on what my priorities really are.”
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"Beth’s procrastination talk led me to understand procrastination as a heart issue in need of God’s restoration not just a change of my ways. Beth’s personal experiences helped me discover practical ways to attack my own procrastination. As a result I have become a more loving wife, mother and friend who is able to use the gifts God has given me more fully. I highly endorse this talk and would love to hear it again and again."

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Julia F.

"Beth’s procrastination talk led me to understand procrastination as a heart issue in need of God’s restoration not just a change of my ways. Beth’s personal experiences helped me discover practical ways to attack my own procrastination. As a result I have become a more loving wife, mother and friend who is able to use the gifts God has given me more fully. I highly endorse this talk and would love to hear it again and again."
https://putoffprocrastination.com/testimonials/julia-f/
“Beth’s presentation on procrastination was truly eye-opening. I knew I had a problem with procrastination, but never thought twice about how it impacted my relationships and showed God that I wasn’t onboard with His plan. I began to see each instance took away from being fruitful; I was living for myself! After this revelation, I have been working on procrastinating less. I can see places opening up in my life for more peaceful moments, more time with and for friends and family, and more time for God’s plan to unfold. It’s amazing to know there’s more to life for me than a life full of “should haves” as a result of procrastination.”

Carole S.

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2018-08-16T14:42:59-04:00

Carole S.

“Beth’s presentation on procrastination was truly eye-opening. I knew I had a problem with procrastination, but never thought twice about how it impacted my relationships and showed God that I wasn’t onboard with His plan. I began to see each instance took away from being fruitful; I was living for myself! After this revelation, I have been working on procrastinating less. I can see places opening up in my life for more peaceful moments, more time with and for friends and family, and more time for God’s plan to unfold. It’s amazing to know there’s more to life for me than a life full of “should haves” as a result of procrastination.”
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Beth Sterne - Put Off Procrastination
Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise! It has
no commander, no overseer or ruler,
yet it stores its provisions in summer
and gathers its food at harvest.
Proverbs 6:6-8
... you have put off the old man with
his deeds, and have put on the new
man who is renewed in knowledge
according to the image of Him who
created him.
Colossians 3:9-10

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