Mini Habit Ideas - minihabits.com (original) (raw)

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This is the master list of mini habit ideas with several categories. If you have an idea that you don’t see here, send me a message.

Mini habit ideas for the book Mini Habits

You’ll notice that each section has ideas based on quantity and time. Quantity-based mini habits are recommended because they’re often easier and the amount of effort you’ll exert is more concrete. This helps your brain calculate just how easy it is. For example, running stairs for a full minute could actually be anywhere from easy to very intense, but running up and down the stairs two times is exact.

When something is time-based, you might feel more tempted to stop after you complete your time. This can discourage “bonus reps,” which we definitely don’t want! That said, some people are so busy that they think more in terms of how they spend time (as opposed to effort), which is why it is included as an option.

Thoughts on Tracking

Sometimes it’s best not to meticulously track your requirement. Whether time-based on quantity-based, when you give yourself a very easy goal like 15 seconds of running the stairs, a stopwatch would signify “the end” of your requirement. But if you just aim for 15 seconds without tracking it, you don’t have a “now it’s time to stop” indicator and may do more.

This technique has worked well for me with writing. I know about how much 50 words is, and so I’ll make sure I do a bit more than that, but not knowing exactly when I hit the magic number helps me to focus more on the work and get into a groove. This way, you get the benefits of a small target with less temptation to stop. Experiment with it, but don’t let it become an excuse to underachieve your goal. Also, make sure you hit your minimum targets every day. That’s what matters most.

Mental Fitness, Knowledge, & Intelligence Mini Habits

By Quantity

By Time (1 min)

Physical Fitness Mini Habits

Exercise mini habits are well-suited for hybrid mini habits, which allow you to convert “X times a week” goals into daily goals. This is great for people starting out who want to do something relatively difficult like go to the gym consistently. Here are some mini habit ideas to help you get fit!

By Quantity

By Time (30 sec)

Health, Diet, & Well-Being Mini Habits

Health is wealth, as they say. These mini habit ideas are meant to improve your diet. These are relevant for Mini Habits for Weight Loss, but I will likely add another section for that book since it goes deeper than these.

By Quantity

By Time (1 min)

Happiness Mini Habits

Psychologists have found a few things that seem to make all people happier. They are social connections, being mentally present, thinking positively, committing to goals, practicing thankfulness, giving, and reducing stress. All Mini Habits make us happier by providing commitment and success with goals, but here are some specific Mini Habits that should serve to boost your daily happiness even more.

Happiness Habits Warning: Habits are less emotional by nature. This means that if you develop the habit of listing three things you’re thankful for, the happiness effect might wear off as it becomes “routine.” The best way to counteract this is to purposefully not make these things habit. Instead, you can select a few of these mini habit ideas and rotate them on a daily or weekly basis. That should keep things fresh and help you stay happy and interested!

By Quantity

By Time (1 min)

Business Mini Habits

By Quantity

By Time (1 min)

Productivity Mini Habits

By Quantity

By Time (1 min)