Quote
“Simplicity changes behavior.”
— BJ Fogg, in Tiny Habits (2019) · Tiny Habits →
Why it was said
BJ Fogg uses this phrase in Tiny Habits when he turns to ability, one of the three parts of his behavior model alongside motivation and a prompt. Because motivation is unreliable, he argues, the dependable lever is to make the behavior easier to do.
What it actually means
Most attempts at change go after motivation: more reasons, more inspiration, more pressure. Fogg's observation is that motivation rises and falls on its own schedule, so a plan that needs it high will fail on ordinary days. Simplicity is the lever you can actually pull. Make the behavior smaller, remove a step, put the tool within reach, and it becomes doable even when you do not feel like it. That is why his examples are almost embarrassingly small, like two push-ups or flossing one tooth. The size is not the goal; it is the design choice that lets the behavior survive your worst day, and a behavior that survives can grow.
How to use it
- 1Shrink the habit you keep skipping until it takes under thirty seconds, then do only that for a week.
- 2Remove one step between you and the behavior: lay out the shoes, leave the file open, fill the water bottle the night before.
- 3When a habit fails, ask what made it hard before asking why you were not motivated.