Difficult changes require a large investment in effort that is often not compensated for in the short term. The psychologist BJ Fogg proposes us to change perspective: why not focus on the small and the simple?
Last update: July 01, 2021
Difficult rule changes are also those that are postponed indefinitely. The ideal, therefore, is know some strategies to make changes simple.
Most people continually think about making changes, but see them as a steep and difficult slope. We know that there will be a reward at the top, but we get tired of just thinking about it. We want the result, but we are not enthusiastic about the path to take to obtain it.
Yet, sometimes you just need to have an effective method. Not surprisingly, as important as the purpose is the mechanism used to carry out that transformation that is deemed necessary. Everything indicates that the strategy is as relevant as the desire to change something.
Psychologist BJ Fogg, author of the book The Tiny Habits method. The revolution in small steps, has deepened this topic. Fogg concluded that change is easier when we break it down into smaller actions. How can this be done?
"We can start adopting new habits by modifying the existing routine and then building the new one from it."
-B. J. Fogg-
The difficult changes
BJ Fogg is a psychologist and researcher who has worked in the world of design in the past. During this experience, he found that the development of new products sometimes did not progress because managers focused more on the complex than on the simple.
Fogg later earned a professorship at Stanford University, where he continued his research with results pointing in the same direction. It was the starting point for a theory on how to make difficult changes simple. Simplicity is now thought to be a very powerful force. Because?
Simple things don't require a lot of energy or motivation nor do they require special talent or detailed learning. One of the "secrets" to making big changes is breaking them down into a chain of simpler changes.
In other words, by simplifying the difficulty we can more appreciate the landing and the intermediate moments in which we can get small rewards that strengthen our motivation.
The Fogg method to make changes simple
One of the difficult changes in life has to do with habits. These are established strenuously and banishing them becomes more and more complicated.
In the same way, acquiring a healthy habit takes time: if we have not adopted it until now, laziness and inertia will prevent us from adopting it. Usually it starts with a lot of enthusiasm, which soon leaves us even if we don't know exactly why.
J. Fogg says that, for example, removing weeds from the garden takes at least five hours, at best, so we never find the time to do it.
On the other hand, if we aim to invest five minutes a day to take them off, there is a greater chance of completing this task in a couple of weeks.
The Fogg method is designed to make difficult changes easier. Its creator recommends starting from the established routine. After that, we should adopt the new habit little by little.
If someone wants to drink more water to improve digestion, it is not advisable to propose a special routine to do so, but to add it to any of their daily activities. For example, drink more water during breakfast.
The way to make difficult changes simple
Changing simple behavior isn't that complicated. Obstacles appear in difficult changes, for example, when we want to get into the habit of exercising or when we want to quit smoking. What to do in those cases? Fogg advises, first of all, to identify the problem to be solved.
Maybe what you want is not to give up cigarettes, but to breathe better and take care of your health. To achieve this you will need to cultivate small habits, perhaps doing breathing exercises for three minutes or avoiding smoking a cigarette before a certain time. Once you've got this little habit, you can move on to the next one.
Sure, this takes longer, but remember there is no rush. Every little new habit that we manage to assume will allow us to save time and get out of the pattern of eternal procrastination.
The most important step is to set goals that are so small and undemanding that you are sure you can reach them without giving up.
Fogg also points out that technology is a good ally in these efforts. Applications or programs that set reminders, motivate or help set records give an extra boost and help us move forward.
It is worth trying the road some small habits to direct us towards those great transformations that we do not postpone indefinitely!
