Micro-Habits vs Macro-Habits: What Should You Actually Track?
When you set out to change your routine, you generally have two choices: track a Micro-Habit, or track a Macro-Habit.
Understanding the difference between the two is usually what determines if you'll still be doing it a month from now.
The Macro-Habit Trap
A macro-habit is a large, time-consuming routine. Example: "Go to the gym for an hour." "Read a whole chapter of a book." "Clean the entire house."The problem with tracking macro-habits is that they require a massive amount of motivation. On a good day, you'll crush it. On a bad day when you're tired from work, the thought of going to the gym for an hour is paralyzing, so you just do nothing instead.
The Power of Micro-Habits
A micro-habit is a ridiculously small action that requires almost zero willpower. Example: "Do 5 pushups." "Read 2 pages." "Put away 3 items of clothing."When you track micro-habits, you remove all resistance. You can always find the energy to do 5 pushups, even on your worst day. And here is the secret: once you do the 5 pushups, you usually end up doing 20. But even if you don't, you still kept the habit alive.
How to Track Both
In a perfect world, you use micro-habits on your bad days, and macro-habits on your good days.In my app, HabLoop, we encourage the micro-habit approach. Because the app uses a clean, retro interface and allows for "Habit Stacking," you can string 4 or 5 tiny micro-habits together (e.g., Drink water -> stretch 2 mins -> read 2 pages). It takes 5 minutes total, but it completely shifts the momentum of your day.
Stop failing at macro-habits. Start succeeding at micro-habits.
Android download: HabLoop on Google Play
Website: habloop.appzyra.com
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