#3 TINY HABITS HOW TO#

It requires discipline (another not fun word) and intentionality to recognize that self-control, though not popular (even in Christian circles), is valuable for the believer. The reality is that self-control isn’t fun. How would you fill in the blank? (an event, a person, a mood) In the last week, when I’ve found myself lacking self-control, it may have been triggered by _. That means that we need to take note of the triggers that become “provisions” for giving in when we really want to live with self-control. In Romans, it tells us to “make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lust.” So, next time you start identifying yourself as a person without self-control, STOP! In Christ, you have self-control! Three: The question then becomes whether we choose to access and exercise our self-control. Scripture tells us, we have a spirit of self-control living inside of us. You may not be practicing self-control, but it isn’t because you don’t HAVE self-control. I’m quick to tell myself what I don’t have or can’t do, but if you are a follower of Jesus, those words are simply UNTRUE. Have those words come out of your mouth, or have you spoken them over yourself in your mind?

Memorize and meditate on 2 Timothy 1:7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.-2 Timothy 1:7 ESV ***Fun fact: Did you know that studies show that if you start brushing your teeth with the opposite hand, it can boost your conscientiousness? Two: If you feel like you are functioning on auto-pilot, ask God to bring your attention to areas where you need to take back control. If you want to develop self-control, start with a greater awareness of what you are doing. According to the Life Hacks Study Bible, “conscientiousness refers to the type of impulse control that facilitates task-and goal-directed behaviors, such as thinking before acting, delaying gratification and following rules, as well as planning, organizing and prioritizing tasks.”Ĭonscientiousness just means to increase your thoughts about what you are doing and why. Take 1 minute (set a timer if you need to) and ask God to increase your conscientiousness. And these are three tiny habits that can help you develop self-control in your own life. Self-control is one of the fruits of a life surrendered to the Spirit living inside of us. It isn’t the most fun topic, but by neglecting self-control, we stunt our spiritual growth and miss out on the fullness of what God wants to do in and through us. In everyday life, I'm not so animated.I’m utterly convinced self-control is a missing piece in the spiritual walk of many Christians. (A big audience sitting far away means you gotta be dramatic. This comes from a 3-hour gig I did in Buenos Aires for 1200 biz people. In this 9-minute video, I talk about my Behavior Model, especially hot triggers. So here's the key: You need to match the new behavior you want with the best anchor to trigger your new behavior. Again, some are one-timers, and some are multi. There are anchors that happen to you: the phone rings, the stoplight turns red, the sun sets, and so on. You'll find anchors in your life that are not behaviors you do. And if you do make a list of 'anchors' in your life, you really are a superstar student. If you've read this far, you deserve extra credit. Multi-Anchors: use toilet, wash hands, hang up phone, etc. One-time Anchors: shave, put on shoes, leave for work, etc. And you'll find those you do multiple times. If you decide to make this list, you'll find two types of stable behaviors, both of which I call 'anchors.' You'll find behaviors you do just once each day. Most were surprised with what they learned: lots of habits in the morning, and not many habits again until the day was ending. Two years ago, I had my Stanford students map out their daily health habits. You'd ask: 'What does this new behavior most naturally follow?' Then, to sequence in a new behavior, you could simply look at your list and find the right match.

Wouldn't it be great to have a list of behaviors you do *every* day without fail? In future sessions of 3 Tiny Habits, I may ask people to focus closely on B, the stable habits and cues in daily life.

#3 TINY HABITS HOW TO#

Knowing how to self-reinforce ('Victory!'<- We did this on Tuesday) Finding what stable habit (or cue) will trigger the new behavior (more below)Ĭ. Mastering Tiny Habits means learning how to do three things well:ī.

3 tiny habits