Stanford behavior scientist, author of Tiny Habits
Mindset
The Tiny Habits Recipe (ABC Method)
The Tiny Habits Recipe follows the ABC formula: Anchor (an existing routine), Behavior (the new tiny action), and Celebration (immediate positive emotion). The recipe…
Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything (2019)
The Behavior Grid
The Behavior Grid classifies 15 types of behavior change along two dimensions: behavior type (new, familiar, increase, decrease, stop) and duration (one-time, for a…
The Behavior Grid (behaviordesign.stanford.edu)
The Ability Chain
Ability is not a single thing but a chain of five links: Time, Money, Physical Effort, Mental Effort, and Routine compatibility. The weakest link in the chain determines…
Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything (2019)
Celebration and Shine
Celebration is the deliberate creation of a positive feeling immediately after performing a behavior. 'Shine' is Fogg's term for the feeling of success that dramatically…
Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything (2019)
Starter Steps and Scaling
A Starter Step is the smallest possible version of a behavior that creates momentum. Shrink any desired behavior to its absolute minimum (floss one tooth, write one…
Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything (2019)
Motivation Wave Surfing
Motivation comes in waves that are powerful but temporary. Use high-motivation moments to accomplish difficult one-time tasks (setup, restructuring, big decisions) but…
Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything (2019)
B=MAP: A behavior occurs only when Motivation, Ability, and a Prompt converge at the same moment. If any one element is missing, the behavior will not happen.
When designing any new habit, workflow, or execution routine, ensure all three elements are present simultaneously before expecting the behavior to occur.
Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything (2019)
Churn
Shipping
Motivation, ability and a prompt must converge. When a behavior fails, check the prompt first and motivation last.
There's only three elements that must happen at the same moment for behavior to occur: Motivation, there has to be some level, ability, and there has to be a trigger. And those things have to happen at the same moment. If any one's missing the behavior won't happen.
Prompt Design (Spark, Facilitator, Signal)
Fogg identifies three types of prompts, each suited to a different motivation-ability state. Sparks raise motivation (use when ability is high but motivation is low).…
Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything (2019)
The feeling of success ('shine') increases automaticity dramatically. The earlier someone feels successful, the faster the habit wires in.
When onboarding someone to a new practice or tool, design for early wins.
Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything (2019)
Help people do what they already want to do. The most effective behavior design removes barriers for existing desires rather than manufacturing new ones.
Persuasion is hard and often temporary. Finding what people already want to do and making it frictionless is both more ethical and more effective. This is why focusing…
Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything (2019)
Scaling
When a behavior is not happening, check the Prompt first. In most cases, the behavior fails because there is no clear trigger, not because of low motivation.
Diagnosing why a team or individual is not executing consistently.
Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything (2019)
Treat behavior change as 15 different problems, not one. Starting a new behavior, increasing a behavior, and stopping a behavior each require different interventions.
When designing team interventions or process changes and tempted to use a one-size-fits-all approach.
The Behavior Grid (behaviordesign.stanford.edu)
BJ Fogg
says behaviour happens only when motivation, ability and a prompt land in the same instant, and that motivation is the least reliable of the three. So you shrink the behaviour and place the prompt, instead of trying to make people want it more.
says nobody switches because a prompt arrived. They switch because a struggling moment got big enough, and the forces of progress, push, pull, anxiety and habit, decide whether the switch happens at all.
