PRACTICAL STEPS & PLANS

Step 1 – Choose mini habits plan

 At most 4 mini habits, give a week trial.

 Goals  (Mini habits, minify as possible )

1) Beat Porn Addiction  Go to library (just pack bag & sit on scooty) or
Go Downstairs
2) Beat Internet Addiction/Study/Man nahi kar raha  Use Timer To Quit Appliances & Use
Pomodoro (maybe for 5 min only, doesn’t matter) & Open Relevant Book site to do work.
3) Get workout  1 push up daily or Wear shoes & sit on scooty for gym . (hybrid mini habit
either/or choice both would be fine)
4) Eat Healthy  Eat 1 fruit daily
5) Meditation  open anapana audio

Step 2 - Know Why drill

 Ask multiple why on each habit ,should be on internal values not on society
expectations
Step 3 – Choose Cues for habits

 Deadline based (b4 bed) , vs time based (ex 4 pm) vs activity based (ex before going
too bathroom)
Step 4 – Create a Reward Plan

 Helps in reinforcing habits but optional as sense of satisfaction/progress is also itself

a reward, real sugar restores willpower not artificial sugar.

Step 5- Track Ur Progress

 Reasons – 1. Accountability ( little bit of pressure is helpful), 2. Mindfulness ( force

you to think/be aware), 3. Encouragement ( seeing streaks is inspiring)
 Success means completing all of your mini habits ( since they are so easy) , if not
reduce no of mini habits.
Step 6- Think Small

 Mini habits a safety net , no upper limit/ceiling for bonus reps

 Mini habits is daily spark (create a strong base)  someday it will turn into a flame
 after some that into a bonfire

Step 7- Drop High Expectations (as they create resistance)

 Consistent overachievement can create new expectations and thus not meeting
them can disappointment, relapsing yourself to past guilt cycle
  Remind yourself that your Mini Goal has not changed, Meeting Mini habits daily
is ENOUGH & SUCCESS ITSELF. Consistency over quantity.

Step 8- Signs of Habit

 Don’t add new ones b4 making old ones permanent , don’t be a

juggler of multiple things
 1 . No resistance - it’s easier to do than not to do it , 2. Mindless
Action - you just do the behaviour without much thinking about it
naturally, 3. Identity - when you identify yourself with the behaviour
ex gym rat, book lover etc

8 RULES
1. Never EVER Cheat
( bare minimum is enough , let extra reps come from you not from your
requirement)
2. Be Happy with ALL Progress
( Howsoever small)
3. Reward Yourself Often
( especially after mini habits)
4. Stay Level Headed
(Be Calm, difference between winner and losers is losers quit when things get
monotonous & boring. You will be excited in beginning, but don’t let
excitement become basis for taking action)
5. Resistance ? Go Smaller
( If Intense resistance, just make task stupid small ex resistance for going to
gym so open close door or wear socks. If sounds stupid small means brain will
not resist)
6. Remind yourself how easy this is
(mini habit)
7. No step is too small almost
(ex-can’t be like 1 word a day writing at least 20-30 words a day)
8. Bonus Reps > Bigger requirement
( Big goals look good on paper, only your action counts, put energy on bonus
reps rather increasing baseline requirements. Be the person with
EMBARRASSING GOALS with IMPRESSIVE REULTS instead of vice versa like
most people)

THEORY NOTES
 Stupid small steps that you can’t fail = Mini habits. Benefits bonus reps + no goal
failure guilt + routine consistency.
 Brain seeks  Low Difficulty + Instant Gratification + Highest Reward.
 If motivation is your starting strategy YOU WILL FAIL.
 Motivation is ex. want to -> want to -> want to, study/exercise/work. In the end we
will watch TV/Net, even b4 battle began we have lost.
  Waiting for motivation is ineffective & motivation itself decreases over time
(boredom sets in as novelty is lost)
 Idea of change/novelty excites us initially ( ex-jumping from subjects or papers ex, cfa
to frm )
 Get motivated strategy is to be toughening yourself up to do something, it’s a
thinking battle of mind. Actions  Motivation/Emotion is a better strategy. (mini
actions)
 Problem with motivation is a negative event crushes persons spirit/motivation
completely. Don’t count on motivation then, to pull you through storm .
 Motivation is sprinter, for habits you need marathoner.
 Using willpower to do very Stupid small positive steps every day.
 We our quick to blame our ourselves, but not our strategies
 Using willpower we can force ourselves to act regardless of our feelings.
 Mini Habits helps us to Over-Achieve. Mini Habits make you feel like a winner and
then you act like a winner.
 Willpower is finite , it depletes. All Decision making involves using willpower
howsoever basic like choosing what to wear or choosing between carrot & cookie.
 In some cases stress , is choice (ex we can choose to ignore dog barking as a stress) .
Anything affecting our emotions negatively will affect our willpower too negatively.
(After an argument, the productive work will be difficult)
 5 things that drain willpower 1) Effort (mental/physical exertion) 2) Perceived
Difficulty 3) Subjective Fatigue ( how tired you think you are) 4) Negative Affect
(experience of negative feelings, resisting desires, uncomfortable experiences) 5) Low
Blood Sugar (preserve willpower & use less energy) . Mini habits is panacea for all of
them, ex 1 push up a day. Video ex of whole day willpower bar like game.
 Introduce gentle changes, in small doses, the brain will be curios rather than scared
falling back to old habits.
 Resistance b4 action , starting is hardest part. Newton law , an object in momentum
will be in momentum , an object at rest will be at rest. Downward Slope snowball
example .
 Take small steps multiple times after starting. Size of steps doesn’t matter rather
direction of steps.
 Mini habits train you to believe in yourself. (by small daily success). Victories may be
small, but one small victory to a defeated mind is a big victory.
 Mini habits destroy, fear intimidation & doubt by slowly exposing you to them in a
way that feels safe & empowering. Taking first step slowly kills your fear over time.

SHRINK BAD HABITS SECTION

 We shouldn’t use punishment as Correction for bad habits.
  Passive bad habits like fear, laziness, overthinking can be due to absence of good one,
like darkness is absence of light.
 When we are stressed, tired, we fall back to our old good/bad habits. Stress -> bad
habit -> guilt -> repeat negative feedback loop.
 Bad habits are a constant threat till you die. ( after resisting 50 times , 51th time is
also temptating, only can weaken it slowly)
 Rationalization/ Excuses is common for bad habits ex. Just this time.
 Size of intention doesn’t matter; people OVERESTIMATE their self-control ability.
 When we resist something directly  think more about it  triggers our cues of bad
habits (negative cycle loop)
 One on one resistance is futile. ( like 5 year old arm wrestling with Arnold
Schwarzenegger)
Bad Habit Anatomy & Steps
 1) Triggers  Identify trigger before momentum gets too strong (addiction)
 people - friends, family, authority person, group ,pet.
 emotions - bored, happy, sad, anxious, irritated, discouraged, angry.
 places – your room, kitchen, car, nightclub, bathroom.
 activities – being alone , arriving home from work, watching tv/net,
eating, drinking , waiting .
2) Urge  3) Action/Bad Habit  4) Reward
First line of defence  Avoid triggers , avoid bad habit.
1) Write down your triggers of bad habit, helps in mindfulness.
2) Rank each trigger.
1- Easy to avoid , 2 - Sometimes, 3- Impossible to avoid (mostly emotions like
Boredom, Stress)
Second line of defence  Reroute
 Couldn’t avoid being tempted/ triggered ex stress after work , bored alone in
bedroom
 Quickly take one small step in different direction when triggered/tempted.
 Small Size (low willpower cost) & Fast Step (take step ASAP) is key.
 Typical Path 1) Trigger  2) Urge  3) Action/Bad Habit  4) Reward

Our Path 2) Divert  3) Different behaviour 4) Reward

 Make 1 or 2 sentence phrases to remind yourself when you choose alternative path. (
to remind why we are ditching this bad habit ex “Ice cream isn’t good for me,
broccoli will improve my health & life”)

Cold Turkey Section

 Bad habits are poisonous.
 How you do cold turkey matter ( strategy)
  Scaling back bad habit is not a good option as there is still continued exposure,
without addressing the root of the problem. Nicotine patch example as it reminds
you of smoking only.
 Ex if you just want to limit ex tv than you can treat maximum target as final target ex
2 hours of TV per day instead of 0 hours per day.
 Not Quitting forever, just today, that’s all matters ! (mini habits , small wins, make
winning easier than loosing) . forever is made of single days. One day at a time. Ex 1
push up a day (day=waking till sleeping) (never watch a video ex)
 Bad habits thrive on small loses (ex-just one time etc, will start from tomorrow , it’s
not that important.)
Third line of defence  Choose your Reroute paths
 Don’t enter into a tempting situation.
 Choose 1-3 alternate actions for each or multiple triggers. Do some experimentation
to find out re-routing behaviours for each trigger.
 Re- routes path examples ; Call a friend ; Walk away ; Say out loud “I don’t____ bad
habit”; Leave the room ; Do 1 push up ; Go to your car/scooty drive away ; Eat an
apple ; Take a shower; Take 5 breath ; Meditate ; Sing something ; Take a nap ; fap

Fourth line of defence  Choose your Rewards by triggers

 Choose reasonably heathy rewards when brain craves bad habits. Ex eat small
chocolate, play your favourite sports/game , Relax , Watch TV, Spend time with
family/friend, Eat something.
 Choose 1 bad habit at a time to tackle.

Bad Habit Number 1 – Porn Addiction

TRIGGERS Of Porn Addiction & their respective ranking of difficulty ( try to avoid them)
1 - Easy to Avoid -
2 – Sometimes – Being Alone, Excitement, Anger, Bedroom , Touch Sensitvity, Gf call
3 - Impossible To Avoid – Boredom , Stress, Sadness , Being Alone, Fatigue, B4 Sleep
Phrase -
Triggers for PMO & Their respective re-routing behaviours (divert it)
Mainly 2 types - Privacy & Emotions based
Phrase to use when got triggered/tempted - Porn isn’t good for me, avoiding it will improve
my health, money my life my everything”)

 Self-touch sensitive – Wear jeans mostly at home too

 Privacy/ Being alone – Go downstairs/ Go to library
 Boredom - Go downstairs/Outside , listen/watch song/comedy or Call/talk to
someone
  Stress/Anger/Excitement/Sadness – Work , listen/watch song/comedy or Call/talk to
someone, deep breathing, relax , take a nap
 Gf calling – Get up & sit on chair
 Bedroom – Go down , avoid sleeping alone

Bad Habit Number 2 – Internet Addiction

 Limit it –
No twitter for today , Watching gk related when got home in evening after work for 2
hour.
Triggers for Internet Addiction & Their respective re-routing behaviours (divert it)
Mainly 2 types - Place & Emotions based

 Privacy/ Being alone – Go downstairs/ Go to library

 Stress/Anger/Excitement/Sadness /Boredom – Close appliance by using 1 min timer
& use Pomodoro to work maybe 5 minutes only.

Optional Mini habit

 No daily requirement pressure.
 Can decrease bonus reps of daily mini habits
 Don’t threaten your core mini habits as you can skip optional ones
 Breadth vs depth ( prefer fewer habits is better strategy)
Extras
 Scaling up Not advised as risky at least wait 1-2. months b4 scaling up mini habits.
 DON’T skip 2 days , 1 day is fine 2 day is a trend.
 Don’t aim for set no of days ex 60 , prefer consistency rather than a magic number.