Tiny Habits recipe builder
BJ Fogg’s recipe has three parts: an Anchor you already do, a Behaviour so small it takes seconds, and a Celebration that makes it feel like a win.
How to get each part right
Anchor
Choose something that already happens reliably and ends clearly: flushing, pouring coffee, sitting on the bus. Fogg recommends matching the anchor to the physical location of the new behaviour.
Behaviour
Make it absurdly small: floss one tooth, open the journal, one push-up. Tiny behaviours don’t depend on motivation, which rises and falls. They grow naturally once the habit is rooted.
Celebration
Do it immediately after the behaviour. Fogg calls the feeling “Shine”. It is the step most people skip, and the one he considers most important for wiring the habit in.
Starter recipes
| After I… | I will… |
|---|---|
| start the coffee maker | put my water bottle on the counter |
| sit down on the bus | open my language app |
| close the car door at home | take one deep breath before going in |
| turn on the shower | think of one thing I’m looking forward to |
| put my head on the pillow | name one good moment from today |
Source: BJ Fogg, Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything (2019). HabitMind is not affiliated with Dr Fogg or the Tiny Habits Academy.
Keep designing
- Habit trackerDesign habits with a cue, identity and 2-minute start, then stitch off each day.
- Habit stackingAnchor a new habit to one you already do.
- 2-Minute RuleShrink any habit until starting is easy.
- If-then plannerDecide when and where in advance.
- Temptation bundlingPair a “should” with a “want”.
- Habit scorecardAudit what you already do each day.
- Break a bad habitInvert the four laws into a plan.
- Morning routine builderA timed stack for the first hour.
- Printable trackerYour habits on a one-page monthly grid.
Questions
What is the Tiny Habits method?
Tiny Habits is BJ Fogg’s method, developed at Stanford’s Behavior Design Lab and described in his 2019 book Tiny Habits. You write a recipe with three parts: an anchor moment (an existing routine), a tiny behaviour (something you can do in under 30 seconds) and a celebration (a small, genuine feeling of success right afterwards).
Why celebrate such a small action?
Fogg argues that emotions create habits: a positive feeling immediately after a behaviour helps it wire in. The celebration can be a fist pump, saying “nice”, or a smile. It should feel natural to you, not forced.
How is Tiny Habits different from the 2-Minute Rule?
Both shrink the behaviour. Tiny Habits is even smaller (often under 30 seconds) and adds the explicit celebration step; the 2-Minute Rule from Atomic Habits focuses on a gateway version that leads into the full habit.
What is the ABC of Tiny Habits?
A is the Anchor moment, B is the new tiny Behaviour, C is the Celebration. The recipe reads: “After I [anchor], I will [tiny behaviour]. Then I will [celebrate].”