If this is something you want to change – keep listening. Most people fail at building new habits not because they’re weak, but because they start too big. Your brain is wired to avoid effort and seek easy rewards. That means even when you logically know change isn’t a “mammoth task”, it can feel like one.
Why Small Beats Big Every Time
Think about the last time you tried to overhaul your lifestyle. Maybe you promised yourself you’d stop eating sugar, hit the gym five times a week, or meditate every morning. It probably lasted a few days – if that. The reason? Your brain defaulted to the path of least resistance.
Micro habits bypass that resistance. They’re so small your brain can’t argue with them, yet over time, they create momentum.
Change doesn’t start with running a marathon – it starts with tying your trainers once a day.
Choose Just One Micro Habit This Week
Here’s your challenge: pick one tiny habit this week and lock it in. Don’t overcomplicate it. Here are a few ideas:
A one-line journal each evening. Open the Notes app and type one sentence about what you did well today.
Hydration by stealth. Every time you open a new email, take a sip of water. Hit two litres without even noticing.
Five mindful breaths a day. Bolt it onto something you already do, like waiting for the kettle or yes, even sitting on the loo (helpful if you’ve nailed the two-litre water habit 😂).
Once the micro habit feels automatic, add another. Slowly, you start chipping away at the iceberg without overwhelming yourself.
Why Micro Habits Actually Work
The psychology is simple. Every completed micro habit gives your brain a dopamine reward – the same hit you’d get from scrolling social media or munching biscuits. But now the reward is attached to progress, not sabotage.
This is why one biscuit every four hours is more effective long-term than banning biscuits entirely. You’re hacking your own reward system instead of fighting it.
When you compound small wins, you get big shifts – without the burnout of “all or nothing” thinking.
What This Teaches About Life and Business
The same principle applies beyond health or stress management. At People Building, this is exactly how we help clients make change stick. And it’s the foundation of how our coaching franchise works too.
Franchisees don’t need to conquer the entire market on day one. They start with one micro action – one talk, one client, one referral – and then compound. Before long, they’ve built a coaching business that feels effortless because it grew step by step.
The truth is, whether you’re tackling anxiety, bad habits, or building a career, it’s not about radical overnight transformation. It’s about momentum. And momentum is born from micro habits.
So here’s my challenge to you: don’t wait for the “perfect time” to make a big change. That day doesn’t come. Choose one micro habit this week. Nail it. Then choose the next.
That’s how lives change. That’s how businesses grow. And that’s how you stop failing and start moving forward.
by Gemma Bailey (with the help of Ai)
