The Tiny Habits Formula: The Easiest Way to Create a New Habit

Creating new habits doesn't have to be a struggle; by using the Tiny Habits formula, anyone can effortlessly integrate positive behaviors into their lives. The key lies in anchoring new habits to existing routines, making them tiny, and celebrating successes to reinforce the behavior.

Hirvesh Munogee

June 24, 2025

3 min read

Habit Formation

Behavior Change

Habit Loop

Habits

Behavioral Psychology

Why Is Starting So Hard?
The Reality: The "ABC" Recipe for Effortless Change
1. After I... [Existing Habit] (The Anchor)
2. I will... [Tiny New Behavior] (The Tiny Habit)
3. And then I will... [Celebrate] (The Reward)
The Formula in Action
The Takeaway: Design Your Habits, Don't Force Them
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Why Is Starting So Hard?

We've all been there. We have a genuine desire to build a new habit—like meditating, exercising, or reading more—but we can't seem to make it stick. We rely on motivation, but motivation is fickle. We try to set reminders, but we end up ignoring them. The process often feels like a chore, a constant battle against our own inertia.

What if there was a formula—a simple, proven recipe—that made starting a new habit feel not just easy, but effortless and even fun? According to Stanford behavior scientist BJ Fogg, there is. It’s called the Tiny Habits formula, and it's a game-changer for anyone who has ever struggled to make a new behavior stick.

The Reality: The "ABC" Recipe for Effortless Change

The Tiny Habits model, famously shared on platforms like ideas.ted.com, moves away from relying on willpower and instead focuses on simple, concrete steps. The formula is as follows:

After I [Existing Habit], I will [Tiny New Behavior], and then I will [Celebrate].

Let's break down this powerful recipe:

1. After I... [Existing Habit] (The Anchor)

The first step is to find a reliable, existing routine in your life. This acts as an "anchor" or a trigger for your new habit. You're not trying to find a new time in your day; you're simply linking the new behavior to something you already do automatically.

After I pour my morning coffee...

After I brush my teeth...

After I sit down on the train...

After I take off my work shoes...

This immediately solves the problem of "when" and "where" you'll do the new habit.

2. I will... [Tiny New Behavior] (The Tiny Habit)

This is the most crucial part. You must scale down your desired habit into something incredibly small—an action so easy it takes less than 60 seconds and requires almost no motivation to do. The goal is to make it "too small to fail."

...I will do two push-ups.

...I will floss one tooth.

...I will open my meditation app.

...I will put my running shoes by the door.

This is not the full habit, but the first, tiny step. It lowers the barrier to entry so much that you have no reason to say no.

3. And then I will... [Celebrate] (The Reward)

According to Fogg, celebration is the most important and most overlooked part of habit formation. Immediately after you perform your tiny behavior, you need to create a positive feeling for yourself. This instantaneous reward hacks your brain's feedback loop, wiring the new habit in place and making you want to do it again. A celebration can be anything that makes you feel good:

A little fist pump.

Smiling at yourself in the mirror.

Saying "Good job!" out loud.

Doing a little happy dance.

It might feel silly at first, but this act of self-reinforcement is what makes the new habit feel like a "win," creating a craving to repeat the behavior.

The Formula in Action

Let's see the full recipe at work with the classic example from the prompt:

Goal: I want to floss daily.

The Recipe: After I brush my teeth at night (the anchor), I will floss one tooth (the tiny behavior). Then, I will smile in the mirror and think, "I'm taking care of my health!" (the celebration).

Flossing all your teeth feels like a chore. Flossing one tooth is ridiculously easy. By chaining this tiny, easy action to an established habit and then celebrating it, you are making the new routine feel successful and satisfying from the very first day. The habit of flossing will grow naturally from there.

The Takeaway: Design Your Habits, Don't Force Them

Stop fighting with yourself to build new habits. Become a habit designer instead. Use BJ Fogg's simple and profound formula to seamlessly integrate new, positive behaviors into your life. Pick an anchor, make the new habit tiny, and never, ever forget to celebrate your success. You'll be amazed at how effortlessly real change can happen.