The 'Keep It Small' Mindset for People Who Give Up Too Easily

── Just by breaking down tasks, you will stop your actions from stalling

Hello. I'm Shintaro.
Through body makeup and coaching, I design 'systems for consistency' for my clients.

I have received many consultations regarding dieting, exercise, and habit formation.
In doing so, I have seen the same scenario over and over again.

'I have the motivation.'
'I really want to keep going.'

While saying that,
there are so many people who quit everything after just one stumble.

But as I listen to their stories, the cause is clear.

The reason you can't keep going is not because your willpower is weak or you lack grit.
It's not that at all.

The first step is just too big.
That is all.

So this time,
I will write about the design and considerations for not stopping your actions, which is not about motivation or grit, but about
'baby steps'
'task breakdown'

When you finish reading this note,
you will stop blaming your 'inconsistent self'.

It doesn't mean your willpower will become stronger,
nor does it mean you will be able to act perfectly.

But... you will definitely change.

• You will understand the points where your actions stall

• You will stop treating 'days you couldn't do it' as failures

• The 'minimum line' of what you should do today will become clear

• You will stop letting your actions drop to zero

This note is a
blueprint for not stopping your actions.

If you currently have the feeling of,
'I'm trying to do it properly, but I can't keep it up,'
then please read on.

Note: This note is...
something to be practiced and used repeatedly, not just something to know and be done with.
'Knowing' and 'doing' are differentafter all.
Please reread it as many times as you need.

Why do people become unable to move even when they have the motivation?

What people who can't stick to things often do is

At first glance, these are positive goals, but
at this point, your brain is already hitting the brakes.

The human brain
has a nature of judging things with large changes or high loads
as 'dangerous' or 'troublesome'.

In other words,

not being able to move isn't laziness,
it's just your brain trying to keep you safe.

The more you try to 'do it properly,' the less likely you are to continue

The more serious you are,
the more you try to 'do it properly' from the start.

But that 'properly' often becomes,

these kinds of high standards.

As a result,

'I can't do it today'
→ Don't do it
→ Self-denial
→ Even less able to move

You enter this loop.

The reason you can't continue is
not the action itself.

'It's meaningless unless I do it properly'
—that verystandard of evaluation is the cause.

What are baby steps?

What is needed here is
the concept of baby steps.

Baby steps mean
deciding in advance on the 'smallest action'
to achieve your goal.

For example,
if you want to make 'running for 30 minutes' a habit,

1. Change into your workout clothes

2. Put on your shoes

3. Open the front door

4. Step outside and take a deep breath

5. Start a light jog

6. Continue running (3 minutes)

7. Continue running (5 minutes)

8. Continue running (10 minutes)... etc

I break it down into steps this small.

On top of that...
if you can achieve '1. Change into your workout clothes',
consider it a successand leave it at that.

You don't have to run.
You don't have to break a sweat.

The goal is not to exercise, but to
keep the action goinginstead.

The true meaning of breaking down tasks

Breaking down tasks
is not a trick to make things easier.

It is a
structure for habit formationthat satisfies these three things simultaneously.

Even if you 'only changed clothes today',
that is not a failure.

'You didn't let the habit drop to zero'is a respectable success.
I want you to accept this for yourself.

Doesn't 'too small an action' stop growth?

Well... that covers
the habit-forming method called 'Baby Steps'.

This method is often used for habit formation, so
many people probably already know it.

However...
there are still many people who struggle with forming habits.

Why is that?
I have been thinking about it for a long time,

I noticed that this question comes up often, and
I suspect that far too many people are misunderstanding this.

So...
in the second half, I would like to explore this method.

First, let's start with the answer to the question.
To put it bluntly, you will grow tremendously.

In the first place...
what do you think is the biggest cause of stopping growth?

It is becoming stagnant.It is.

It is definitely not 'small actions'.

At first glance,
“small actions” and “doing nothing” look very similar.

You want to make running a habit, but
following the baby steps mentioned earlier,

・Just changed into workout clothes
・Just put on your shoes

Can you say you grew from this?
I think that is why questions like the one earlier arise.

“In the end, you didn't run, did you?”
“Isn't that the same as not moving at all?”
Something like that.

But these two things arecompletely differentです。

What happens on a 'day of doing nothing'

First, let's consider a day when you did nothing.

The results for that day are as follows:

It ends in this state.

Then... from the next day onwards, it becomes easy to think like this:

Not only does the action stop, but your motivation stops too.

This is the state of 'becoming immobile'.

What happens on a 'day of tiny actions'

On the other hand...
following baby steps,
what about a day where you just changed into your workout clothes?

The results for that day are as follows:

It ends in this state.

It's completely different, right?
This is because... a 'sense of continuity' remains.

And from the next day onwards,
you can think like this:

The feeling of wanting to move forward and the psychological hurdle to taking action are lowered.

The 'realization that your actions haven't been interrupted' becomes fuel for your brain

The 'sense of continuity' I mentioned earlier
is not the sense of accomplishment of 'doing it well'.

The feeling that your actions have not been interrupted is what it's about.

Even if the content is small,
'I didn't end up at zero today'
'I was able to work on what I decided for myself'
the fact that these remain allows your heart to keep moving forward.

Even if it is evaluated as a 'small action'

Your brain remembers this clearly.

The sense of continuity is
not about the result, but the feeling that the flow is continuing.

Essentially... the brain dislikes change.
On the other hand... it accepts the fact that you executed it.

Mixing this 'change' and the 'fact that you executed it' to feed it to your brain as nourishment
is the very first step of 'behavioral change,' or in other words, forming good habits.

Only those who accumulate this feeling
and continue to nourish their brain
can change their habits and accumulate actions over a long period.

If your actions are not interrupted, you can move on to the next step.

The day after you change into your workout clothes,
you might go outside.

The day after you go outside,
you might run for just one minute.

If you can continue just changing into your workout clothes...
for a month,
that in itself is an amazing thing.

Whether or not this 'next' is born determines your growth.

And, what I want you to never forget is

that fact.

For now, this is
'Do you really grow from such small actions?'
the reason and consideration for the answer to that.

Next, I will talk about the changes you can gain by continuing baby steps.

The real change that small actions create

Regarding 'Small Actions'

I have already explained these characteristics at length.

What I want you to know next is

This is arguably the true value of 'small actions'.

By lowering the hurdle for action to the absolute minimum,
the evaluation of 'I couldn't do it' is unlikely to occur in the first place.

If the goal is 'putting on workout clothes'
instead of 'running for 30 minutes',
you can achieve it on most days regardless of the weather.

Because you design your actions on the premise that you can achieve them,
the evaluation of failure does not arise.

Even if you couldn't do it on a given day,
you are not left with the feeling that you 'slacked off on something big'.

Because the psychological damage is small,
it becomes easier to think 'I'll do it' again the next day.

Baby steps are also
a technique for preparing a 'way back' for days when things fall apart.as well.

What hinders people who can't keep going from restarting is
not the amount of action, but...
the'evaluation of oneself for not being able to do it'
in almost all cases.

Baby steps are a mechanism that prevents this evaluation from occurring in the first place.
Restarting becomes overwhelmingly faster.

This is the true value of 'small actions'.

▼▼ 'Returning' is continuing.
Please also refer to this note.

The true nature of baby steps is 'preparation for growth'.

To summarize what we have covered so far

This is the result.

To express this in one phrase,
what is a baby step?

This is the result.

・Days when you are motivated
・Days when you have spare time
・Days when you are in good shape

It is natural to be able to take action on such days.

What is important is

・Days when you are tired
・Days when you are busy
・Days when you are feeling down

Whether your actions drop to zero here,
or whether you continue, even if it is small.

Whether you have decided on a minimum baseline,
saying 'just this much is fine for today.'

This is
the dividing line between those who continue and those who stop.

This difference
will become a major gap in a few weeks or months.

A mindset that can be used for all habits

I am writing this note
as a body makeup coach, but

this mindset itself is not just for
dieting or exercise, but

it can be used for everything.

What is important is,

Instead of your 'ideal actions,'
decide on your 'unstoppable actions' first.

Finally

I've said this many times in this note, but...
The reason you can't keep going isn't because you're no good.

You just didn't know the system.

In other words, your first step was just too big.

There is only one thing to do today.

Choose one thing you want to continue, and
try breaking it down until it's so small it makes you laugh.

Then,
try doing only the smallest action you can manage today.

Just by doing that,
your actions will become unstoppable.

To those who say, 'I can't even get started in the first place...'

There is a mindset that is highly effective
when combined with baby steps.

'Eliminating ambiguity' in habits

▼▼ Learn more in this note.

To those who have read this far and feel...
'I understand, but I feel like I'm going to stop at the same place again.'

Instead of how to keep going,
a mindset for 'getting back on track' when things fall apart is something I have summarized
in another article.

【We have received happy feedback】

Recently, through individual consultations,

the number of people telling me this is increasing.

You don't have to force yourself to change.

I would be happy if you could remember me
whenever you feel the need.

Please contact me via DM on Threads or X.