Bigger Results (Volume 1) - Mini Habits - Smaller Habits

This book was exactly what I was looking for. Easy read, great insight, and life changing. No matter where you are at in your life journey, this book will meet you there and guide you in taking empowering simple small steps.

I just love it. Very simpel system that even small children can apply.
I am quiet a while busy making habits and this book gave me a lot of support.
In combination with Kindle (the text version of the book) is just perfect.

This book was just what the doctor ordered. I am a chronic overachiever currently suffering from burnout. The ideas that Mr Guise presents in this book help me think about better ways to manage my life. Well done and thank you!

This book helped me from the first day I started reading it.
Finally, instead of fighting myself to get motivated (and feeling guilty or bad when I don't), here is a way to work with myself to get the results I want.

I've been a student of personal development for many years. I have, quite literally, read hundreds of books on the subject. I have accumulated a vast reservoir of knowledge, and yet I have not been able to create any real or lasting change in my life. Zip. Zero. Nada. I always thought it was my fault, but this book showed me that it's the strategies espoused by mainstream personal development that are flawed, not me. Armed with this new knowledge, I am on my way to creating the life I was born to live. Read this book!

I'm starting my fourth week of working my own mini habits. While the mini habits I'm working on are simple I've noticed I'm improving on other areas of my life as well but since they aren't official mini habits they are all bonus.

I thought Mini Habits approached changing behavior in a concise and original way. I liked the concept of developing willpower through consistancy rather than relying on motivation. Makes sense to me.

Mini Habits Mini Review:
Get it.
Read it.
Do it.
Reap the benefits.

A Little Longer Review:

We’ve all read the blogs and books about forming habits. We all know what we need to do. We’ve all tried and we’ve all failed. Repeatedly.

Stephen knows this because he is one of us as well.

What he has come up with is “stupid small” steps. Many of us, me included, are experts at making our habit change plans in detail and know long it should take to achieve our results. Then intimidation of what needs to happen can overwhelm us. The utter brilliance of stupid small steps are daily goals that you can do easily with out having to devote much precious willpower to complete. You will have a victory each day to work from. Not doing it is tantamount to trying to drive with out starting your car….stupid small steps.

As for myself, I want to write. But I can hardly ever get myself to sit down and move the pen or put fingers to the keyboard. The review for this book has already gotten me way past my new goal of writing 50 words a day. A nice red victory checkmark will go on my wall calendar!

Buy this book and read it. It’s short and packs a punch. You probably spend more time in a week reading habit /personal development blogs than it would to read through this book and implement it.

My new motto is Stupid Small…Thanks Stephen!

The mini-habit skills taught in this book have made my life much easier, removing the resistance that made reaching my goals so painfully difficult. Much better than time management management, setting goals, or to-do lists!

The mini-habit skills taught in this book have made my life much easier, removing the resistance that made reaching my goals so painfully difficult. Much better than time management management, setting goals, or to-do lists!

The author presents some very interesting ideas and researched backup date in developing his mini method of develop successful habits. It's a very practical method for creating habits. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because he tended to repeat himself somewhat. Yet, this book is very much worth reading if you have a problem with self-discipline when it comes to developing a habit.

I've read quite a few books on habits and still struggle with maintaining them. Honestly, I really expected more of the same but Mr. Guise has a unique logic for his mini-habit plan and I'm hopeful! I will update this review after a few months on this approach.

Small message expanded into a book. Did enjoy reading most of the book. Got tired of it towards the end. Recommend reading backwards and skipping the front. The message, "just take the first step" expended to make money and sell his message and other services.

I give this book a 5 star rating simply because mini habits work! I started with just one mini habit... Exercise just 2 minutes a day, every day. I haven't missed yet and although some have been of a shorter duration than 40 minutes, most have been about that. I don't feel pushed to exercise because after all it's only 2 minutes and so I show up every day and it really does work. Give this book a try. You won't be disappointed!

I started reading Stephen's blog earlier this summer. His writing always came across as friendly and poignant. He was the same when I happened to write him an email asking about his thoughts on a particular topic related to a post. I genuinely felt that he truly cared to try and help others. Because of that background (and the insights in his lengthy reply), I was intrigued by his statements of using will power rather than motivation. All too often, self-help gurus (and anyone else with "advice") will tell you that it's all about getting motivated to do something - and motivation hadn't helped me for years, leaving me constantly disappointed with myself for not meeting certain goals.

Mini Habits swims against the stream and focuses on using stupidly small habits to accomplish your goals. And not only does he talk about HOW to do this, he backs up his statements with information from the fields of neurology and psychology. Yet it doesn't feel like a text book at all. He talks about the prefrontal cortex vs. the basal ganglia in a way that draws the reader in rather than make their eyes glaze over.

I'm roughly 1/3 of the way through Mini Habits and looking forward for some free time to delve back in. I'm confident that the rest of the book will be as easy to read as the first. And since I'm actually understanding more why I feel the way that I do about goals and habits in ways that books like Getting Things Done never did, I'll call that a success. I hope that you'll try the book out and feel as good about it as I have.

The book is okay, but it doesn't contain anything new. The format is a bit boring. Bullet points would have been useful when describing how to implement his suggestions. I would prefer to return it for something better.

I enjoyed this book. I love his style of writing and his totally differant way of addressing the problem of forming habits. It is a guilt free formula to success. I have been having fun setting my mini habis, I like the fact that if something isn't working for me - I can just reset the bar till it works.

Already read the title and introduction? Seems brilliant, isn't it? But that's it. There is nothing more in the book. Buy it only to reward the author of the idea but you won't get anything more from the book. Pages and pages have been filled unnecessarily. The idea is brilliant but doesn't need that much bulk to explain it. I would have appreciated it more, had it been an article-size book that saved my time. Somehow many new authors think that to charge money, they have to fill the pages to make the book a certain size in number of words. This book is like that. At least now I know how not to write a book about a new idea.

I find dat dis book deals practically dan just text on paper.I haven't tried the strategy but the way the author explains were all too gud n he has done gud homework on dis.I have read many books but dis one I really loved it.Thanks to the author for this gud work.

I had high hopes for this book after reading a sample of it, but I could’ve just read the sample and got the same thing out of it as reading the whole book. Repetitive and not the least bit helpful. Sounds like the author read a few self help books then wrote about how they helped him. Save your money.

I bought the book on a whim after reading Mr. Guise's blog where he speaks about willpower vs. motivation, and how willpower wins hands down.

"Mini Habits" delves deeply into that philosophy, and Mr. Guise explains neurological bases for why that holds true.

In short, the book raises many valid arguments about why just doing something less than delectable is far better than waiting for whimsical motivation to take hold.

My main gripe is that after explaining his belief, Mr. Guise explains it again and again and again. The book is too long for its content. While reading it I wondered if most of this tome might not have been written during one of his 2000 word marathons when he willed himself to write while being disinclined to do so.

And personally I wonder what Mr. Guise does when he is not reading, writing or doing push-ups...

The author repeatedly mentions chocolate chip cookies and sugar for motivation and energy. (mostly in chapter 8 on audible) He repeats that low blood sugar/glucose levels hamper your progress toward achieving goals, which is true, but he talks about sugar as if it's the solution. There is no mention of maintaining healthy, balanced blood sugar/glucose levels by eating healthy foods at regular intervals, instead of waiting until your blood sugar plummets and dosing yourself with sweets.

Then in chapter 10 on audible he admits that sugar is addictive, and then suggests it as a reward. By the author's own Mini Habits method, if you use his sugar messages you will develop a solid habit of eating sweets for energy, motivation or reward...

This is unacceptable in the midst of a chronic disease epidemic. Sugars, including natural ones, feed nearly all diseases. Artificial sweeteners are toxic and if you look at the studies artificial sweeteners promote diabetes as much or more than sugars do.
Look at grams of sugar on every label including "health foods" and "health drinks" including 100% fruit juice. 4 grams of sugar = 1 teaspoon sugar. When sugar dissolves it shrinks in volume, but 4 grams still = 1 teaspoon. Very small amounts of real honey are better, but most honey is fake, you can look this up - to avoid the high risk of fake honey you can get certified organic or from a local farmers market. Xylitol is not a sugar and not artificial but is now made with gmo corn. Stevia is the only sweetener that is not a sugar, not artificial, and to my knowledge not gmo. But stevia is very highly processed, especially Truvia brand, so should be used in moderation.

If you crave sweets, you may be addicted to them, and/or have a nutrient imbalance such as not enough of the B vitamins. NO fault of yours - just look up the history of sugar consumption/ sugar industry to see how it's been pushed on us, while we were taught to fear fats. Biology 101, every cell in the human body has a cell membrane made primarily of lipids (fats) and the human brain is over 50% fat. Real fats are vital nutrients - raw nuts, avocados, unrefined coconut oil, olive oil, butter from cows fed their natural diet of live green grass- not dead grass or gmo corn.
Craving processed carbs is still a sugar craving since they turn to sugar in the body (bread, pasta, crackers, etc., including excessive whole grain processed foods), excessive meaning more than 1/4 of the meal being processed carbs.

Back to the book Mini Habits (audible version)... in chapter 8 the author states "if you're tired from low blood sugar Mini Habits gives you the best chance to take action anyway." So if we're already tired or weakened by low blood sugar, we should carry on with our mini habits, including push ups anyway? Or should we grab some sugar? These are the two options offered.

It's ironic because the book does make some exceptionally good points, and the concept can be very useful. I'm using parts of the book successfully which is why I gave it 2 stars. In fact, Mini Habits could be among my top recommendations, but I won't give it more than 2 stars due to the above reasons. Of the many books I've read/ listened to on the subject, the most helpful are the good, not bad parts of this book Mini Habits, anything by Anthony Robbins (especially his audios), The War of Art by Steven Pressfield (especially for artists, writers and others who work alone), Eat That Frog, and especially The Miracle Morning.

I have read and reviewed a lot of so called self help books. For the most part they are very abstract, and while you can pick up at least something helpful from almost any one of them, they are not what I would consider Jewels. The premise of this book while some may consider simplistic is presented in a real life sort of application way. If you take what the author is saying to you to heart, like I have done, it is going to be impossible to not have it improve your life if you actually put into any action whatsoever. Baby steps to a better you. This is hands down the best book I have ever read on the psychology and what it takes to break or develop a habit. The information is brought together from various sources and studies into one place. While not in super depth as far as source material, it gives you enough to get you going.
If you were to read only one book on forming or busting habits this is one of your best options. I have read several other books on habits like I said (The power of habit), but the way they are presented is a bit overwhelming, or could just not relate it to my life even though the book is quite good

The phrase less is more and keep it simple for the best results comes to mind. This just works. But you just can't sit there. Action is a must.

Diferent from self help books based on motivation boost leverage, this is based on science and straight forward practical tips on enhancing action. It reminded me of biblical passage... "Never despise small beginings". It has got me back to my piano playing studio after a back trouble breakdown on my woodshed. been practicing from day 1 reading the book, it's that effective!

The author has a brilliant concept in achieving goals by starting with mini habits. But he spends so very much time explaining the research, the pitfalls of traditional habit formation, brain structure, motivation energy drain, and on and on. If you've read just one book or article on goal setting, you already know most of this. When, in the second half of the book the author begins to describe how to set mini goals, he gives step one, slides quickly over the most important part and goes straight to how to measure results. I actually got what I needed from the first few pages.

Advice to author: rewrite the book - spend no more than 1,500 words on the science. Use the rest of the first half of the book to describe *completely* how to follow your method. Use the second half of your book to give case histories or examples of how to apply your method in each of the quadrants of life: health, education, relationships, career...etc.

I won't waste time endorsing this book with my opinions, so here are some facts. When I started this book I was productively using a few hours of my day due to prior commitments. Now I'm working on a business plan, my room is slowly approaching cleanliness, I've gotten about halfways through my university applications and tomorrow I run a half-marathon. More importantly then all of this, I've found new faith in myself.

This very well written book introduces a concept I resisted at first--my nature (and I suspect most people's) is averse simply to setting such laughably tiny goals for myself. I kept thinking, as David (husband and--by coincidence [chuckle]--a psychiatrist) would talk about the book, "I am NOT starting with such little goals that, in themselves, won't practically help me." But the lessons of this book take all my nay-saying into consideration, deal with it effectively, and persuasively urge me on. Hey--I was at such a difficult and low point (emotionally) in this life, that *nothing* else was really even sustainable except this, so essentially, I wasn't "getting anywhere" with my hopes and ideas, anyway--all my motivationally based schemes/plans/constructs were failing me hugely, so, "Okay," I thought one day, "I guess I really might benefit from reading this book <sigh> -- here we go--another 'plan' to launch me out of these doldrums. Whatever happened to what was probably a very wise aversion to books of the 'Self-Help' genre, anyway? But, oh, what the [deleted] ever."

Let me simply say now that I've progresses perhaps 10,000 times further with this author's ideas and words of true wisdom, than I have, in many years, attempting to use the more traditional ("Set Laudable, Respectable, High Goals, and Achieve Them This Way") type of productivity, "life-improvement," "healthy habit/routine-promoting" methods.

Don't worry: the book is devised with people of different "natures" in mind: it isn't totally a one-size-fits-all work, and, at the same time, the core, well-explained principles are, surely, universal. (Well, I don't see how they couldn't be--read the book: you'll understand what I mean.)

Last thing I want to write at present: This book, as I see it, is excellent reading for most anyone who may wish to improve, say, just one or so aspects of life, but meet occasional road blocks. And there's the following.

***Very important: If you find yourself in one of those--oh, I don't know--really big, "Dark Night of the Soul" places, in which so much seems a Sisyphean effort [sorry to mix metaphors] and you're strarting to think things along the lines of, "Maybe my ex-husband was right: maybe I *am* all washed-up, and--maybe all the times he'd proclaim me worthless--well, yeah, maybe I'm that, too. Look at me: my drive to do virtyually anything has apparently driven itself far away"--or ANYthing like that--you know: desponsence arising from whatever (PTSD, MDD, BS from a soul-crushing boss, lack of enough sunlight, a dying goldfish you rather loved--whatever)--please have some much-deserved compassion for yourself and just read this. Just two easy pages per day if that's all you're up for, or have time for--that's it. (Your first [I promise, easily achievable] "mini habit" that, I'd wager, will lead to many promising achievements!)***

[Please forgive my atypical "hoopla" and seeming hokeyness.]

While the concept of mini habits is something I’m familiar with, the devil is in the details, and doing is different than knowing. Several of the ideas discussed by Stephen struck a chord. Stephen explained how motivation only sometimes gives you the results you want. And while sometimes may be good enough, I want more than good enough. The consistency of my writing has struggled from this exact precept. At times, I can write 40 page a day, at others, I can go months without writing fiction.

Stephen also talked about willpower, and while different and superior to motivation (in his estimation), it's limited for a variety of reasons. This is where mini habits comes in. By doing small but consistent actions over time, regardless of how absurdly small, they become habit and the primitive sections of your brain take over to make it part of your daily routine.

This is where things get interesting. He explains how motivation wanes due to lack of interest, even when you see results. Willpower will also run out when you are sick, tired, hungry, or have used it for other things. With mini habits, the habits are so tiny, you can do them regardless of willpower or motivation, and once they’ve become a habit, you can turn your focus to other things or add on to those habits.

While one of the mini habits I added was to write one sentence a day, it’s what happens once that habit takes hold that’s important. While the amount sounds small, it’s the behavior that's being ingrained in the subconscious that’s most important. You are of course free to add more than just your tiny mini goal, but if you don’t, you still should pat yourself on the back to give yourself that mental reward. Over time, those small tasks add up to large gains, and the overages that you occasionally, sometimes, or frequently add on to your mini goals add up as well.

As such, I think Stephen may have hit upon the single most effective actionable tip on success I have ever seen. There are many things that can add to one’s success, and you of course need belief in order to take action. But once you take that action, mini habits are the tool that can maintain discipline in the face of all other obstacles. It’s a truly brilliant piece of work.

I must also say, that I’ve had a ton of success. Looking back on it, that success has stood in my way. If I was more willing to set aside my hubris and focus on small but consistent daily actions, my larger goals would be more likely to come to fruition. That being said, I’m sticking with my yearly goals, but I’ve decided to focus on the daily goals. More specifically, the daily mini goals.

While I still have every intention of getting the larger goals completed, simply chunking down the larger goals to a single daily amount may not be sufficient in part due to the mental effort to overcome the task of sitting down to write or do a large task even in that smaller chunk.

I can already tell that the mini goals have helped me be more mindful of my tasks and goals while reducing the resistance to taking on each task. It’s pointless to put something on a calendar if you don’t do it (and may actually do harm if you're familiar with NLP), so simply having the mini goal on my calendar instead of the chunked goal will at least get the ball rolling and continue to develop the habit.

The book Mini Habits by Stephen Guise was a new find for me, sponsored by the store. I hadn't ever clicked on a sponsored item before, and I'm not sure why I did that day. I have a push pull feeling toward self-help books, even though I've written one myself. This genre of books can hurt as much as it can help sometimes, and you always have to take the information with a grain of salt. But mini habits...I had to know what made these special and why the book had sold so many copies and garnered great reviews.

The point of the whole book is, in seven words: Doing something is better than doing nothing. The message is not too good to be true, and is therefore actionable. Whether you read the original book or the specialized one for weight loss (which I'm doing toward my naturopathic practice), you'll see why the "motivate yourself now, or you're a bad person" message of society is driving everyone bonkers. We're seeing motivation being turned into an expensive yet unattainable drug, and the companion message with it says "fake it until you make it." For once, it was refreshing to find a self-help book that points out how unrealistic it is to get motivated on demand. Wouldn't that be a strange business to walk into? Come in today and get your motivation recharged in 10 minutes or less for only $99!

Anyway, in my opinion and the author's, there are too many self-help books out there that claim to do just that, and when you buy them all you may end up spending way more than a hundred dollars. I'm going to try and steer clear of all that and instead do mini actions here and there that can add up to real forward momentum. In Stephen's book, he shares plenty of clinical and psychological research, cool metaphors, humor, and common sense to express why mini habits work well for anyone. By the way, what is a mini habit? It's a habit that you start and do everyday that is nearly impossible to fail. You have practically no excuse not to do it, and then you'll most likely do more than just the minimum because you've already gotten going.

Society bombards us with motivation strategies instead of practical inspiration. Maybe society doesn't want forward motion for individuals. Why would it? Would any of what society is trying to sell us still be interesting if we were more invested in tackling the challenges in front of us. Rhetorical question mark.

Anyways. Time to keep going. Whether you do one pushup as the author Stephen Guise chose to do, or start out writing just 50 words, or go on a 10-minute walk, or shut off all screens for an hour---its less about self improvement and more about paving the way for life to exist. There's no better indication that you're helping yourself.

My experience: For a few weeks, I've kept up with three mini habits related to fitness, writing, and career. And I have an eight-month-old baby and a toddler at home! Yay me :) Time for my reward.

The content of the book could be summarized in one simple sentence " If you are facing a significant change in your life style ( change in habits ) start by making small changes" ( and it kept giving multiple examples of this process.)

The electronic version arrived right away. From what I could tell, the letters were legible. I bought it to break out of my procrastination habit but so far it hasn't helped me at all. It turns out you have to read it. I will get to it some time.

Good point made in the first few chapters, but then the rest of the book repeated the point from different angles - disappointed in the lack of new information after the first few chapters. Wouldn't recommend.

I had high hopes for this book after reading a sample of it, but I could’ve just read the sample and got the same thing out of it as reading the whole book. Repetitive and not the least bit helpful. Sounds like the author read a few self help books then wrote about how they helped him. Save your money.

I bought the book on a whim after reading Mr. Guise's blog where he speaks about willpower vs. motivation, and how willpower wins hands down.

"Mini Habits" delves deeply into that philosophy, and Mr. Guise explains neurological bases for why that holds true.

In short, the book raises many valid arguments about why just doing something less than delectable is far better than waiting for whimsical motivation to take hold.

My main gripe is that after explaining his belief, Mr. Guise explains it again and again and again. The book is too long for its content. While reading it I wondered if most of this tome might not have been written during one of his 2000 word marathons when he willed himself to write while being disinclined to do so.

And personally I wonder what Mr. Guise does when he is not reading, writing or doing push-ups...

The author repeatedly mentions chocolate chip cookies and sugar for motivation and energy. (mostly in chapter 8 on audible) He repeats that low blood sugar/glucose levels hamper your progress toward achieving goals, which is true, but he talks about sugar as if it's the solution. There is no mention of maintaining healthy, balanced blood sugar/glucose levels by eating healthy foods at regular intervals, instead of waiting until your blood sugar plummets and dosing yourself with sweets.

Then in chapter 10 on audible he admits that sugar is addictive, and then suggests it as a reward. By the author's own Mini Habits method, if you use his sugar messages you will develop a solid habit of eating sweets for energy, motivation or reward...

This is unacceptable in the midst of a chronic disease epidemic. Sugars, including natural ones, feed nearly all diseases. Artificial sweeteners are toxic and if you look at the studies artificial sweeteners promote diabetes as much or more than sugars do.
Look at grams of sugar on every label including "health foods" and "health drinks" including 100% fruit juice. 4 grams of sugar = 1 teaspoon sugar. When sugar dissolves it shrinks in volume, but 4 grams still = 1 teaspoon. Very small amounts of real honey are better, but most honey is fake, you can look this up - to avoid the high risk of fake honey you can get certified organic or from a local farmers market. Xylitol is not a sugar and not artificial but is now made with gmo corn. Stevia is the only sweetener that is not a sugar, not artificial, and to my knowledge not gmo. But stevia is very highly processed, especially Truvia brand, so should be used in moderation.

If you crave sweets, you may be addicted to them, and/or have a nutrient imbalance such as not enough of the B vitamins. NO fault of yours - just look up the history of sugar consumption/ sugar industry to see how it's been pushed on us, while we were taught to fear fats. Biology 101, every cell in the human body has a cell membrane made primarily of lipids (fats) and the human brain is over 50% fat. Real fats are vital nutrients - raw nuts, avocados, unrefined coconut oil, olive oil, butter from cows fed their natural diet of live green grass- not dead grass or gmo corn.
Craving processed carbs is still a sugar craving since they turn to sugar in the body (bread, pasta, crackers, etc., including excessive whole grain processed foods), excessive meaning more than 1/4 of the meal being processed carbs.

Back to the book Mini Habits (audible version)... in chapter 8 the author states "if you're tired from low blood sugar Mini Habits gives you the best chance to take action anyway." So if we're already tired or weakened by low blood sugar, we should carry on with our mini habits, including push ups anyway? Or should we grab some sugar? These are the two options offered.

It's ironic because the book does make some exceptionally good points, and the concept can be very useful. I'm using parts of the book successfully which is why I gave it 2 stars. In fact, Mini Habits could be among my top recommendations, but I won't give it more than 2 stars due to the above reasons. Of the many books I've read/ listened to on the subject, the most helpful are the good, not bad parts of this book Mini Habits, anything by Anthony Robbins (especially his audios), The War of Art by Steven Pressfield (especially for artists, writers and others who work alone), Eat That Frog, and especially The Miracle Morning.

I have read and reviewed a lot of so called self help books. For the most part they are very abstract, and while you can pick up at least something helpful from almost any one of them, they are not what I would consider Jewels. The premise of this book while some may consider simplistic is presented in a real life sort of application way. If you take what the author is saying to you to heart, like I have done, it is going to be impossible to not have it improve your life if you actually put into any action whatsoever. Baby steps to a better you. This is hands down the best book I have ever read on the psychology and what it takes to break or develop a habit. The information is brought together from various sources and studies into one place. While not in super depth as far as source material, it gives you enough to get you going.
If you were to read only one book on forming or busting habits this is one of your best options. I have read several other books on habits like I said (The power of habit), but the way they are presented is a bit overwhelming, or could just not relate it to my life even though the book is quite good

The phrase less is more and keep it simple for the best results comes to mind. This just works. But you just can't sit there. Action is a must.

Diferent from self help books based on motivation boost leverage, this is based on science and straight forward practical tips on enhancing action. It reminded me of biblical passage... "Never despise small beginings". It has got me back to my piano playing studio after a back trouble breakdown on my woodshed. been practicing from day 1 reading the book, it's that effective!

The author has a brilliant concept in achieving goals by starting with mini habits. But he spends so very much time explaining the research, the pitfalls of traditional habit formation, brain structure, motivation energy drain, and on and on. If you've read just one book or article on goal setting, you already know most of this. When, in the second half of the book the author begins to describe how to set mini goals, he gives step one, slides quickly over the most important part and goes straight to how to measure results. I actually got what I needed from the first few pages.

Advice to author: rewrite the book - spend no more than 1,500 words on the science. Use the rest of the first half of the book to describe *completely* how to follow your method. Use the second half of your book to give case histories or examples of how to apply your method in each of the quadrants of life: health, education, relationships, career...etc.

I won't waste time endorsing this book with my opinions, so here are some facts. When I started this book I was productively using a few hours of my day due to prior commitments. Now I'm working on a business plan, my room is slowly approaching cleanliness, I've gotten about halfways through my university applications and tomorrow I run a half-marathon. More importantly then all of this, I've found new faith in myself.

This very well written book introduces a concept I resisted at first--my nature (and I suspect most people's) is averse simply to setting such laughably tiny goals for myself. I kept thinking, as David (husband and--by coincidence [chuckle]--a psychiatrist) would talk about the book, "I am NOT starting with such little goals that, in themselves, won't practically help me." But the lessons of this book take all my nay-saying into consideration, deal with it effectively, and persuasively urge me on. Hey--I was at such a difficult and low point (emotionally) in this life, that *nothing* else was really even sustainable except this, so essentially, I wasn't "getting anywhere" with my hopes and ideas, anyway--all my motivationally based schemes/plans/constructs were failing me hugely, so, "Okay," I thought one day, "I guess I really might benefit from reading this book <sigh> -- here we go--another 'plan' to launch me out of these doldrums. Whatever happened to what was probably a very wise aversion to books of the 'Self-Help' genre, anyway? But, oh, what the [deleted] ever."

Let me simply say now that I've progresses perhaps 10,000 times further with this author's ideas and words of true wisdom, than I have, in many years, attempting to use the more traditional ("Set Laudable, Respectable, High Goals, and Achieve Them This Way") type of productivity, "life-improvement," "healthy habit/routine-promoting" methods.

Don't worry: the book is devised with people of different "natures" in mind: it isn't totally a one-size-fits-all work, and, at the same time, the core, well-explained principles are, surely, universal. (Well, I don't see how they couldn't be--read the book: you'll understand what I mean.)

Last thing I want to write at present: This book, as I see it, is excellent reading for most anyone who may wish to improve, say, just one or so aspects of life, but meet occasional road blocks. And there's the following.

***Very important: If you find yourself in one of those--oh, I don't know--really big, "Dark Night of the Soul" places, in which so much seems a Sisyphean effort [sorry to mix metaphors] and you're strarting to think things along the lines of, "Maybe my ex-husband was right: maybe I *am* all washed-up, and--maybe all the times he'd proclaim me worthless--well, yeah, maybe I'm that, too. Look at me: my drive to do virtyually anything has apparently driven itself far away"--or ANYthing like that--you know: desponsence arising from whatever (PTSD, MDD, BS from a soul-crushing boss, lack of enough sunlight, a dying goldfish you rather loved--whatever)--please have some much-deserved compassion for yourself and just read this. Just two easy pages per day if that's all you're up for, or have time for--that's it. (Your first [I promise, easily achievable] "mini habit" that, I'd wager, will lead to many promising achievements!)***

[Please forgive my atypical "hoopla" and seeming hokeyness.]

I'm like the typical person who sets big goals when it comes to changing my habits. I want to exercise three times a week for at least 30 minutes or I want to write a minimum of 750 words a day. I've struggled to stay consistent and when I'm not, I get frustrated.

In the book when Stephen talks about starting with one push-up, I wonder how can one push-up a day make a difference? It seems so tiny! That's the whole point behind mini habits. They are setup so easily that we cannot fail. In the book, he goes into more depth about the reasons why our brain does what it does. It's interesting to understand why and made me understand why I've failed at getting control of my habits.

If you've been struggling w/ building better habits, I recommend this book and start small.

My fellow self-help seekers and procrastinators,
I am here to share my own experience with mini habits. It all started around 4 months back, where I stumbled upon this book. Needless to say, reading self-help is like an addiction. I was hoping from one-book to the other, only the next book promised to deliver better than the previous. Yet unable to take 'consistent' action from any of the books. There were sporadic gems in the vast self-help literature. What was lacking was a structure or framework to do something on a daily & doable basis. This book delivered a singe bullet to condense all the self-help fad in to one word 'Mini-Habits'. I read the book on a single sitting. Immediately, I felt 'this is the way' to go. I immediately started mini-habits in 4 areas.
1. Brisk walking in thread mill for 30 min - 4 times in a week
2. Drink one a liter of water before going to Gym and after coming from Gym
3. Practice creating beautiful & effective power point slides for 15 min( I need this for my career) - 5 days in a week for 15 min
4. Fill the daily expenses before going to bed in 5 min.
Four months have been completed. I would say, I have done all the 4 items to 95% of the time, barring occasional hiccups where I couldn't complete due to circumstances. Earlier I used to do all the above 4 habits whenever my motivation dictates. Now i am doing this religiously for absolute bare-minimum effort and time. What did I get? My health has improved due to habits 1& 2. My career has improved due to habit 3. I need to create power point slides to be presented to top management on a regular basis for my career. My spending habit is in control as for the first time I am able to see where my money is going due to habit 4. Also, as a side-effect My self-image has soared, as for the first time, I am able to finish what i started. I no more need the motivation to do the job. I have taken forward mini-habits to other areas of my life. Just do it for say 10 min and usually that does the trick. As the author explains, the power is in the repetition!!!

I tried to explain the concept to my friends and colleagues, who were awed that such a simple thing can bring such a large benefit. But most never followed it up, barring a few. I guess the reason is simple, whoever stumbled upon 'Mini-habits' had tried a variety of other prescriptions and lastly they tried mini-habits. There was hunger in these people to do their passion or chore. They were lacking a framework to do this on a consistent basis. Mini-habits provides that. I am of firm belief that if Mini-habits doesn't deliver what you are looking for then you don't want 'that something' badly.

There is another interesting thing I noticed after diligently doing mini-habits for the past 4 months. My basic skill/expertise has grown. Now i need new skill level in the same habit/chore/passion for mastery. I realized, I have to set the bar for new benchmark. I couldn't find the answer for this in the book. I went in to the website and found the answer in the question & answer section. Just set a slightly higher benchmark and start working on that. Currently the book is lacking in this aspect(mastery!!!). I sincerely hope, the author is working on this and we can expect something in the next version of the book.

All-in-all I would rate 5/5 for this gem of a book.

I can't recommend this book enough. So practical, so useful, simple & yet makes a huge difference in your life. Not just good reading, but if you take it seriously will inspire real positive change.

Very uninspiring...If you were looking for "tips and tricks" this is not the book for you. This book reminded more of a blog entry you would see on the internet. This book is similar to the works of S. J. Scott. I am not sure who copied whom, but I did not find useable ideas here. I found this book to be written for more of an element school student. Love the store as I am sending it back. I don't mind paying for books, but this was not worthy of staying on my shelf.

I'm already seeing results, and it's only been 2 days. Mini Habits is a thoughtful, easy-to-read - ACHIEVABLE! - program for self-transformation. You learn how and why it is possible, and a great idea, to form habits that are "too small to fail." Whether you want to get in shape, or learn how to play flamenco guitar, this book shows you how to break any goal down into tiny, practical tasks, in order to make your goals too attainable NOT to achieve them.

Mini Habits is short, sweet, and gets to the point. Stephen Guise supports his concept of mini habits using simple explanations and examples that anyone can relate to and apply successfully to their own needs-work areas. He covers the "how-to" aspects point-by-point, and provides tips for successfully integrating the program into your life, whether you have lots of free time or a hectic schedule. Concrete scientific data supports and fleshes out his ideas throughout this easy read, which is made vastly more entertaining and accessible with Guise's frequent does of humor and pragmatism.

I'm not much of a New Year's Resolutions person, but this year I think I've got a couple of mini habits that will be well underway by the time January 1st rolls around... If you're intimidated by self-help books, the author makes it very easy for you - you can start developing your desired mini habits simply by reading two pages of this book per day! Love it! Highly recommended read.

I got this on audio. It's absolutely brilliant. I am in my 4th month of mini habits and for the first time in my life I feel really organised and successful. I have always been one of those people who sets lofty, complicated goals and even with the best of intentions I can never see them through. As soon as I fail even a fraction from my plans, I tend to abandon ship until my next goal setting binge. Mini habits has cured me of this. I am actually getting somewhere and it is giving me tremendous confidence. If you sound like me, don't hesitate. I have the audio version and found it entertaining and easy to listen to. This is something I will continue for life. I really thank the author...it's like this book was written just for me!

I very much enjoyed the concept of a mini habit. In fact I think that this concept is the key bridge between many of the theoretical concepts mentioned in The Power of Habit and my own daily implementation. Given that I tend to have a very short attention span, arduous and long habits almost never get developed for me and I am always subject to that all too familiar disappointment of failure. With mini habits I'm able to feel accomplished even after doing relatively simple tasks like reading a few pages of a book, running a few miles, or writing a few thank you emails. I've only started my mini habits journey but I look forward to seeing how this develops, but for those wondering if they should read this book, I highly recommend it because I've already noticed a marked improvement in my own life. In fact, make reading a few pages of this book every day your first mini habit and you'll experience the power of it yourself.

I'm too tired right now after this long day to make a huge review so I'll do a mini-one

I've had many s***ty days since I wrote down my mini habits about a month ago. Many excuses went across my mind, some of them even justified (come on you're traveling, drove hours, stressed, have a ton of work, better just stay lying down in bed huh?)

But even on the s***tiest days I managed to complete my mini habits routine, because it's just TOO EASY. Even for an elite procrastinator.

I loved this book so far and I think I'm going to love it more and more.

Like the title says -bigger results!! This humble book has helped me beyond my wildest expectations. It is so simple that it is actually usable.
I'm very grateful that I found it and have been successfully utilizing the strategies every day for 3 months, so far. And I'm gaining momentum. I used it as a catalyst to make major changes- losing weight- exercising- improving my health and mindfulness- tracking my progress towards major goals.
One caveat- the book is humbly written and humorous at times- if you take yourself too seriously or are just a critic of everything, you'll probably miss the point. The writing style may be a little too spontaneous and minor editing could have made it even better. But the idea and strategy is worth a million stars.

I'm normally a quick reader, but I took my time with this one.

I really enjoyed this book and part of the reason I spent three weeks reading it was the time I spent tinkering with my mini- habits. I found most of the advice to be spot-on and I found myself making a few mistakes and then reading the next chapter to find advice on how I should have aproached things differently. For example: I started with twelve mini-habits because I was very excited. This didn't go so well because even if I just spent five minutes on each they didn't feel very mini. My willpower was getting taxed too quickly. Now I have just three and I'm happy with my progress and I look forward to when these habits are ingraned and I can add a few more into my routine.

Anyway, it's a nice book and I see this leading to a great life practice. Here are my mini habits and over-achievments:

Listen to my wife for 5 minutes.
- nothing specific but she's decided to spend 5 minutes each day listening to me!

Create one thing, anything
- Wrote a lovely short story and made my wife a nice card

Run ten step
- Ran 16 miles one day

Best reading experience all year. Here's why:

This book delivers! The main idea of mini habits is introduced from the start. There is no screaming in frustration at an author who goes on and on without getting to the main message or point.

The concept of mini habits, how and why they work, is argued with logic. Detailed steps, rules, and tips follow this.

The presentation throughout is peppered with personal experiences and engagingly voiced. It is like listening to an insightful friend with a good sense of humor.

This audio edition is superb. The audio chapters follow the content chapters, which makes it user-friendly. And the narrator is clear and lively. I will definitely be looking out for other narrations by Daniel Penz.

The concept of mini habits intrigued me. As Guise explained it makes perfect sense. I even tried a mini habit - to make a 15 minute limit on Facebook - it worked! So I will be apply these principles to other aspects of my life - like completing a paragraph a day on my dissertation.

The one drawback of this book is the rehashing of information. I think Guise talked about his mini habit of writing about 25 times throughout the book. But I was able to overlook that for the nuggets of knowledge that is shared.

Gotta go got some more mini habits to consider...

The idea of this book is simple. So simple in fact that I feel it didn't need a whole book just maybe a single chapter to explain it. Seems like a waste of words. The author sort of keeps repeating himself. But the idea behind it is good.

This book just clicks for me. I cannot speak for any one else, but I am employing the authors strategies and I'm finding it's working for me. So far I have employed a strategy for exercising, and keeping my living room, bathroom and bedroom clean. Now I am moving on into building a small on line business, keeping the kitchen clean, taking a fun class I've wanted to take, I'm finally starting to learn french, and am designing my own line of jewelry. Those have been things I usually don't have a whole lot of time to do because I have a full time job that is exhausting. I come home from work too tired to want to do anything. But now, for me, using the Mini Habits method I will be able to work with all of this and eventually so much more. I am grateful for the author for sharing this information. I've taken things I've needed to work on one at a time and I am finding that my habits are forming because I've worked the method. If you're the kind of person who is interested in having hobbies, or maybe pursuing a new way of getting organized, writing that book or starting a new career, but you find your self just tired after a long day of your same old boring hard job, I'd say try reading Mini Habits. It's getting me out of my rut of, get up, go to work, come home to tired to do anything, veg out in front of the TV got to sleep. get up, go to work... you get the idea. From me to Stephen Guise, Thank you. I love it.

This may be the most important self help book I have read to date. I have read perhaps three other self-help pulications since finishing this short but extremely powerful novel and they have all referenced what was condensed here into extrodinary advice and assistance. I wish I had read this book and started applying it years ago, and I am grateful it has come into my life.

I can't remember precisely when I finished this book, but I do know that every day since I have not skipped a day of my stupid simple and small actions, which without fail always lead to other beneficial actions. I love that this novel changed my perspective about motivation,and how fleeting and volatile motivation in and of itself can be. I geniunely just wanted to take the time to thank the author for this book, it has made a dramatic difference in my life and I hope that this book will be utilized for generations to come.

The reading just flows easily and even though is backed by science is feels like a conversation. This system of habits/goals seems to be the way to go against all of the overwhelming resistance that goals bring.

What a waste of time. I kept wondering throughout the book: What is a mini habit? This was a boring, useless book. It didn't help at all with forming a habit. Very frustrated reading it. Glad I borrowed it from a library and saved myself the purchase price!

I am industrial, E&E, and Comp. Sci. engineer by degree. I am doing lots of project management, process improvement work, I educate and train people from different walks of life. With the overload of heavy mental work, I experience challenges to sustain/maintain healthy habits. This book has been an eye-opener for me by giving me another perspective about how to entertain my challenges by starting from scratch in a smart and conscious way. Read it, you won't regret the time you will spend reading it. Guaranteed!