How to Build Habits155down the elements of God time, Plan time, and Move time
into their most essential parts and provided a step- by- step
plan. Of course, you can customize it however you like, but
the core concept of having a “recipe” is the key.
If we want to build a morning routine and we just wing it
each morning, we are more likely to fizzle out. By creating a
habit script, we remove the frustrating and exhausting element
of decision- making from our early- morning routine.
Meet Ray and the Minivan Effect
How does this all work? Why are tiny habits, keystone habits,
choice architecture, and all the other tools important to the
success of our habits?
It’s all about the minivan effect.
Several years ago, Jimmy and I decided we were going to
take the plunge into minivan ownership. We had two children
with another on the way, and our love of long road trips led
us to conclude that the survival of our children and our sanity
required us to invest in a minivan.
As we researched and evaluated our options, it seemed that
minivans were suddenly everywhere. When we were looking at
buying a Toyota Sienna, we saw Siennas at the grocery store, at
school, at church— everywhere. Then when we thought about
the Honda Odyssey, suddenly, they seemed to be everywhere.
We’d never, ever noticed minivans before.
This is what I like to call the minivan effect, and it will
explain why tiny habits, keystone habits, and habit architec-
ture are so important.