Why Willpower Isn’t Enough: The Tiny Habits Method Explained with Dr. BJ Fogg

The One You Feed

Eric Zimmer, The One You Feed

Education, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness, Religion & Spirituality, Buddhism, Mental Health

4.6 • 2.5K Ratings

🗓️ 23 December 2025

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

If you’re feeling overwhelmed and don’t have the luxury of doing less, Overwhelm Is Optional offers simple tools you can use in under ten minutes a day. Learn more at oneyoufeed.net/overwhelm Help us make the podcast better—share your input in a short survey:: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠oneyoufeed.net/survey. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Thank You! In this episode, Dr. BJ Fogg, explains why willpower isn’t enough and the science behind his tiny habits method. He explores the psychology of habit formation, emphasizing that lasting change comes from starting small, celebrating successes, and practicing self-compassion rather than relying on willpower or self-criticism. Dr. Fogg shares practical strategies for designing habits that fit individual contexts, explains his behavior model, and discusses how positive reinforcement and flexibility foster sustainable transformation. Personal stories and vivid analogies illustrate how anyone can create meaningful change by nurturing tiny habits and focusing on progress over perfection. Exciting News!!!Coming in March 2026, my new book, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠How a Little Becomes a Lot: The Art of Small Changes for a More Meaningful Life is now available for pre-orders!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Key Takeaways Behavior change and habit formation The “Tiny Habits” method and its principles The importance of positivity in personal transformation Breaking down aspirations into small, manageable actions Embracing mistakes as learning opportunities The role of self-compassion in habit formation The Fogg Behavior Model: motivation, ability, and prompts The significance of context in habit design Strategies for troubleshooting and enhancing behavior change The impact of celebrating small successes on habit reinforcement For full show notes,⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠click here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!⁠ Connect with the show: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@TheOneYouFeedPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you enjoyed this conversation with Dr. BJ Fogg, check out these other episodes: How to Create Elastic Habits that Adapt to Your Day with Stephen Guise How to Make Lasting Changes with John Norcross By purchasing products and/or services from our sponsors, you are helping to support The One You Feed, and we greatly appreciate it. Thank you! This episode is sponsored by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Aura Frames⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: For a limited time, save on the perfect gift by visiting ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AuraFrames.com /FEED ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠to get $35 off Aura’s best-selling Carver Mat frames – named #1 by Wirecutter – by using promo code FEED at checkout. This deal is exclusive to listeners, and frames sell out fast, so order yours now to get it in time for the holidays! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Uncommon Goods ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠has something for everyone – you’ll find thousands of new gift ideas that you won’t find anywhere else, and you’ll be supporting artists and small, independent businesses. To get 15% off your next gift, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UNCOMMONGOODS.com/FEED⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: Post your job for free at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠linkedin.com/oneyoufeed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Terms and conditions apply. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Eight years ago, I was completely overwhelmed. Career, two teenage boys, a growing podcast, a mother who needed care.
0:08.6	That's when I stumbled into something I now call the Stillpoint method, a way of using small moments throughout my day to change not how much I had to do, but how I felt while doing it.
0:20.8	So I built something I wish I'd had back then.
0:24.0	Overwhelm is optional, tools for when you can't do less. It's an email course that fits into
0:29.9	moments that you already have less than 10 minutes total a day. It's not about doing less. It's about
0:37.1	relating differently to what you do. Holiday
0:40.1	price is $29. Check it out at one you feed.net slash overwhelm. What is the smallest habit I can do that
0:49.6	will give me that outcome, whether that's less stress at work or eating differently or sleeping
0:54.4	better, when have you.
1:03.0	Welcome to the one you feed. Throughout time, great thinkers have recognized the importance
1:08.2	of the thoughts we have, quotes, garbage in, garbage out,
1:12.4	or you are what you think, ring true. And yet, for many of us, our thoughts don't strengthen
1:18.2	or empower us. We tend toward negativity, self-pity, jealousy, or fear. We see what we don't have
1:25.7	instead of what we do. We think things that hold us back
1:28.9	and dampen our spirit. But it's not just about thinking. Our actions matter. It takes conscious,
1:35.3	consistent, and creative effort to make a life worth living. This podcast is about how other people
1:41.0	keep themselves moving in the right direction, how they feed their good wolf.
1:47.5	Here's a sentence that causes a lot of damage. I just don't have enough willpower. Because once you
1:54.9	believe that, every stumble becomes evidence. Every misday becomes a verdict. This is a re-release time perfectly for the way
2:04.2	we all start looking at the calendar and thinking, okay, 2026, this time I'm going to get it right.
2:11.1	But BJ Fogg offers a different lens in this conversation. Behavior isn't a character
2:16.5	trait. It's a design problem. And when something
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