The Power of Micro-Habits: Ideas for implementing Small Shifts for Big Career Growth

I speak to so many clients who are at the point of option paralysis and feeling totally stuck because the thought of any big career changes feels completely overwhelming. Especially when you are potentially considering a change out of the corporate world and into a more impact-led profession. The first thing that I always invite people to consider is, instead of seeing the unhappiness you feel about work as this huge battle and thing you have to overcome, seeing it as a set of smaller, consistent actions towards driving more significant change over time. Change doesn’t have to be this overnight overhaul, it’s actually much more sustainable to make smaller daily tweaks to your actions and build this overtime. 

What Are Micro-Habits and Why Do They Matter? 

They are tiny everyday habits that act like a steering mechanism towards a bigger goal that you have in mind. You’ve probably heard of micro-habit examples in daily life, like drinking a glass of water as soon as you wake up, or setting yourself the goal of reading just 1 page per day, or eating one extra piece of fruit/veg. These are all small manageable habits that don’t take much time at all and are relatively easy to implement into your schedule because they don’t require huge changes to how you are currently living your life. 

The idea is that micro-habits take minimal effort but can have a huge compounding effect over time. What I’ve noticed is that oftentimes, when people are unhappy in their careers, they feel like they need to have a huge overhaul and make dramatic changes. This often results in sporadic efforts followed by overwhelm and then periods of doing nothing, getting really frustrated and unhappy and starting the cycle again.

Over time, this actually takes much longer, and also feels more like a rollercoaster than sustained, consistent and gradual improvements which result in more noticeable growth. 

Micro-habits that will have a positive impact on your career growth

So, how do you actually decide what is going to be helpful to your unique situation? 

Well, firstly, it’s important to consider your WHY. 

What is the reason, your why, for setting some new habits? 

Is it that you are wanting to change career into a more impact-led role?

Perhaps work towards a promotion?

Gain more confidence in your industry?

Improve your productivity or focus?

Boost your resilience & mental wellbeing at work? 

Whatever the reason, understanding your WHY before you decide the WHAT is important. There is no point in setting some new habit goals if they aren’t linked to the bigger picture. Even if they are seemingly helpful, they will never stick in the long-term when your motivation wears off. 

(For more questions to ask yourself to understand your WHY, download the free journal prompts and habit tracker at the bottom of this article!) 

Practical Micro-Habits to Jumpstart Your Career

Below I’ve included some examples of career microhabits relating to a bigger picture goal, so you can see on a practical level what you could do…

Networking

Goal: Gain a better understanding of what it’s really like to work in the charity sector to help me decide whether the transition is right for me. 

Microhabit: Reach out to 1 person on LinkedIn who works for a charitable organisation everyday when I first open my laptop before starting work (Tip: you could use the list of organisations on the Escape the City website to find people to start reaching out to!)

Creativity & Problem-Solving

Goal: Improve my creativity skills so I am more confident contributing new ideas in meetings and speaking up.

Microhabit: After lunch, write down one new creative idea to the current projects I’m working on. 

Mindset and Well-being

Goal: Develop stronger resilience & more positive self-talk about my abilities and strengths at work

Microhabit: At the end of each working day, write down one success from the day, no matter how big or small. 

Learning and Development

Goal: Gain more knowledge of social impact professions to better understand where my transferable skills could be placed in a career change. 

Microhabit: Spend 10 minutes every morning with my coffee, watching a video/reading a page of a book/listening to a podcast about social impact careers (Tip: ask ChatGPT for some recommendations!)

Doing these microhabits each day seems a lot more manageable then just reading the goal part, right?! By implementing smaller behavioural shifts towards the goal it not only feels easier, but accessible in your busy day to day life.  

How to Start and Actually Stick to Micro-Habits

The number one reason micro-habits don’t stick is often a lack of consistency. Life gets busy and we know that even small changes require regular practice to become ingrained. We are creating new neural pathways in our brain when we start new habits, and like anything new we learn, at first it feels sticky and effortful and takes practice and effort to become second nature. 

If you don’t consistently integrate the habit into your routine or track your progress, it can easily be forgotten or overlooked, leading to a loss of motivation and eventual abandonment. Establishing a clear trigger or cue can help reinforce the habit, making it easier to remember and sustain over time.

1. Start small and build slowly: Be realistic and start off with 1 or 2 microhabits to avoid burning out quickly
2. Be as specific as possible: When you set the microhabits think about when, where, how, what and why you are doing them
3. Make micro-habits part of your routine: Habit stacking is when you use your existing routine & times of the day to stack your new micro-habit onto it 
4. Create clear triggers for the habit to start: Visuals like sticky notes, alarms or apps can all be good reminders
5. Track your progress and celebrate wins: Use a tracker to keep on top of your progress and make sure you celebrate the small wins to reinforce these positive behaviours (there’s one linked at the end of this article!). 
6. Don’t aim for 100% perfection: Setbacks are totally normal, life can sometimes have other plans for us. Don’t be hard on yourself because every day is a new day to start again! 

Yes, micro-habits aren’t rocket science, they might even seem insignificant compared to this big career change you’re considering. But I promise you, starting by setting some micro-habits can lead to significant career transformations. Start with one or two ideas, track your progress and I encourage you to reflect back at the end of the year to see how much growth you’ve already made! 

Don’t forget to download the free Journal Prompts & Micro-habit tracker template to get started today!