Self-help · Book club
Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything book club questions
Here are 12 book club questions for Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything by BJ Fogg, ordered to open easily and end somewhere worth arguing about. Copy them, print them, or bring them up one at a time.
Tiny Habits is BJ Fogg's distillation of more than two decades of research at Stanford's Behavior Design Lab.
BJ Fogg · 2019 · 5h 0m
Full summary and key takeaways →The 12 questions
- 1.
Fogg argues motivation is the wrong lever. Which habits have you tried to build by pumping up motivation rather than reducing the effort required?
- 2.
What existing routine in your day is reliable enough to serve as an anchor for a new behavior? What could you attach to it?
- 3.
Pick one habit that has failed repeatedly. How small would it need to be to require almost no motivation to execute?
- 4.
Fogg claims celebration immediately after a behavior is what makes it stick. Does that idea feel natural to you, or does it feel forced? Why?
- 5.
The book distinguishes between aspiration (I want to be fit) and behavior (I will do two push-ups after I brush my teeth). Where in your life are you stuck at the aspiration level?
- 6.
Fogg says shame and guilt about missed habits actively work against change. Which areas of your life have you approached primarily through self-criticism?
- 7.
How do your physical environments either enable or obstruct the behaviors you want? What is one concrete change you could make to your home or workspace?
- 8.
The book is most optimistic about adding new behaviors and less developed on removing entrenched ones. Which bad habits in your life are you most stuck on, and why?
- 9.
Fogg argues that small wins compound. Can you recall an example where a tiny starting behavior eventually grew into something significant?
- 10.
Who in your life models the kind of consistent, low-drama behavior change Fogg describes? What do you notice about how they approach new habits?
- 11.
Fogg draws a clear line between motivation spikes and system design. Where in your work or personal life are you counting on a motivation spike that may not arrive?
- 12.
If you had to design one tiny habit recipe for someone you care about — anchor, tiny behavior, celebration — what would it be and why?
How to run the discussion
- Pick six to eight, not all of them. An hour of real discussion covers fewer questions than anyone expects, and racing the list is what makes a book club feel like homework.
- Open with what people noticed, not what they concluded. Asking for a verdict first hardens opinions before anyone has heard each other.
- Let the disagreement run. The questions below that split a room are the ones worth the time; the ones everyone answers the same way can be skipped.
- Ask the quiet person a specific question. A direct, narrow question is far easier to answer than an open invitation to contribute.
Themes worth steering toward
If the conversation stalls, these are the threads that usually restart it.
Common questions
What are good book club questions for Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything?
Here are 12 book club questions for Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything by BJ Fogg, ordered to open easily and end somewhere worth arguing about. The strongest openers ask what each reader noticed rather than what they concluded, and the discussion usually turns on habits, behavior change, motivation.
How long should a book club discussion of Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything last?
Most groups run 60 to 90 minutes of actual discussion. That is roughly six to eight questions, not all of them, so pick the ones that suit your group rather than working down the list in order.
What are the main themes in Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything?
Habits, Behavior change, Motivation, Self-compassion, Environment design. Those are the threads most likely to divide a room, which makes them the useful places to steer a discussion that has gone quiet.
Picking the next one? See books like Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything or questions for other book club picks.
