Habits are formed in small increments. Many times, we’re not even aware of our default thoughts and actions, but, whether we recognize them or not, every little one counts.

That’s why it’s so crucial to address those negative patterns we’ve unconsciously developed over the years. Far too many of our default thoughts and actions are driven by caveman instincts that no longer serve any useful purpose in today’s world. We need to take control. 

The best way I’ve found to do this is the tiny saves counter. 

Tiny saves

The tiny save counter is nothing more than a simple app on my phone with counters for each of the Big Five primitive emotions. I use a free app called Multi Counter, but there are many options out there. 

Every time I manage to catch a clearly detrimental thought or action caused by the Big Five and stop it in its tracks, I pick up my phone and add one click to the appropriate counter. 

Sometimes these tiny saves can have a huge positive effect. One save could be the difference between a healthy and productive day and a self-destructive day of binge-eating and binge-watching.  

Try it! See how many of these tiny saves you can make in a day. Over time, the counter will also give you some interesting insight about which member of the Big Five gives you the most trouble. 

When you catch one of these primitive creatures, dispatch it with the visualization trick we discussed earlier. You’ll know you’re doing it right when it brings a smile to your face 🙂

But there will still be times when more serious bad stuff happens, triggering a Big Five stampede that cannot be stopped by a few tiny saves. Managing this stampede will be tomorrow’s topic.