- Building a new habit is exciting at first—but keeping it consistent long-term can be a real challenge.
Building a new habit is exciting at first—but keeping it consistent long-term can be a real challenge. Many of us start with great enthusiasm only to find our new routine fading after a few weeks. The good news is that lasting habits aren’t a product of luck or willpower alone—they’re built with the right strategies. Research shows it takes an average of 66 days for a behavior to become automatic, but the real difference between habits that stick and those that fizzle isn’t just time—it’s strategy. In this article, we’ll explore five proven strategies to help you build habits that stick and create lasting change in your life.
Start Small and Specific
Big, vague goals often backfire. When you set an ambitious habit like “I will exercise for an hour every day” out of nowhere, it can feel overwhelming. Instead, start with a small, specific action that is so easy you can’t say no to it. This works because tiny actions are less intimidating, helping you overcome inertia and build momentum. Example: Rather than saying “I want to get fit,” refine it to: “I will walk for 10 minutes after lunch every weekday.” This small commitment is concrete and achievable. Starting small doesn’t mean you’re thinking small—it’s a strategy to ensure you actually follow through. Doing 2 minutes of something is infinitely better than 0 minutes, and once you begin, you often naturally do more. In fact, habit experts recommend the “two-minute rule”: if you feel resistance, scale the habit down to a two-minute version. For instance, if you planned to write for an hour but feel stuck, tell yourself to write one sentence (a task under two minutes). Often, you’ll find that starting is the hardest part—and once started, you’ll continue beyond that first sentence.
Starting with micro-habits works due to our psychology. Early wins build confidence and reinforce the identity of someone who sticks to habits. As these small actions become second nature, you can gradually expand them. Think of it like laying a tiny brick every day; over time, you’ll have a solid wall.
Anchor New Habits to Existing Routines ( Habit Stacking )
One powerful way to ensure you remember and repeat a new habit is to tie it to an existing habit you already do consistently. This technique is often called habit stacking, and it leverages the strong neural pathways of your current routines. Instead of relying on sheer memory or motivation, you let your established habit serve as a cue or trigger for the new one. To use habit stacking, identify something you do every day without fail—your morning coffee, brushing teeth, or locking the door. Then fill in this sentence: “After I [current habit], I will [new habit].” For example, “After I brush my teeth at night, I will read two pages of a book.” In this formula, brushing your teeth (an automatic behavior) cues up the reading habit. By piggybacking on a routine that’s already ingrained, the new behavior plugs into your day more seamlessly.
Habit stacking works because our brains link the actions together. The existing routine provides a familiar anchor, so the new habit doesn’t feel like a disruption. Over time, the two behaviors become mentally associated. Psychologist BJ Fogg, who popularized this method in his Tiny Habits program, suggests finding where a new habit naturally fits. For instance, if you want to start flossing, begin with “After I brush, I will floss one tooth.” That may sound trivial, but flossing a single tooth is easy and attaches directly to your well-established brushing routine. You can always do more once you’re at it, but keeping the baseline tiny ensures you never skip it.
By using everyday cues, habit stacking helps you build multiple habits without overwhelm. Tackle one at a time: once your new behavior (like reading after brushing) becomes automatic, you can stack another habit onto that sequence. This way, you’re gradually building a chain of positive routines anchored to each other. Just be sure to choose logical pairings (e.g., a calming habit after a quiet routine, an active habit after an energizing routine) so they flow naturally in context.
Focus on Identity, Not Just Outcomes
When striving to build a lasting habit, it’s crucial to shift your mindset from outcome-based to identitybased. Many people set habits with only a goal in mind (“I want to lose 20 pounds” or “I will save \$5,000”), but fail to consider the kind of person they need to become to achieve that goal. Habits stick better when they are tied to your self-image. Instead of fixating solely on a result, focus on the identity you want to embody. For example, rather than thinking “I want to run a marathon,” think “I am a person who never misses a run.” This subtle shift makes a huge difference: every small action you take then reinforces that identity. If you see yourself as “a runner,” going for a short jog in the morning isn’t just about training for a race—it’s an expression of who you are.
Over time, your brain aligns your behaviors with this self-image. Research supports the power of identity in habit formation. People are more consistent when their actions match their view of themselves. In fact, psychologist Wendy Wood notes that many successful people who seem to have abundant willpower are actually relying on habits shaped around their identity and environment, not on constant self-control. They’ve made desirable behaviors part of their lifestyle. For instance, someone with “high self-control” around healthy eating likely identifies as a healthy eater, keeps a healthy home environment, and thus doesn’t require heroic willpower at each meal. The habit is simply normal for them.
Actionable tip: Take a moment to define the kind of person who would achieve the goal you want. Write an “I am…” statement (e.g., “I am a reader,” “I am a fit and active person,” “I am an organized person who keeps a tidy space”). Use that as motivation to perform your habit. Each time you follow through—read 10 pages, do a short workout, declutter one drawer—mentally credit yourself for being that person. This builds positive reinforcement. Over time, your habit isn’t just a task on a checklist; it’s part of your identity, which makes it far more likely to stick.
Design Your Environment: Remove Friction for Good Habits (and Add Friction for Bad Ones)
Your environment dramatically affects your behavior, often more than sheer willpower. To build habits that last, make the desired behavior as easy as possible to do (low friction) and make unhealthy or unwanted behaviors harder (high friction). As habit researcher James Clear famously said, “You do not rise to the level of your goals; you fall to the level of your systems.” In practical terms, that means shape your surroundings to nudge you toward success. For a good habit, reduce any little obstacles that might stop you from doing it. If you intend to work out in the mornings, lay out your gym clothes and shoes the night before. This way, when you wake up, everything is ready and convenient. Want to practice guitar after work? Keep the guitar stand in the middle of your living room, not buried in a closet. Trying to eat healthier? Keep fruits and nuts on the counter and hide the cookies on a hard-to-reach shelf (or don’t buy them at all). These tactics remove “friction” – the small bits of effort or inconvenience that can derail a fragile new habit. The easier a behavior is, the more likely you are to do it, especially when motivation is low.
Conversely, for bad habits you’re trying to quit, add friction and remove temptations. For example, if you tend to waste time on your phone at night, charge your phone in a different room so you’re not tempted to scroll in bed. If television distracts you from reading or working, unplug the TV after use and put the remote in an upstairs drawer so turning it on takes effort. If junk food is your downfall, don’t stock the pantry with chips and candy—make them inconvenient by only allowing yourself to buy single servings outside the home. These extra steps make the undesired habit less automatic and easy. Studies in behavioral science show that our surroundings cue our habits more than we realize. By proactively shaping your environment, you essentially “hack” your brain’s autopilot system in your favor.
You’ll find yourself doing the right thing by default because you’ve set things up that way. Over time, this environment design helps lock in habits with much less effort or decision-making needed each day.
Track Your Progress and Use Rewards to Stay Motivated
To prevent a habit from fizzling out, it helps to make your progress visible and rewarding. Tracking is a simple but powerful way to create a sense of accomplishment that fuels consistency. When you see a streak of checkmarks on a calendar or a growing tally in your habit app, it provides a small dopamine hit of achievement and motivates you to keep going. In fact, progress you can see is more motivating than progress you only feel. How to track: Use any method that you enjoy and will actually keep up with. This could be a wall calendar where you mark an “X” for every day you complete the habit (a technique popularized by comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s “don’t break the chain” method). Or try a habit tracking app or bullet journal spread to log your behavior. For example, apps like Habitica, Streaks , or HabitBull provide visual cues of your streaks. Each day you mark a success, you reinforce the habit loop in your brain with a sense of reward.
Speaking of rewards, build in small rewards for your milestones and “small wins.” Positive reinforcement can accelerate habit formation by associating your new routine with something enjoyable. The reward doesn’t have to be extravagant; it just needs to be something you genuinely find satisfying. It could be as simple as relaxing with your favorite podcast after a workout, or enjoying a cup of your favorite tea right after you finish your morning writing habit. These immediate rewards give your brain a reason to repeat the habit. In fact, neuroscience indicates that habits form when the brain links routines with rewards it likes—so don’t skip the celebration. Even verbally congratulating yourself or tracking a victory can serve as a reward that boosts your motivation.
Additionally, consider adding some accountability, which is a form of social reward (or pressure). When you know someone else is aware of the habit you’re building, you’re more likely to stick with it. You could team up with a friend who has a similar goal, join a challenge group, or simply tell a family member about what you’re doing. Publicly committing (“I’m posting my daily sketch online”) or having a buddy check in can provide that extra push on days when your motivation wanes. Finally, don’t forget to acknowledge your progress and treat slip-ups with self-compassion. If you’ve been consistent for a week, give yourself credit and maybe a small treat. If you miss a day, avoid the all-ornothing mindset. Research shows that missing one opportunity to perform the habit does not significantly impact long-term formation. What matters is that you resume the habit as soon as possible and not let guilt or discouragement derail you. In one study, people who forgave themselves for procrastinating were less likely to procrastinate in the future. So be kind to yourself, learn from any slip, and get back on track.
Remember, consistency beats perfection in the long run. In summary, building habits that stick comes down to making them easy to start, tied to your life, aligned with your identity, and supported by your environment and feedback loops. Start with small steps, anchor them to existing routines, view each action as casting a vote for the person you want to be, and celebrate your progress. With these strategies, you’ll find that over time your new habit is no longer something you have to force—it becomes an integral part of your daily life.