How to make habits stick
We’ve all been there—excited to start a new habit, only to abandon it a few weeks later. Whether it’s committing to regular exercise, eating healthier, or learning a new skill, sticking to a habit can feel like an uphill battle. But why is it so hard to make habits stick? Are we lazy? Do we just lack self-discipline? Or are we constantly coming up with excuses to avoid the effort?
The truth is, that forming a lasting habit isn’t about relying on motivation. Motivation is fleeting—it comes and goes. Instead, building a habit that truly sticks requires a system. Think about brushing your teeth. You’re not motivated to do it every day, yet you don’t skip it. Why? Because it’s part of your routine. You do it without questioning or thinking—it’s automatic.
The key to creating a habit that lasts is to make it so ingrained in your daily life that it becomes second nature. It stops being a debate in your mind and becomes something you just do, like grabbing your keys before leaving the house. But getting to that point isn’t easy—it requires consistency, patience, and the right strategy.
I’ve learned this firsthand after over 20 years of struggling to build the habit of regular exercise. I’d start strong, but within weeks, I’d fall back into old patterns. It was frustrating, but I refused to give up. After reading several books about habits (Atomic Habits) and experimenting with different approaches, I finally cracked the code. Now, I exercise every single morning without fail—it’s become as automatic as brushing my teeth.
Here’s exactly how I made it happen.
Set up a system
Saying, “I’m going to exercise every day,” sounds great in theory, but without a concrete plan, it’s unlikely to happen. Vague intentions alone won’t get you very far. You might manage to stick with it for a couple of weeks, but eventually, life gets in the way, motivation fades, and you simply give up.
To create a lasting habit, you need a crystal-clear plan. This means deciding on the exact details of your new routine: what time you’ll do it, how long it will last, and what type of exercise you’ll perform. For example, instead of saying, “I’ll work out tomorrow,” you could plan something specific like, “I’ll do a 20-minute yoga session at 7:30 AM in my living room.” This clarity makes it easier to follow through.
But let’s be honest—we’ve all written things like “Exercise from 8-9 AM” in our to-do lists only to ignore it. Instead of lacing up our sneakers, we push it to the next day. And the day after that. Simply jotting down your intentions isn’t enough on its own. However, this step—deciding on the exact details of your habit and writing it down—is still essential.
Let’s call this Step 1. It’s the foundation of building a new habit. Take time to create your plan and commit to it by putting it in writing. Whether it’s in a journal, planner, or an app, defining the specifics is the first step toward making your habit stick.
Make it easy
The second key to creating a lasting habit is to make it easy—especially at the beginning. Starting with a goal like a 1-hour-long workout every day might sound ambitious, but it’s unrealistic for most people and difficult to maintain in the long run. The trick is to start small and keep it manageable. Instead of committing to an hour, begin with just 10 or 15 minutes of exercise each day.
Why? Because everyone can find 10 minutes in their day. It’s short enough to feel achievable, even on your busiest days. By keeping the commitment simple and easy, you’re much more likely to follow through. And the best part? Doing something consistently, even for a short amount of time, builds the foundation for long-term success.
At this stage, your goal isn’t to create the perfect exercise routine—it’s to introduce the habit of daily movement and make it stick. You’re not ready for an ideal fitness regimen yet, and that’s perfectly okay. What matters most is showing up every single day. Once the habit becomes second nature, you can start thinking about scaling it.
After a few months, you might realize you’ve been doing your 10-minute routine daily without having to remind yourself or debate whether to do it. That’s when you know you’ve succeeded. At this point, you can choose to expand your routine if you want—adding more time, intensity, or variety. But here’s the surprising part: many people find that these small, consistent habits add up in a big way. By sticking to your routine daily, even if it’s short, you’re already making meaningful progress without needing to overcomplicate things.
Stack your habits
The third piece of advice that helped me successfully introduce a new habit and make it stick is something called habit stacking. This means pairing your new habit with something you already do every single day without fail. By anchoring your new habit to an existing routine, it becomes easier to remember and integrate into your daily life.
For example, I stack my exercise habit right after brushing my teeth in the morning. It’s a simple but powerful approach. If I put off exercising until later in the day, it just doesn’t happen. Chores pile up, distractions take over, and before I know it, the day is gone. But by tying my new habit to something I already do every day—like brushing my teeth—it ensures I prioritize it.
At first, even this strategy might feel unnatural. You might forget to follow through or find it difficult to build momentum. That’s completely normal. However, if you stay consistent, something amazing happens: after a few weeks or months, the habit becomes automatic. One day, you’ll realize that you no longer need reminders or motivation—it’s simply part of your routine, like brushing your teeth or brewing your morning coffee.
Speaking of coffee, many people find success in stacking habits during their coffee-making ritual. While the coffee is brewing, they might stretch, do a quick workout or practice mindfulness. The key is to find an anchor in your day that makes sense for you and attach your new habit to it.
By using habit stacking, you not only create the structure for your new routine but also make it easier to stick with over time. It’s a simple yet highly effective way to build habits that last.
Find support
Another powerful strategy for building a new habit is to find support. If possible, involve someone close to you in your journey. For example, see if your partner is interested in joining you. Having someone by your side can make a huge difference, especially on days when you’re feeling lazy or tempted to skip your routine. A gentle nudge like, “Hey, aren’t you supposed to exercise now?” can be all the motivation you need to stay on track.
Personally, I do this with my husband. For years, we both struggled to stick to a consistent exercise habit. But by supporting and encouraging each other, we finally managed to make it part of our daily routine. Knowing that someone else is counting on you can be incredibly motivating—it keeps you accountable and less likely to quit.
If your partner isn’t interested, consider teaming up with a friend, sibling, or even a neighbor. You could schedule regular check-ins, share progress updates, or even exercise together if possible. The shared commitment makes the process more enjoyable and increases your chances of success.
That said, don’t be discouraged if you can’t find someone to join you. While having support is helpful, it’s not essential. Many people successfully introduce new habits entirely on their own. The key is staying consistent and remembering why you started in the first place. You are your greatest source of accountability, and once the habit becomes part of your routine, you’ll feel empowered knowing you accomplished it independently.
Track your habit in the journal
Another effective tip for building a lasting habit is to track your progress in a journal. In the early stages of creating my exercise routine, I made it a point to tick off every single day I exercised in my journal. This simple practice kept me accountable and helped me stay consistent. There’s something satisfying about seeing a streak of checkmarks, and it motivates you to keep going.
Tracking your habits is also a great way to spot patterns. If you notice a blank space on your journal page where a checkmark should be, it’s a clear reminder that you’ve slipped and need to get back on track. That level of awareness can make all the difference in ensuring you don’t give up completely after missing a day or two.
It’s also important to be realistic. Life happens, and there will be times when sticking to your habit just isn’t possible. For example, if you’re feeling unwell, don’t push yourself to exercise. Missing a few days—or even a full week—while you recover is okay. Skipping habits occasionally for valid reasons doesn’t erase your progress. What matters most is returning to your routine as soon as you’re ready.
While I no longer track my exercise habit in a journal now that it’s firmly established, I found it invaluable during the early months. If you’re starting a new habit, journaling is a simple yet powerful way to stay accountable and track your growth. Plus, it’s a great tool for reflecting on your progress and celebrating small victories along the way.
Set Up Your Environment for Success
One of the most underrated strategies for building lasting habits is to set up your environment for success. The way you arrange your surroundings can either help or hinder your progress, so it’s crucial to make your environment work for you.
For me, this means preparing everything I need the night before to ensure a smooth and productive morning routine. I lay out my exercise clothes so they’re ready to go, place my journal on my desk as a visual reminder to use it, and set out a bottle of water to hydrate first thing when I wake up. These small, intentional actions make it easier to stick to my habits because I’ve removed unnecessary friction.
Visual cues in your environment are incredibly powerful when it comes to forming habits. By seeing your workout gear or journal in plain sight, you’re reminded of what you’ve committed to. On the flip side, it’s equally important to remove temptations or distractions that don’t serve your goals. For instance, if you’re trying to eat healthier, don’t leave sweets or junk food on your kitchen counter. Instead, stock your countertop with fruit or other healthy snacks. If you want to focus without interruptions, put your phone in another room or out of sight for a few hours.
Your environment plays a significant role in shaping your behavior. By strategically placing things that encourage good habits and removing obstacles that encourage bad ones, you create a space that naturally supports your goals. It’s a simple but highly effective way to make positive changes stick.
Focus on Repetition, Not Perfection
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned when building a new habit is to focus on repetition, not perfection. It’s easy to get caught up in the idea that every workout, meditation session, or journaling practice needs to be done perfectly. However, striving for perfection can often lead to frustration and burnout. The key is to simply get it done—even if it’s not your ideal version of the habit.
On days when you’re feeling low on energy or when life throws unexpected challenges your way, don’t beat yourself up for not doing your usual routine. Instead, make a smaller, more manageable version of your habit. For example, if you’re too tired to do your full workout, do a quick 10-minute session instead. If you’re too busy to write a long journal entry, jot down just a couple of sentences.
While this may not be the ideal version of your habit, it’s still progress. The most important thing is to show up consistently. Life happens—sometimes you’re sick, sometimes you’re exhausted, or sometimes something urgent comes up—but by focusing on maintaining the habit, even in a smaller form, you prevent missing days and falling off track completely.
