When building habits, start with your identity—the kind of person you aspire to be—rather than focusing on a one-off goal. Instead of asking, “Why do you want to start the habit in the first place?” shift your focus to “Who am I becoming?” Habits rooted in identity are more sustainable because they align your actions with your long-term vision of yourself.

However, identity alone isn’t enough—it must be reinforced through consistent action. Every small habit you implement serves as evidence that you are becoming the person you want to be. This creates a positive feedback loop: Action builds identity, and identity drives action.

It’s important to focus on identity-based habits because they are more meaningful and long-lasting. When your habits reflect your desired identity, they don’t feel like chores; they become natural extensions of who you are. This mindset shift transforms your habits from something you "have to do" into something you "naturally do."

“Your identity is shaped by thinking long-term and proving it to yourself through small, consistent actions that align with the person you aspire to be.”

For example:

• Instead of a goal like: "Run a marathon,"
  Adopt an identity like: "I am a disciplined runner."
  Prove it: Start with a habit of running for just 5 minutes a day.
• Instead of aiming for: "Read 50 books this year,"
  Embrace: "I am a curious and continuous learner."
  Prove it: Commit to reading one page every night.

Why This Matters

Every small win reinforces the belief in your new identity. Without action, identity remains just an idea. But with each habit—no matter how small—you prove to yourself, "This is who I am." Over time, these consistent actions create a sustainable path toward lasting change and strengthen your self-belief. The more you act in alignment with your desired identity, the easier it becomes to embody that identity naturally.

Create An Implementation Intention

The two most common triggers for habits are time and location. To successfully build a new habit, start by creating an implementation intention, which clearly defines:

• What you will do (the habit)
• When you will do it (time)
• Where you will do it (location)

Use this formula:

I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION].

Example: “I will work out at 6 PM in my backyard.” Setting a specific time and location ensures you have a clear plan, leaving no room for excuses. For added accountability, put this plan in your agenda or calendar. Scheduling your habit reinforces commitment, provides a visual reminder, and ensures you prioritize the time.

Use Habit Stacking

Habit stacking pairs a new habit with an existing one by linking them together. Use this formula:

After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].

Examples:

• “After I brush my teeth, I will floss.”
• “After I eat breakfast, I will drink a glass of water.”

This method makes starting new habits even easier..

Design Your Environment

Building habits is often easier in a new environment because you’re not surrounded by the familiar cues that remind you of old behaviors. Every habit has a trigger, so it’s essential to make the triggers for good habits obvious in your environment.

Example: Lay out your gym clothes where you can see them, making it easier to start your workout.

Your environment can also influence other behaviors. For instance, when items are more visible and accessible, they are more likely to be used or consumed.

Example: Products placed at eye level in stores are purchased more frequently.

By designing your environment intentionally, you can set yourself up for success without needing constant motivation.

Remove Bad Triggers

The key to self-control is making bad habits invisible. Instead of relying solely on willpower, remove cues that trigger undesirable behaviors.

Examples:

• Spend less time in situations that lead to bad habits.
• Unfollow accounts on social media that expose you to unwanted triggers.

Case Study: During the Vietnam War, soldiers who used heroin were less likely to relapse when they returned home because the cues that triggered their addiction were left behind. This shows that removing triggers can dramatically reduce bad habits.

Self-control isn’t about willpower—it’s about designing an environment that supports your goals.

Habits are driven by dopamine, the brain’s natural motivator. Interestingly, it’s not the reward itself but the anticipation of the reward that creates the motivation to act. The brain is wired with more neurons for wanting rewards than for liking them—100% of the nucleus accumbens is activated during wanting, compared to just 10% during liking.

Use Temptation Bundling

To leverage this craving, use temptation bundling to make habits more attractive. Pair an action you need to do with something you want to do.

Example: Clean your room while listening to your favorite music.

By bundling tasks, you associate the effortful habit with something enjoyable, increasing the likelihood of follow-through.

Join a Culture Where Your Desired Behavior is the Norm

Human behavior is deeply influenced by the desire to belong. Surround yourself with people who already exhibit the behaviors you aspire to adopt. Join a culture where your desired habit is the norm and where you share common interests. This creates an environment of social reinforcement, making it easier to sustain your new habits.

We are often influenced by these three social groups:

• The Close: Family and friends.
• The Many: Broader social tribes.
• The Powerful: Those with status and prestige.

Create a Motivation Ritual

Do something you enjoy right before starting a difficult habit to make it more appealing. This pairs a positive activity with the challenging task, reducing resistance and creating a mental link between the two.

Example: Before working out, play an energizing song; before studying, enjoy a cup of coffee.

Over time, this ritual makes the habit feel more natural and less daunting.

Make It Unattractive

To break a bad habit, associate it with negative outcomes. Habits often feel appealing because we link them to positive feelings. Flipping the script can weaken their hold over you.

Example: Constantly read about the dangers of smoking to make it less appealing.

By highlighting the downsides of bad habits, you can rewire your brain to see them as undesirable. When combined with strategies to replace bad habits with positive ones, this approach creates a clear path to long-term improvement.

Reduce Friction

Human behavior naturally follows the path of least resistance, meaning we gravitate toward actions that require the least effort. When a choice feels easy, we’re far more likely to stick with it. To build good habits, make the desired behavior the simplest option available.

• Exercise: Lay out workout clothes the night before and opt for simple routines like bodyweight exercises or walking.
• Work Productivity: Maintain a clean workspace with all tools ready, and use apps to block distractions or automate tasks.
• Daily Routines: Prep outfits, healthy meals, and essentials the night before, and keep keys or wallets in the same spot for easy access.

Prime the Environment

Your environment plays a crucial role in shaping your behavior. By designing your surroundings intentionally, you make it easier to take positive actions and maintain them with less effort. This reduces decision fatigue and makes the right choices clear and effortless.

• Encourage Exercise: Keep your workout clothes or gear visible, such as on a chair or next to your bed.
• Boost Productivity: Organize your workspace to be clutter-free, with tools like your laptop, notepad, and pens ready to use.
• Remove Temptations: Store unhealthy snacks in hard-to-reach places or avoid buying them altogether. Log out of distracting apps or put your phone in another room to stay focused.

Master the Decisive Moment

The small decisions you make at pivotal moments have a disproportionate effect on the rest of your day. These decisive moments often set the tone for what follows.

• Prepare Triggers: Tie a positive action to an existing routine to make it automatic. For example, as soon as you sit at your desk, open your notes or to-do list.
• Pause Before Deciding: At a decisive moment, pause and ask, “What will make the rest of my day better?”
• Set Defaults: Design your environment to make the right choice the easiest option. Use tools like website blockers or keep your phone in another room.

Use the Two-Minute Rule

Big goals often feel overwhelming. Downscale your habits until they can be done in two minutes or less. The key is to focus on starting rather than finishing. Once you take the first small step, momentum often carries you further.

• Reading Every Night: Instead of committing to an entire chapter, just read one page. Starting creates a habit.
• Exercising: Begin with putting on workout clothes or doing one push-up.
• Cleaning the House: Start by tidying up one small area, like clearing a single shelf.

Automate Your Habits

Automation removes the daily need for decision-making and willpower, making good habits easier to maintain. By investing in tools, technology, or one-time actions, you create systems that work in your favor without ongoing effort.

• Financial Automation: Set up automatic transfers to your savings account.
• Health Automation: Use meal kit delivery services or grocery apps for healthy options.
• Sleep Optimization: Invest in a high-quality mattress or blackout curtains to improve your sleep environment.

Use Reinforcement

To make a habit stick, it’s crucial to feel good immediately after completing it. Your brain naturally prioritizes instant rewards over delayed ones, so creating positive experiences tied to your habits significantly increases their chances of repetition.

• Reward yourself: Reinforce your habit by giving yourself an immediate reward. For example, when you enter the gym, listen to your favorite music or start your workout with your favorite exercise to make the experience enjoyable from the start.
• Celebrate progress: Positive reinforcement builds a strong association with your habit, making it more satisfying and easier to maintain over time.

Make “Doing Nothing” Enjoyable

Avoiding bad habits can feel challenging, but designing your environment to emphasize the benefits of abstaining makes the process enjoyable and rewarding.

• Highlight the benefits: Find ways to enjoy “doing nothing” by focusing on the positive outcomes. For example, celebrate the time saved or stress avoided by not engaging in a bad habit.
• Shift your perspective: Reframing avoidance as a gain rather than a sacrifice helps you feel good about staying on track.

Use a Habit Tracker

One of the most rewarding feelings is seeing progress, and tracking it visually can be a game-changer. Tools like calendars or habit trackers provide tangible evidence of your success, making habits more satisfying and helping you stay consistent.

• Measure your progress: Use a habit tracker to monitor your streak. Marking an “X” on a calendar or logging your achievements provides a clear sense of accomplishment and reinforces your habit.
• Build satisfaction: Watching your streak grow is inherently rewarding and creates a positive association with your habit.
• Don’t break the chain: Missing one day is fine—it happens to everyone. The key is to bounce back quickly and restart the habit the next day to maintain momentum.

Never Miss Twice

Missing a day is normal, but the key to building long-term habits is getting back on track immediately. The true danger lies not in slipping once, but in allowing it to become a pattern.

• Avoid perfectionism: Missing one day is just a misstep, not a failure. Treat it as an opportunity to recommit rather than a reason to give up. Missing twice, however, can start a new bad habit, so don’t let perfectionism discourage you.
• Act quickly: Focus on restarting your habit the very next day. Avoid overthinking or criticizing yourself—what matters is taking action.
• Prevent setbacks: Consistency is built through small recoveries. One missed day won’t derail your progress, but letting it spiral into a pattern can.

Search for an Accountability Partner

Having an accountability partner can be a powerful motivator for maintaining habits. Humans are naturally driven by social expectations, and we tend to avoid behaviors that generate discomfort, pain, or disapproval.

• Create social pressure: We care deeply about how others perceive us and strive to maintain a positive image. An accountability partner leverages this instinct, making it less likely for you to skip your habit.
• Introduce consequences: A habit contract with your accountability partner can increase the stakes. By agreeing on specific penalties for breaking your habit, you add a layer of discomfort that discourages slipping up.

An accountability partner helps create a system where the cost of failing your habit outweighs the effort needed to stick with it. This dynamic makes habits harder to break and builds consistency over time.