Stage 4 of 7 · 7 lessons · ~2 weeks

Habits that stick

Learn how habits really form, why they take longer than you think, and how to design them with cues, small starts, your environment and a plan for missed days.

Start: How habits really form

Lessons· one lesson for each topic, in this order

Do this

Pick one to three habits you actually want, not ones you feel you should have
Write an "After I ..., I will ..." sentence for each
Define a tiny version you could do on your worst day
Make one change to your room or desk for each habit
Track the habits daily for four weeks
Write a never-miss-twice plan and a smaller version for exam weeks, travel or family events

Practise

Notion
A simple habit tracker table you can see every day, and nothing more

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Before moving on: One to three habits, each with an anchor sentence, a tiny version, an environment change and a simple tracker, kept for at least four weeks, with a written plan for missed days and busy weeks.

Tauseef's advice

Start smaller than feels reasonable and give it longer than feels reasonable. Habits are built by showing up on boring days, not by perfect weeks. When you miss a day, and you will, do the tiny version tomorrow.

Struggling right now? If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, contact local emergency services or a crisis line: Find a helpline (any country), Umang (Pakistan), Tele-MANAS, 14416 (India).