Start tiny, then grow

The most common reason new habits fail is that they start too big. "Study three hours every day" or "go to the gym six days a week" depends on good days. Start with a version so small you can do it on your worst day: one flashcard, one push-up, one paragraph, two minutes of tidying.

Fogg's Tiny Habits approach and James Clear's Atomic Habits both make this point. Once showing up is automatic, grow it slowly. The aim in the first weeks is to become someone who does the thing every day, not to get results.