If you're having trouble sticking to a new habit, try a smaller version until it becomes automatic. Do less than you're capable of, but do it more consistently than you have before.

A quick and easy tip for building habits that last:

Pick a standard time and place to do it.

It's easier to wake up knowing "I exercise at 4pm" than to decide each time when to fit a habit into your day.

If it's already decided, all you need to do is show up.

One of the most common questions I hear is, “How long does it take to build a new habit?” But what people really should be asking is, “How many does it take to form a new habit?” That is, how many repetitions are required to make a habit automatic?

One of the best ways to build a new habit is to identify a current habit you already do each day and then stack your new behavior on top. This is called habit stacking.

Give each habit enough time. Stick with the discipline long enough for it to become routine. Habits, on average, take 66 days to form. Once a habit is solidly established, you can either build on that habit or, if appropriate, build another one.

3 things that help habits stick:

1) Repetition. Habits form based on frequency, not time.
2) Stable context. If the context is always changing, so is the behavior. You need a reliable environment.
3) Positive emotions. If it feels good, you'll want to repeat it.

Changing habits:

Pick one thing. Cultivate a desire. Visualize it.
Plan a sustainable path.
Identify needs, triggers, & substitutes.
Tell your friends.
Track meticulously.
Self-discipline is a bridge to a new self-image.
Bake in the new self-image. It’s who you are, now.

Going at it strong for a week or a month and then falling back into old habits is just like working for a week or a month on that plot of ground and then abandoning it. Before long, it will be no better than before. Each morning, and during the day, ask yourself this question: “How can I increase my service today, knowing that my rewards in life must be in exact proportion to my service?” Do this every day, and you will have started to form one of life’s most valuable habits.

If you want to master a habit, the key is to start with repetition, not perfection. You don’t need to map out every feature of a new habit. You just need to practice it. This is the first takeaway of the 3rd Law: you just need to get your reps in.

When determining the size or complexity of a new habit ask yourself: What can I stick to — even on my worst day?

Start there. Master the art of showing up. Then advance.

Sometimes a habit will be hard to remember and you’ll need to make it obvious. Other times you won’t feel like starting and you’ll need to make it attractive. In many cases, you may find that a habit will be too difficult and you’ll need to make it easy. And sometimes, you won’t feel like sticking with it and you’ll need to make it satisfying.

The truth is, a habit must be established before it can be improved. If you can’t learn the basic skill of showing up, then you have little hope of mastering the finer details. Instead of trying to engineer a perfect habit from the start, do the easy thing on a more consistent basis. You have to standardize before you can optimize.

A habit must be established before it can be improved. If you can't learn the basic skill of showing up, then you have little hope of mastering the finer details. instead of trying to engineer a perfect habit from the start, do the easy thing on a more consistent basis. You have to standardize before you can optimize.

How long does it take to build a habit?

21 days? 30 days? 66 days?

The honest answer is: forever. Because once you stop doing it, it is no longer a habit.

A habit is a lifestyle to be lived, not a finish line to be crossed. Make small, sustainable changes you can stick with.