What is a habit?
In research, a habit is an action that is triggered by a particular situation. You brush your teeth when you stand at the basin in the evening. You pick up your phone when you sit down on the sofa. You do not think about it, because the situation does the work for you.
That is both the good and the hard thing about habits. Once a good habit has stuck, it costs almost no willpower. But to get there you have to repeat the action in the same situation again and again, for long enough that the brain links the two.
That is why good habits are less about motivation and more about making it easy to repeat the same thing, at the same time, for a long time.
5 principles that have been studied
Each principle is based on a specific study. You will find the sources at the bottom of the page.
1. Tie the habit to a fixed situation
Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006
A meta-analysis of 94 studies with over 8,000 participants found that people who made concrete if-then plans reached their goals markedly more often (d = 0.65). An if-then plan describes exactly when and where you will do something.
Try it: Write your plan as “When I have poured my morning coffee, I do 10 push-ups” instead of “I want to exercise more”.
2. Repeat it, and give it time
Lally et al., 2010
96 participants repeated a new action every day for 12 weeks, for example taking a walk after breakfast. For the median participant it took 66 days before the action felt automatic, but the range was from 18 to 254 days.
Try it: Plan for at least two months, and do not be disappointed if it takes you longer. That is completely normal.
3. One missed day does not ruin anything
Lally et al., 2010
In the same study, skipping a single day made no noticeable difference to habit formation. What matters is that you get going again.
Try it: If you miss a day, do not start over in your head. Just do it again tomorrow.
4. Pair it with something you look forward to
Milkman, Minson & Volpp, 2014
Participants who were only allowed to listen to a gripping audiobook at the gym worked out 51% more often than the control group in the first weeks. The researchers call it temptation bundling.
Try it: Save your favourite podcast for your walk, or your series for time on the exercise bike.
5. Track your progress, and share it
Harkin et al., 2016
A meta-analysis of 138 experiments with 19,951 participants found that tracking your progress increases the chance of reaching your goal. The effect was largest when progress was written down or shared with others.
Try it: Tick it off in a calendar, take a photo, or tell a friend how it is going every week.
What about Atomic Habits?
Atomic Habits by James Clear was published in 2018. It is one of the best-selling books about habits, and many people know it from friends, podcasts or work.
The book’s central idea is that small improvements add up over time, and that you get further with good systems than with big goals alone. Clear describes a habit as a chain that starts with a cue and ends with a reward, and his advice is to make good habits obvious, attractive, easy and satisfying. He also stresses that habits are tied to who you see yourself as.
Where the research backs it up
- Attaching a new habit to something you already do resembles if-then plans, which are thoroughly studied.
- Pairing a chore with something you look forward to builds directly on research into temptation bundling.
- Tracking your progress visibly has good support in the research.
Where to take it with a pinch of salt
- "1% better every day" is a calculation that illustrates a point, not a result anyone has measured.
- The idea of habits as identity is a useful perspective, but it has not been studied as thoroughly as the rest.
- The book is mostly about you alone. The social side, meaning others holding you to it, takes up less space.
Systems or goals? Use both.
Clear has a point: it is the daily habit that moves you, not the goal itself. But a goal with an end date gives the habit a direction and a moment when you take stock. The habit is the system, and the goal is the agreement you make with yourself and others that the system is actually used.
snakkermeget.dk has no connection to James Clear or the book’s publisher, and this page has not been approved by them. Atomic Habits is a trademark of James Clear Holdings LLC. The description of the book is our own.
How to build a habit with snakker meget
A habit takes months. That is long enough for most of us to forget why we started.
1. Turn the habit into a goal
Write what you will do, when, and for how long. For example "Run every Tuesday and Thursday after work for ten weeks". Ten weeks gives you enough time for the habit to settle in.
2. Invite goal buddies
Up to two people can follow your goal. Upload photos of your progress so they can see how it is going. That is exactly the kind of visible follow-up the research points to.
3. Finish with a vote
After the end date, you and your goal buddies vote on whether you made it. If you like, write down in advance what you will do if you do not.
Frequently asked questions about habits
How long does it take to form a new habit?
It varies a lot. In the most cited study, it took the median participant 66 days before a new action felt automatic, but the range was from 18 to 254 days. Simple actions become habits faster than demanding ones.
Does it take 21 days to form a habit?
No, that is a myth. The figure comes from the plastic surgeon Maxwell Maltz, who wrote in 1960 that his patients typically needed at least about 21 days to get used to a new appearance. It was not about habits, and it was a minimum, not a rule.
What happens if I skip a day?
Not much. The research shows that a single missed day makes no noticeable difference to whether the action becomes a habit. The most important thing is to get going again quickly.
Is Atomic Habits based on research?
Partly. Several of the book’s tips resemble well-studied methods, such as if-then plans and temptation bundling. Other parts, like the idea of getting 1% better every day, are more an image of how small improvements add up than a measured result.
How can snakker meget help me with a new habit?
You create a goal with a clear end date, for example running twice a week for ten weeks, and invite up to two goal buddies. They can follow along, and after the end date you vote on whether you made it.