How to restart a habit
If you’ve missed a few days, do the smallest version at your next opportunity. The practice you’ve already done still counts.
Make the next time easy
- Pick one action. If you meant to read for 20 minutes, read one page. Do the small version now if you have a moment.
- Choose what comes right before it. “After I set my mug on the counter” gives you a moment you can recognize.
- Set one thing out. Put the book by your mug or leave it open to the next page so it’s ready when you are.
Change what got in the way
If you kept forgetting, move the book somewhere you’ll see it. If the time of day fell apart, pick a cue that still happens. If one page feels like too much tonight, try one paragraph.
In one 12-week study, people repeated a behavior in a consistent setting. A single missed opportunity had little effect on how the habit was forming. Read the study by Lally and colleagues.
How one minute adds up
- One minute every day for 365 days adds up to 365 minutes, or 6 hours and 5 minutes.
- One minute on a single day adds up to 1 minute.
- Zero minutes every day for 365 days adds up to 0 minutes.
The daily example gives you 365 times as much practice as doing it once, and 365 minutes more than doing none. If you missed yesterday, one minute today still goes on your total.