How does the habit planner work?
- Pick an anchor. Something you already do every day at a fixed moment, such as pouring your morning coffee or getting into bed.
- Choose a small habit. Small enough that you could do it on a bad day.
- Add where, if it helps. A place makes the plan more concrete.
- Plan for the obstacle. Name the thing most likely to stop you, and a backup you will do instead.
- Save it, then add more. Press Save routine, then Create another routine for the next one. You can keep up to 6.
- Print a fridge sheet. Choose a poster, a 66-day tracker with a box to tick each day, or cut-out cards to put where each moment happens, in one of four colors. Print it or save it as a PDF.
Your routines are saved in your browser on this device only, so they are still there when you come back. Nothing is sent to us.
Why do if-then plans work?
They decide the when, where and how ahead of time, so you do not have to rely on motivation in the moment. Psychologists call them implementation intentions, plans in the form "If situation Y is encountered, then I will initiate goal-directed behavior X!" A 2006 meta-analysis of "94 independent tests" found they had "a positive effect of medium-to-large magnitude (d= .65) on goal attainment", beyond simply having the goal.
Why tie a habit to something you already do?
Habits form through repetition in the same situation. In a 2010 study of habit formation, volunteers repeated a daily eating, drinking or activity behavior in the same context, such as after breakfast. An existing daily routine gives you that consistent context for free.
How long until a new habit feels automatic?
Usually longer than people expect. In that study, the time to reach a plateau of automaticity ranged from 18 to 254 days, with a median of 66 days. Missing one opportunity did not materially affect the process, so a missed day is a reason to carry on, not to start over.
| Weaker plan | Stronger plan |
|---|---|
| "I will exercise more." | "After I finish lunch, I will walk for 10 minutes around the block." |
| "I will read before bed." | "After I get into bed, I will read 2 pages, with the phone in another room." |
| No backup | "If it is raining, then I will walk the stairs for 5 minutes." |
For more on getting started and keeping going, read how motivation works and how habits form.
