Habit Plan Template: Start Tiny, Tie It to a Cue
Habits form when a small action is repeated after the same cue, not through willpower. This template helps you shrink the habit, attach it to an existing routine with an if-then plan, make it easy and track the first week.
Based on habit formation research and if-then plans. See the sources
Fill it in here
- Shrink it until it's almost too easy: "read one page," not "read more."
- After I [something I already do], I will [the habit].
- After I … I will …
- What can you set up today so it takes less effort? What usually gets in the way?
- One missed day doesn't undo it. Pick it up at the next cue.
- Tick a box each day you do it.
Start writing and you can save it to Brain Dump as a note.
When to use it
- Starting any new daily habit
- Restarting one that faded
- When motivation is high and you want it to outlast the mood
What it's based on
Habits form by repeating a small action after the same cue. In one study it took a median of 66 days to feel automatic, with a huge range (about 18 to 254), and missing a single day didn't undo progress.
Research-backed
Built on a technique that's been tested in published studies. The sources below say how strong that evidence is.
There is no magic number of days; complex behaviours take longer.
Sources
How to use it well
Make the habit almost too easy: one page, one push-up, one line
Attach it to something you already do every day: 'After I pour my coffee, I will…'
Remove one thing that usually gets in the way
Missed a day? Pick it up at the next cue. One miss doesn't undo it
FAQ
66 days was the median in one study, but the range was huge, from about 18 to 254 days. Simple habits form faster. There's no magic number.
In the same study, missing one day didn't meaningfully affect habit formation. Missing many in a row does.
Keep it in Brain Dump
Start a note from this template in your browser, or on iPhone, iPad and Mac. It's there whenever you need it again.
Start writing free
