The Habits
Change takes shape when daily actions are gentle, repeatable, and easy to return to. Over time, what you practice becomes who you are.
The Core Principles
Small habits compound
Focus on getting 1% better every day. Those tiny improvements compound over time. A 1% improvement each day makes you 37 times better by the end of the year. That's math.
Systems over goals
You don't need to set a goal to write a novel, you need a system that makes writing 200 words every morning the path of least resistance. When the right actions fit naturally into your life, progress follows.
Identity-based habits
Instead of saying "I want to run a marathon," start saying "I'm a runner" and then act like it. Do what a runner would do. Even if it's just a 10-minute jog. The identity comes first, the behavior follows.
Patience and plateaus
You can do everything right for weeks and see nothing. Then one day, seemingly out of nowhere, things click. This is the "Plateau of Latent Potential", the phase where your efforts are accumulating beneath the surface. Keep going. The breakthrough is coming.
The Four Laws of Behavior Change
Want to build a habit that actually sticks? Make it pass all four tests:
01
Make it obvious
Put your guitar in the middle of the room. Leave your running shoes by the door. Design your environment so the cue for your habit is impossible to miss. If you have to search for it, you probably won't do it.
02
Make it attractive
Pair the habit with something you already love. Want to exercise? Only listen to your favorite podcast while you walk. Want to meditate? Do it right before you make your morning coffee. The thing you love becomes the reward for the thing you're building.
03
Make it easy
Start with the two-minute version. Want to read more? Just read one page. Want to journal? Write one sentence. The point isn't to do it perfectly. The point is to show up. Once you're there, momentum takes over.
04
Make it satisfying
Give yourself an immediate reward. Check a box. Move a paper clip from one jar to another. Text a friend "I did the thing." Your brain needs to feel good about the habit right now, not three months from now when the results appear.
Here's the secret: you're not trying to “build discipline”. You're trying to build a life where doing the thing you want is easier than not doing it.
When You Fall Off (Because You Will)
You're going to miss a day. Probably several days. This is normal.
The mistake is thinking a missed day means you’ve failed. Missing once is an accident. Missing twice is a pattern. So the rule is simple: never miss twice.
Miss Monday? Show up Tuesday. Even if it’s sloppy. Even if it’s two minutes. Showing up imperfectly beats disappearing entirely.
The habits that change your life are the ones you do imperfectly, consistently, for a long time.
Start Here
Pick one habit. Just one. Make it so small it feels almost stupid. "I'll do one pushup." "I'll write one sentence." "I'll meditate for one minute."
Do it every day for a week to prove to yourself that you can. Once that feels automatic, you can add more. Not before.
Remember: small habits, repeated consistently, quietly become your entire life. So start small. Start now. Trust the process.