Build Healthy Habits That Stick: 7 Science-Backed Strategies That Work
Key Takeaways
- Start with habits that feel easy and doable. When habits are small and approachable, consistency builds easily and naturally over time—without having to white-knuckle your way through change or rely on willpower alone.
- Let your routines and environment support your success. Anchoring new habits to existing routines and removing small obstacles makes healthy behaviors easier to follow through on day after day.
- Respond to setbacks with self-compassion, not self-criticism. Research shows that self-compassion helps protect motivation and self-esteem, making it easier to stay engaged with habits over the long term—even when life gets in the way.
By February, nearly 80% of New Year’s resolutions have already been abandoned.
If you’ve ever started a new habit with genuine intention and motivation, only to feel discouraged when it didn’t last, you’re not alone. What if the problem isn’t you — but the way we’re taught to create new habits?
If building healthy habits has felt frustrating or exhausting in the past, here’s the good news: there are simple, science-backed ways to build healthy habits that stick — without relying on willpower or motivation alone.
Why Building Healthy Habits Matters for Mental and Physical Well-Being
Adopting healthy habits can transform your mental and physical health. Small changes, such as spending time in nature, practicing mindfulness, or sharing moments with friends, can build up over time and positively affect your happiness and resilience.
Start Small to Build Momentum
According to Stanford researcher BJ Fogg, PhD, the key to forming lasting habits is starting small—so small that there is no resistance to doing the activity. Research shows that starting with tiny actions reduces friction and increases consistency by lowering the psychological barrier to getting started. Think ridiculously small, for instance:
• Walk for 5 minutes
• Meditate for 1 minute
• Do one push-up or read one page
Habits that feel effortless require less motivation and willpower, making you more likely to stick with them.
As you build consistency, you can gradually increase the intensity or duration to where you would like to be (e.g., meditating for 12 minutes, reading a chapter, doing 20 push-ups).
Make Your Bed: A Simple Keystone Habit
Making your bed may seem trivial, but it’s a powerful example of what behavioral researchers call a keystone habit. According to Charles Duhigg, keystone habits are small, foundational behaviors that can spark a cascade of other positive changes. They work by creating an early sense of accomplishment and order, which helps build momentum for the rest of the day. Research suggests that people who consistently make their bed are more likely to follow through on other healthy behaviors, such as exercising, budgeting, and maintaining routines. For many people, this small morning win becomes the foundation for greater consistency and confidence.
Leverage Habit Stacking for Success
Habit stacking is the proven strategy of anchoring new habits to existing ones, making them easier to remember and integrate into your daily life.
For example:
• After brushing your teeth in the morning, do a 30-second plank
• After waking up, engage in a 1-minute gratitude practice
• After finishing dinner, practice 5 minutes of mindful breathing
James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, also emphasizes starting small and using habit stacking to help behaviors stick over time.
Many years ago, I wanted to start a daily breathing practice. So each morning, immediately after I pushed the brew button on my coffee maker (an existing daily habit), I sat down and did box breathing for 2 minutes. More than a decade later, I still have my daily breathing practice.
These simple pairings create cues that help cement the new behavior into your daily routine.
Remove Obstacles to Streamline Success
According to psychologist Shawn Achor, creating a new habit requires activation energy, the initial spark of energy needed to kick-start a new habit. Obstacles increase the activation energy required and reduce the likelihood of success. Practical tips for removing obstacles include:
• Make an exercise appointment with a friend to prevent changing your mind when motivation wanes
• Prep healthy meals or snacks in advance
• Keep a yoga mat visible to encourage regular practice
Eliminating barriers reduces resistance and increases the likelihood you'll follow through.
Visualize Your Future Self for Extra Motivation
Think about how great you'll feel after completing your habit. Visualization is a powerful motivator that can shift your mindset and encourage action.
• Picture the sense of accomplishment after a workout
• Imagine the peace and clarity that follow a meditation session
I can't tell you how many miles I have successfully logged just by reminding myself how good I will feel AFTER I finish my run. This mental trick creates a positive association with the activity, making starting easier.
The Power of Social Support
Social support is your friend, no pun intended, when you are trying to build a new habit. Friends, family, and people with similar goals can all provide encouragement, accountability, and a sense of community, which can significantly increase the likelihood of successfully adopting and maintaining new positive behaviors.
Share your goals with someone close or join a group with similar interests.
Track Progress and Celebrate Small Wins
Tracking progress provides tangible evidence of success and activates your brain's reward system. Ticking off completed items leads to a feeling of accomplishment, which causes the release of dopamine. This neurotransmitter helps us remember the behavior that led to the good feeling, making it more likely that we will repeat that behavior.
Similarly, engaging in a quick and simple celebration of your effort creates the same benefit. According to BJ Fogg, the celebration creates a positive feeling on demand. This pleasurable experience helps wire the new habit into your brain. Mini celebrations can be as simple as exclaiming "Yes!" with a fist pump, doing a victory dance, or giving yourself a high five.
Practice Self-Compassion During Setbacks
No behavior change discussion is complete without mentioning self-compassion. When your goal is to build healthy habits for the long term, how you respond to setbacks matters just as much as the habits themselves. Setbacks, failures, and disappointments are all part of the behavior change process, and self-compassion is one of the best ways to support yourself when they inevitably occur. Research shows that being kind to yourself during challenges helps maintain motivation and protects your self-esteem.
• Mindfully acknowledge the difficulty: "This is tough and setbacks are a normal part of growth."
• Offer kindness to yourself: "I'm here for you and I know you’re trying your best. You'll get this!"
This nurturing approach builds resilience, helping you bounce back stronger.
Creating lasting habits is a gradual process that requires patience and persistence. Start small, remove barriers, and celebrate every step of progress. Using science-based strategies, you can build healthy habits that support a healthier, happier life.
Looking for support with building healthy habits that fit your life?
If you’d like guidance that’s compassionate, science-based, and designed for real life, I invite you to learn more about my approach.
Therapist Bio
Cari Browning, RN, LCSW is a licensed therapist and founder of Resilience Focused Therapy in Walnut Creek, CA. Combining her expertise as both a nurse and psychotherapist, she brings a whole-person, mind-body perspective to her work, supporting both mental and physical health. Cari specializes in helping adults, couples, and teens navigate anxiety, stress, health-related challenges, and trauma using evidence-based approaches, including EMDR, DBT, ACT, and the Gottman Method. She is passionate about blending science-based strategies with compassionate care to help clients feel more confident, resilient, and connected.
If you found this blog post helpful, please feel free to share it with others.
References:
Fogg, B. J. (2020). Tiny habits: The small changes that change everything. Harvest.
Neff, K. (2011). Self-compassion: The proven power of being kind to yourself. Hachette UK.