Designing for Success: How to Architect a Truly “Habit-Proof” Routine
With a clear understanding of the habit loop and the power of identity, we can move from theory to practice. Making a habit “habit-proof” is an act of architecture, not of willpower. You are the architect of your life, and your job is to design a system where your desired habits can thrive. This involves making good habits easy, obvious, and satisfying, while making bad habits difficult, invisible, and unsatisfying.
Start with the Minimum Viable Action (MVA)
One of the biggest reasons for habit relapse is starting too big. We get swept up in enthusiasm and commit to a 60-minute workout or 30 minutes of meditation every day. This is often unsustainable. The key is to start with what we call a Minimum Viable Action, or MVA. An MVA is the smallest possible version of your habit that still counts as a win and moves you forward. It should be so easy that you can’t say no.
Think “two-minute rule.” Your new habit should take less than two minutes to do.
- “Read every day” becomes “Read one page.”
- “Do yoga” becomes “Roll out my yoga mat.”
- “Meditate for 20 minutes” becomes “Sit and breathe for 60 seconds.”
- “Write a novel” becomes “Write one sentence.”
The MVA is not the end goal, but it is the critical first step. It helps you overcome the initial resistance and inertia. Anyone can read one page. Anyone can breathe for one minute. By doing the MVA, you are casting a vote for your new identity. You are showing up. Once you’ve started, it’s much easier to continue. Maybe you’ll only read one page, and that’s a win. But often, you’ll find yourself reading for ten minutes. The goal of the MVA is simply to master the art of showing up.
Conduct a “Friction Audit” on Your Life
Every action you take has a certain amount of “friction” associated with it—the effort, time, and decision-making required to perform it. To make good habits stick and bad habits fade, you must consciously manage this friction.
To build a good habit, reduce the friction. Make it as easy as possible to do the right thing. This is a core principle for anyone wondering how to make a habit stick.
- Want to exercise in the morning? Lay out your workout clothes, shoes, and water bottle the night before.
- Want to eat healthier? Pre-chop vegetables on Sunday so they’re ready to go for the week.
- Want to journal? Leave your notebook and a pen open on your nightstand.
To break a bad habit, increase the friction. Make it as difficult as possible to do the wrong thing.
- Want to watch less TV? Unplug it after each use and put the remote in another room.
- Want to stop mindlessly scrolling on your phone? Delete social media apps and only use the browser version, or set up screen time limits that require a password.
- Want to eat less junk food? Don’t keep it in the house. The friction of having to go to the store is often enough to stop the craving.
Engineer Your Environment with Cues
Your environment is the invisible hand that shapes your behavior. As we learned from the habit loop, habits are triggered by cues. The most effective way to ensure habit sticking is to make the cues for your good habits obvious and visible, and the cues for your bad habits invisible.
If you want to remember to take your vitamins, don’t hide them in a cabinet. Put the bottle right next to your coffee maker. If you want to practice guitar, don’t keep it in its case in the closet. Put it on a stand in the middle of your living room. You want to stumble over your good intentions.
Conversely, if you’re trying to drink less soda, remove it from the front of the fridge. Hide it, or better yet, don’t buy it. If your phone is the first thing you reach for in the morning, charge it in a different room overnight. By curating your space, you are pre-making decisions for your future self. You’re making it easy to succeed.
Introduce Gentle Accountability
Accountability can be a powerful motivator, but it doesn’t have to be punitive. The mere act of knowing someone else is paying attention can be a powerful incentive to follow through. Find a “habit buddy” and agree to text each other a simple “done” each day after you’ve completed your MVA. You don’t need to share details or judge each other; the simple act of checking in provides a positive social cue.
Another form of accountability is tracking. A simple calendar where you put an ‘X’ on each day you complete your habit can be incredibly satisfying. The goal isn’t to create an unbroken chain (more on that later), but to have a visual representation of your effort. It proves to yourself that you are showing up, reinforcing that new identity you’re building.
