Most habit systems fail because they're designed for your most motivated days. We prefer a different approach: make the habit so small it's hard to say no.
This is the core principle of atomic habits—building an identity-based approach through tiny, consistent actions that prove who you're becoming.
The one-pushup rule
Marcus started with one pushup.
Not ten. Not "as many as possible." Just one.
Every morning, after his coffee, he'd drop and do a single pushup. Then he'd get on with his day.
His friends made fun of him. "What's the point of one pushup?"
But Marcus understood something they didn't: he wasn't trying to get strong yet. He was trying to prove to himself that he was someone who did pushups every morning.
After two weeks, one pushup felt silly. So he did three.
After a month, he was doing ten.
After three months, he was doing thirty.
Today, six months later, he does 100 pushups every morning. Not because he decided to scale up. But because once the habit was locked in, his body naturally wanted to do more.
The magic wasn't the pushup. It was the fact that it was so absurdly easy to start that he never talked himself out of it.
Start tiny (and actually mean it)
When I say "start tiny," most people still think too big. Here are 2-minute starters that actually work:
For writing:
- Open your notes app and type one sentence about your day
- Set a timer for 60 seconds and write whatever comes to mind
- Write three things you're grateful for
For exercise:
- Put on workout clothes (you don't even have to work out)
- Do one pushup, one squat, or walk to the mailbox and back
- Stand up and stretch for 30 seconds
For health:
- Fill a glass of water before coffee
- Eat one piece of fruit
- Take one deep breath before checking your phone
For learning:
- Read one page of a book before Netflix
- Watch one 3-minute educational video
- Learn one new word in a foreign language
The goal is not intensity. It's identity — to repeatedly prove "I am the kind of person who shows up."
Stack habits onto anchors
Your brain loves patterns. The more specific you make your trigger, the more automatic the habit becomes.
The formula is simple: "After [existing habit], I will [new tiny habit]."
Good stacking:
- After I pour my morning coffee, I'll read one page
- After I brush my teeth at night, I'll write one sentence in my journal
- After I sit at my desk, I'll write down my top priority for the day
- After I close my laptop, I'll do 10 pushups
Bad stacking:
- I'll exercise in the morning (when exactly?)
- I'll journal when I have time (you won't)
- I'll meditate daily (where? after what?)
The more specific your anchor, the less you have to think. And the less you have to think, the more likely you are to actually do it.
The 90-day progression: From tiny to transformational
Here's what actually happens when you start tiny and stay consistent:
Weeks 1-2: Proving the identity
You're establishing the pattern. One page. One pushup. One sentence. It feels almost meaningless. That's the point. You're proving you can show up.
Weeks 3-4: Natural expansion
You stop at one page... then keep reading to the end of the chapter. You do one pushup... then do five more. The habit is pulling you forward now.
Weeks 5-8: Automatic behavior
You don't think about whether you'll do it. You just do it. It's part of your routine now. You feel weird on days when you skip.
Weeks 9-12: Voluntary scaling
Now you're choosing to do more because you want to, not because you think you should. The behavior is intrinsically rewarding.
Real example: One user started with "write one sentence per day." After 90 days, she was writing 500 words per day. Not because we told her to scale up. But because once the habit was automatic, she wanted to keep going.
When to scale up (and when not to)
Here's the tricky part: knowing when to increase difficulty.
Scale up when:
- You've done the tiny version for at least 14 days straight
- It feels too easy (you're doing it on autopilot)
- You naturally find yourself doing more than the minimum
- You're excited about increasing, not forcing yourself
Don't scale up if:
- You're still negotiating with yourself about doing the tiny version
- You've missed more than 2 days in the past week
- Scaling up would make you less consistent
- You're scaling up because you "should," not because you want to
The rule: Consistency beats intensity every time. Better to do 5 minutes daily for a year than 60 minutes three times per week for a month, then quit.
Make success visible
Track streaks you can count on one hand. Five-day micro-streaks add up, and research shows that consistency beats intensity every time.
Every Monday, you start fresh. Can you make it to Friday? If yes, celebrate. Then start another one next Monday.
This prevents the shame spiral when you break a 100-day streak. When you miss a day (and you will), having a proven reset system makes all the difference between temporary setbacks and permanent failure.
The compound effect in action
Sarah wanted to become a runner. She started with putting on running shoes every morning. That's it. Just shoes.
After a week, she walked to the end of her driveway in those shoes.
After two weeks, she walked around the block.
After a month, she jogged for 60 seconds.
Today, nine months later, she runs 3 miles every morning.
Her friends say, "Wow, I wish I had your discipline."
But Sarah didn't build discipline. She built a tiny habit and let it compound.
Your move
Pick one habit you've been putting off because it feels too big.
Now shrink it. Make it 10x smaller. Then make it smaller again.
What's the version you could do right now, in the next 60 seconds, that would feel almost embarrassingly easy?
That's your starting point.
Do that tiny version today. Then tomorrow. Then the day after.
Don't worry about scaling up yet. Just prove you can show up.
Want daily accountability to keep your micro-streaks alive? Habit Coach AI sends personalized daily check-ins via text or call, helping you stack wins without relying on willpower alone. The consistency compounds—even when motivation doesn't.
