How to form habits and make them stick

It’s been, what, a month since New Year’s Day? A month since how many of us created indescribably tricky Resolutions, with all of the intentions of sticking to them – and yet, only 8% of us stick to our goals.

Why is that? Why do so many of us fail to stick to our goals?

This year, I’m committed to sticking to the goals that I’ve set my mind to completing. As ever, I’ve gone for three Big Goals, since three always feels like a pretty achievable number. I’m hoping to be more creative with regular drawing and writing; to work on my fitness levels by going to the gym and climbing more consistently; to read for half an hour every night.

So far, it’s been going pretty well.

One reason for that is that I’ve made these goals public by discussing them on my blog. In fact, I’ve committed to a series dedicated to self-improvement – and there are already three online. Read those first, and then come back here for a focus on habit-formation:

How to make 2025 the best year of your life

How to stick to your resolutions with Quarterly Goals

19 incredible books to read in 2025 (with a schedule to help you stick to your reading goals)

So, you’ve set your resolutions, you’ve got your quarterly goals established, and you’ve already read a couple of books this year. Great, now what?

Now, we need to form some habits so that we can stick to our ambitious goals. Here are three fail-proof ways to form and stick to your habits this year.

Form observable habits

The number one way that you’re going to find it easier to form new habits is by making them observable. James Clear wrote about this in his seminal Atomic Habits, which you can read my review of here. If you can see your unhealthy habits, you’re more likely to do them; but if you make your healthy habits, or at least the ones that you want to do, visible, then you’re more likely to do them, too.

Here’s an example: if you want to learn to play guitar, and leave it on your bed, then you’ll have to move it off to go to sleep. So, while you’re holding it, why not play a couple songs for ten minutes?

To get drawing and read more frequently, I’m leaving my book and a one-drawing-a-day sketching book on my bedside table. Before this, I’d left my drawing utensils in a ‘hobby room’/office, adding a little bit of friction between me and this habit. Now, I’m hoping that the visual cue will be enough to add it to the end of my day.

Form stackable habits

James Clear also takes credit for this idea: if you already do something, every single day, that means that you’ve already formed a habit. Therefore, could you combine this pre-established habit with another, to help you with adding a new habit to your routines?

One thing that I did this for last year was teeth-brushing: I already do this twice a year so, to improve my balance, I started standing on one leg while brushing. Now, I don’t do this all the time, but I have started to notice a little improvement in my balance.

So, I’m already pretty good at listening to audio books on 2x speed on my earphones, which is one way that I’m trying to increase the number of books that I’ve read, but why not combine that with my desire to draw more? I’m listening to my audiobooks while drawing and, so far, so good. If you’re already good at going to the gym, but want to read more, why not start listening to an audiobook? It’s an easy way to add more, healthier, habits to your life.

Form two-minute habits

Every single time you want to try your new habit, tell yourself this: it’ll only take two minutes. If you’re trying to read more, then it’ll only take two minutes. The reality is that you know that it’ll take longer, but the point is that you’re convincing your brain that it won’t. That’ll reduce the friction between you and your new routines, since it won’t feel like a big deal.

Equally, if you feel the temptation to do something else, rather than your new habits, then tell yourself that you can do that other thing – in ten minutes, once you’ve had time to give your new habit a go. But after ten minutes, you may as well continue, right? Since you’ve entered a deeper work space, it’ll be more effort to do something else. In that case, you may as well continue with your new habit instead.

Before you know it, you’ll have spent however long you actually intended to on your new habits, since they’re easy to start, fit with your pre-established routines, and are very clearly visible. How are you sticking to your habits? Share them in the comments to help us all stick to our New Year’s Resolutions.

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Hardly Hamilton

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