Making keystone habits stick

Keystone habits are habits that allow other healthy behaviors to form. They help you steadily improve your lifestyle by laying the foundation with a few best practices. All habits are largely dependent on the context in which they’re set; in order to make them stick, there are a few steps you can take that require minimal effort and that align with your keystone habits.

6 tips for making keystone habits stick

1. Start small

Pick 2-3 habits and focus on just those for at least 6 months.

Allow other habits to form naturally. Don’t force anything – remember that these are designed to be the few habits that make room for other habits to form. People who appear that most disciplined really only practice a handful of healthy habits consistently.

2. Use what you have

Make use of your current resources including your time, energy and money, to do what you can now. Don’t let a perceived lack of resources keep you from taking action – take a walk, try a bodyweight workout at home, make meals from the ingredients you have on hand, etc. You can do a lot with a little.

3. Create a routine

Build your keystone habits into your daily routine so that they require less conscious effort. You’re more likely to stick with your habits if you practice them at the same times and place each day. Habits are context dependent – they strengthen through repetition and associations with cues from your surrounding environment.

Are you setting yourself up to make your keystone habits stick?

4. Adjust as needed

Consistency relies on adaptability; so, make adjustments as needed but don’t give up. For example, you might need to adjust the frequency of your weekly workouts when your work schedule changes. You might need to change the order you do things when you move (different route, time), adjust your schedule when traveling, etc. Making adjustments helps you stay consistent because remember: what matters most is that you stick with it over the long-term, not that you get it perfect 7 days a week.

5. Find something you love

Find what you love and make it your own practice. Ask yourself:

What are some things I do without thinking that bring me joy and allow me to decompress?
How do I like to move my body and what makes it feel best?
What energizes me and what helps me relax?

Try to answer in ways that focus exclusively on how you feel and your joy. You do not have to run if you don’t like running or eat foods you don’t like. You do not have to join a gym if you’re not interested in being a gym goer.

Do certain people in certain situations trigger you to engage in other activities that are counterproductive to the life you want to live? Assess who in your circle is helping you reach your goals and who isn’t. You don’t have to end friendships but you may need to set clearer boundaries on who you hang with and in what environments.

Conversely, you can build new connections doing things that will help you reach your goals – joining a walking or running club, a gym or local yoga studio, attending networking events to learn a new skill or further explore your hobbies, etc.

Habit-formation doesn’t require a lot of brain power.

But making your keystone habits stick is much easier when you pursue them in the context of your daily activities. Then, those handful of healthy habits that you’ve solidified can be the foundation for other habits to form and easily fold into your life. And the cycle continues as you move toward goal-directed behavior, using keystone habits to get you the results you want without a complete overhaul of your life and routines.

How will you make your keystone habits stick?