Why can't I stick to a routine?
Most routines fail the same way: they're too big, they depend on motivation, and nothing about your day changes to make them easier.
These are the practices Thriving uses to build habits that last, and the studies each one is built on.
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Start today, free
The free account has a starter version of each of these: a minute or two, and a place to keep track.
Prepare
Prepare a space for an important habit so you can easily and quickly start that habit tomorrow.
One Important Goal
Write down the most important goal in your life right now and the deadline for achieving it.
Meaningful Action
Plan one activity for today that, if completed, will provide you with a sense of purpose or meaning, and commit to a time frame to complete it.
Quick Pump
While laying in bed, do 30 seconds of leg lifts.
The practices, and the research behind each one
These are the habit practices in the app, in the order they build on each other, with their sources.
Habit Journal
Your daily one-minute mirror.
Wood, Quinn & Kashy (2002). Habits in everyday life: Thought, emotion, and action. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Harkin et al. (2016). Does monitoring goal progress promote goal attainment? A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin.
Judah, Gardner & Aunger (2018). Pleasure, purpose, and habit: Associations with repetition of physical activity. BMC Psychology.
Life Crafting
A one-time deep-dive that turns vague intentions into daily habits.
Schippers & Ziegler (2019). Life crafting as a way to find purpose and meaning in life. Frontiers in Psychology.
Cohen & Sherman (2014). The psychology of change: Self-affirmation and social psychological intervention. Annual Review of Psychology.
Boyatzis & Akrivou (2006). The ideal self as the driver of intentional change. Journal of Management Development.
Start or Stop Any Habit
Design or dismantle any habit using the neuroscience of the habit loop.
Wood, Quinn & Kashy (2002). Habits in everyday life: Thought, emotion, and action. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Gollwitzer (1999). Implementation intentions: strong effects of simple plans. American Psychologist.
Gardner & Lally (2013). Does intrinsic motivation strengthen physical activity habit?. Journal of Behavioral Medicine.
Make Habits Consistent
Identify the top obstacles that derail your habit and build an unbreakable 'Plan B' for each one.
Lally et al. (2010). How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. European Journal of Social Psychology.
Gollwitzer & Sheeran (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology.
Gardner, Lally & Wardle (2012). Making health habitual: The psychology of 'habit-formation' and general practice. British Journal of General Practice.
Habit Builder
The complete habit design blueprint.
Wood, Quinn & Kashy (2002). Habits in everyday life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Gollwitzer (1999). Implementation intentions: strong effects of simple plans. American Psychologist.
Gollwitzer et al. (2009). When intentions go public: Does social reality widen the intention-behavior gap?. Psychological Science.
Accountability Buddy
Identify the right accountability partner, define your shared goals, set up a check-in structure, and make the relationship positive and fun.
Umberson & Montez (2010). Social relationships and health: A flashpoint for health policy. Journal of Health and Social Behavior.
Gollwitzer et al. (2009). When intentions go public. Psychological Science.
A study finding a benefit in the people it tested is not a promise of that result for you. Follow the links and judge for yourself. All the sources.
It's rarely just one thing
A routine that sticks is usually a small one. Thriving covers four spheres — physical, mental, emotional and purpose — and one or two practices from each is total health. You don't need all of them.
Everyone tells you what matters. Thriving gives you the exact exercises, somewhere to organize them into a routine that's yours, and the tools to keep going once the novelty wears off.
Also on Thriving: Anxiety & stress · Sleep · Anger · Procrastination