Tips for Long-Term Habit Change

Most people fail at habits because they try to build too many. I’ve seen it in patients, athletes, and executives. The ones who win focus on fewer and repeat them until they stick. Last year, I decided to “finally get serious” about mobility work. I stacked on 8 new drills for hips, shoulders, spine, ankles. Within 3 weeks, I was skipping half of them. By month two, I’d stopped completely. So I started over. One hip opener. Every morning after coffee. It took less than two minutes. Four months later, it was automatic. Only then did I add the next drill. As a surgeon, I couldn’t add 12 new techniques at once. I focused on the one that would keep the patient alive. Everything else waited. In consulting, the best teams didn’t track 40 KPIs. They had 3, and hit them every time. Habits work the same way. The brain has limited space for new routines. Overload it and nothing sticks. 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 & 𝘉𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘭, 𝘕𝘦𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘯, 2010 Here’s how to make it work: 1/ Pick 1–3 habits that will trigger other positive changes 2/ Tie each habit to something you already do daily 3/ Track them in a place you see often (wall calendar, phone widget, or sticky note) 4/ Don’t add anything new until those are automatic for 60 days. Fewer habits, done well, compound faster than a dozen half-done ones. Your habits are like investments. Concentrate to get returns. What’s one habit you’d drop to give the others room to grow? #Activate #UpwardARC

𝐅𝐨𝐫 23 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬, 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. Every January, I write about my New Year’s resolutions. Every December, I evaluate myself to see how I’ve progressed with them. New Year’s resolutions get a bad reputation. Everyone joins a gym. Everyone vows to eat better. And by mid-January, most of those intentions are gone. The data backs this up: fewer than 20% of people keep their resolutions (University of Scranton), and most quit within weeks (Strava). But I’ve used resolutions, imperfectly and persistently, to change my life in real ways. Because of them, I no longer drink soda. I floss every day. I work out nearly every night. I eat less sugar. I sleep more. I write regularly. None of these changes happened overnight. All of them were hard at first; now, they’re automatic. What I’ve learned over the past two decades is this: the key isn’t willpower, it’s integrating it into your life in such a way that the change becomes a seamless habit. Progress beats perfection. Missing a day does not erase progress. Here are my tips for making resolutions stick: 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲. Use an app to track your progress, pair up with a buddy, get it out of your head and onto paper (or post about it). Find an anchor outside of yourself that can help you stay the course and make the goal feel real. 𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐝𝐨𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬. We have this habit of picking things that seem insurmountable. Instead of making a goal that is too broad or vague, choose a small, achievable change. For example, instead of “I’m going to work out at the gym every day”, try “I’m going to increase my steps until I hit 10K.” 𝐒𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐮𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬. Remove as much friction between you and your new habit as possible. By integrating new habits alongside existing ones, you make the change feel like second nature. (Last year, I bought a Tonal. I keep workout shoes next to it. No excuses.) 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. Most people fail because they adopt an all-or-nothing mindset. Instead, seek more or less in your life. Give yourself space to make progress every day. Habits are not about reinvention or revolutionary change. They are about tiny changes, repeated consistently, which quietly compound over time. I often think about how small these changes felt at the time. Yet, stacked together over 23 years, they have fundamentally changed how I feel in my body and how I move through the world. Each year, I try to do a little more of what works and a little less of what does not. I am not chasing a perfect version of myself. That is why I continue to return to this ritual every year. Not because New Year's has magical powers, but resolutions can be useful tools of self-reflection. What do you intend to do more or less of this year? Here’s to progress over perfection in 2026. 

The real challenge with change lies in staying with it. After a Vipassana meditation retreat, I returned with a clear mind and deeper awareness. Mornings felt calmer, conversations felt more intentional, and each day carried a quiet sense of balance. For a while, that feeling stayed. Then the pace of work, travel, and decision-making took over. That calm began to fade into the background. It taught me something important. Change is not a single moment. It is a daily practice. The spark begins the journey, but structure helps it last. Here are five ideas that have helped me sustain it over time. 1. Let it shape who you are. When a practice becomes part of your identity, it stays. Mindfulness stopped being something I did. It became a way of being in how I lead, think, and respond. 2. Design for it. Habits thrive when the environment makes them easy. Small cues like starting the morning in silence, keeping time away from screens, or pausing between meetings make a big difference. 3. Build accountability. Sharing goals and progress with people who value similar growth helps you stay consistent. Growth feels lighter when it is shared. 4. Accept the rhythm of life. Disruptions are inevitable. The key is to return quickly without guilt or frustration. The return matters more than the slip. 5. Reflect often. A few quiet minutes each week to notice what worked and what did not can reset your focus and direction. Change that lasts is rarely dramatic. It grows through repetition, awareness, and small steady choices that align with who you want to become. #life #inspiration #growth #mindset #gratitude

As a co-founder of a tech startup, I’ve developed some bad health habits over the years, but with time and practice I found a couple of hacks that helped me make positive changes: 1) Embrace flexibility Going cold turkey on bad habits does not work for me. When it comes to building new habits, I think it’s more effective to aim for consistency over perfection. A flexible approach is how I’ve managed to almost entirely cut out alcohol, which was wreaking havoc on my sleep. I adopted a “not tonight” mantra and told myself I was simply passing on drinking for now, not forever — and just kept going. 2) Gamify your goals Studies have shown that using a leaderboard to track your progress or receiving virtual gold stars for every milestone achieved can radically boost your motivation to keep going. I use my Apple Watch to gamify exercise and challenge myself. I also found an app that helped gamify calorie tracking which prompted me to add more nutrient-dense food to my diet. 3) Accept that not all strategies work (but only some have to) For every strategy I’ve tried, there’s been at least one that didn’t work. But I’ve come to accept that there are some behaviors that are simply harder to give up. For example: screentime. I modified my original goal of cutting it out completely to instead just being more intentional about my content consumption. 4) Just a few minutes is enough to start When starting a new habit, even aiming for just 5 minutes or the lightest lift possible can be enough to get you going. Then overtime you can build up from there. I started with 5 minutes a day in the gym, just to remove all the resistance from at least doing it every day. 5) Do things one at a time Every year for new years, I used to make a long list of things to change. I’ve found that focusing on one at time is much more achievable. My biggest takeaway: building habits are a marathon, not a sprint — when habits are for life, you have to keep tweaking them as you go. What habits are you going to work on this year? What hacks work for you? 

They say your habits shape your character. I believe that. But I also believe something else: Before you build a new habit, you often have to unlearn an old one. Let me give you an example. For years, my post-dinner routine looked like this: Plate down. Feet up. Netflix on. One episode became three. A quick escape from the day. When I began coach training, I realized something needed to shift. Coaching requires the self to be the instrument. And that instrument needed tuning. Not noise. So I started journaling. Replaced screens with silence. And swapped instant gratification for self-awareness. It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t perfect. But it changed everything. Most habit advice out there sounds like this: 📍Just use willpower. 📍Stack it onto an existing habit. 📍Do it for 21 days, and you’re set. I’ve found that it’s not that linear and here’s what actually worked for me: 👉🏽 Start by grieving the old habit. Letting go of your nightly binge-watch means letting go of a reliable source of dopamine. Acknowledge that. 👉🏽 Create emotional reasons, not just rational ones. “I should journal” never worked. But “I want to be more self-aware for my clients” did. 👉🏽 Focus on the identity shift. Don’t aim to “build a journaling habit.” Aim to become someone who reflects. Who listens inwardly. Who wants depth over distraction. 👉🏽 Design for friction Make the old habit inconvenient. I stopped keeping the remote on the table. And left my journal out, pen open, next to my glass of water. 👉🏽 Allow for failure without shame This one’s big. You will slip. The trick isn’t avoiding the fall, it’s learning how to return. If you’re trying to build a healthy habit, especially at work, ask yourself: Not just: What do I want to start doing? But: What am I willing to stop doing? Because real habit change doesn’t begin with motivation. It begins with intention. And gets built, slowly, with attention. #CareerGrowth #Leadership #HabitBuilding

Consistency is misunderstood Many people think consistency means being rigid—always doing the same thing, the same way, no matter what. But in reality, true consistency is rooted in adaptability. It’s not about perfection; it’s about progress. I used to fall into this trap thinking that results required rigid discipline but the only results I achieved were short-term if I achieved them at all. The magic of long-term consistency—especially when it comes to your health—is learning how to adapt. Life won’t always go according to plan, and that’s okay. What matters is staying engaged and adjusting when needed. Here’s what consistency actually looks like: ✅ Doing a little when you can’t do a lot. ✅ Taking a single step when you can’t complete the whole journey. ✅ Checking the box today—even if it’s a smaller one—so you stay in the habit of showing up. Think of it like a flight path. Pilots don’t fly in a perfectly straight line. They make constant adjustments—zigging and zagging—to account for wind and weather. But those small course corrections keep them on track to their destination. The same principle applies to your health. Meetings run late, kids get sick, energy fluctuates. The key isn’t being perfect—it’s being adaptable. 🍏 Eat one healthy meal when the day feels chaotic. 🏃♂️ Do 20 minutes of movement when your usual workout isn’t possible. 😴 Go to bed 30 minutes earlier when stress is high. Because even small actions, done consistently, add up over time. Less done is still progress made. That’s how you build momentum, sustain habits, and ultimately achieve long-term health success. What small action will you take today to check your box? #Consistency #HealthHabits #Adaptability #LongTermHealth #ProgressNotPerfection Let me know if you’d like any tweaks!

The number 1 skill that will change your life is the ability to adopt new habits and stick to them. Here's how I've managed to do this: I've been rebuilding my life since 2008, and I came up with these 5 rules that help me keep my habits consistent. Most people fail at building habits because they try to change everything at once, and they create too much friction. I learned this the hard way, and I kept failing, getting down on myself, and then restarting the bad habits all over again. So, since then, I've done 5 things: 1. Make One Change at a Time Don't make 10 big changes at once. Start with one: • First: establish a sleep routine • Then: add 30 minutes of exercise • Next: 2 hours of focused work Master one before adding the next. 2. Start Small I cut my morning routine by 10 minutes a day. Doesn't sound like much? That's 60+ extra hours per year. Small changes compound into massive results. Start so small you can't fail. 3. Be Intentional Every decision you make needs to be in favor of the person you want to become, not the person you are. If you want to live a healthier life, it's not just about being at the gym. Think: how would the healthy version of me: • Eat • Sleep • Drink 4. Stack Your Habits Don't create new time slots. Attach new habits to existing ones: • Meditate AFTER I wake up • Make calls WHILE walking on the treadmill • Fold clothes WHILE watching sports Use what you already do as triggers. 5. Remove Friction Make the new habits as easy as possible and the bad ones impossible to fall back into. We're creatures of convenience—if the good habit is easier than the bad one, that's the one we'll do. Here are my daily non-negotiable habits: • 1 hour minimum for health • Daily time with family (even 2 minutes counts) • Say thank you before bed and when I wake up • "Do it now"—anything I can do immediately, I do Simple but powerful. Bad habits feel good short-term, but destroy you long-term. Good habits feel hard short-term, but build you long-term. Choose your hard. The pain of discipline weighs ounces. The pain of regret weighs tons. But here's the most important thing: Aim for improvement, not perfection. Trying to be perfect is the biggest obstacle to action.

I've diagnosed over 1,000 dementia cases in 15 years. The patients who stay sharp into their 90s all do these 5 things daily. None of them are complicated. All of them are free. 1/ They wake up at the same time every day ↳ Circadian rhythm stability protects brain cells ↳ Consistent sleep-wake cycle optimizes memory consolidation ↳ Even on weekends, within 1 hour of weekday time 2/ They move their body within 2 hours of waking ↳ Morning exercise increases BDNF for entire day ↳ Even 10-minute walk counts ↳ Consistency matters more than intensity 3/ They eat the same healthy breakfast daily ↳ Stable blood sugar supports brain function ↳ Protein + healthy fat + complex carb formula ↳ Examples: eggs with avocado, Greek yogurt with berries 4/ They learn something new every single day ↳ Read articles outside their expertise ↳ Practice new skills or hobbies ↳ Have conversations with different people 5/ They end the day reflecting on 3 good things ↳ Gratitude practice reduces stress hormones ↳ Positive focus improves sleep quality ↳ Creates optimistic neural pathways The patients who decline fastest do the opposite: ↳ Irregular sleep schedules ↳ Sedentary mornings ↳ High-sugar, processed breakfasts ↳ Mental stagnation and routine ↳ Negative rumination before bed Powerful because they target the 5 pillars of brain health simultaneously: ↳ Sleep quality and circadian health ↳ Physical activity and circulation ↳ Nutrition and metabolic health ↳ Cognitive stimulation and growth ↳ Stress management and emotional regulation The compound effect: Small daily actions create massive long-term brain protection. A 1% improvement in each area compounds over decades. What doesn't work: Sporadic intense efforts ↳ Weekend warrior exercise ↳ Crash diets and extreme restrictions ↳ Binge learning sessions The "magic bullet" approach ↳ Expensive supplements ↳ Complex biohacking protocols ↳ High-tech gadgets Waiting for motivation ↳ Habits work when motivation fails ↳ Start small and build gradually ↳ Consistency beats perfection Today, pick ONE habit and do it for 7 days: ↳ Set the same wake-up time ↳ Take a 10-minute morning walk ↳ Eat the same healthy breakfast ↳ Read one new article daily ↳ Write down 3 good things before bed After 7 days, add the second habit. After another week, add the third. The goal isn't perfection. It's consistent progress toward a brain-protective lifestyle. The best time to start protecting your brain was 20 years ago. The second best time is today. 💬 Comment with which habit you're starting this week ♻️ Repost if you believe simple daily habits beat complex interventions 👉 Follow me (Reza Hosseini Ghomi, MD, MSE) for practical brain health strategies Citations: Livingston et al. Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020 report of the Lancet Commission. Lancet. 2020; Ngandu et al. A 2 year multidomain intervention of diet, exercise, cognitive training. Lancet. 2015

Why do most of us fail at building new habits? (Spoiler: It’s not what you think.) I used to set massive goals, only to watch them fizzle out after a few weeks. Sound familiar? Here’s what changed everything for me: It’s not about giant leaps, but small, consistent actions. During the pandemic, I had endless free time and read over 100 books. But as life got busier with running a business and creating content, reading fell off my radar. I missed it. I missed the ideas. I missed the learning. Then, I had an “aha” moment a few months ago. I realized there were small pockets of time in my day I could incorporate this task. So, I started listening to audiobooks while doing things I already do, like running and lifting weights. By stacking reading into my routine, I wiped out the “no time” excuse. Fast forward: I’m back to finishing a book every few weeks. I just re-read "Expert Secrets" by Russell Brunson, and I’m fired up. Here are 5 strategies that helped me build this habit: 1. Forget perfection. Miss a day? No sweat. What matters is getting back on track fast. 2. Consistency > perfection. Shrink your goals to start. Want to read more? Start with 10 minutes a day. It feels easy, but the wins add up. Then, increase the duration over time. 3. Simplify the process. How can you make the habit easier? Like audiobooks during workouts, find ways to make it frictionless. 4. Daily > occasional. A 10-minute workout every day beats a 1-hour grind once a week. Build momentum with small, daily actions. 5. Track it. Seeing progress fuels motivation. Use an app, a journal, or a calendar to celebrate those small wins. I’m not saying big goals are bad, but creating change isn’t about one giant leap—it’s about small steps that, over time, create BIG transformations. Sometimes life gets messy, like my dogs and me in this photo , but that’s okay. We pick ourselves up and learn from it! You’ve got this! What are your best tips for staying consistent?

What can 100 days of consistency bring to your life? I had the same question when I started my journey. Could it really change something? I committed to going to the gym for 100 days straight, without missing a single day. I had gained weight due to unhealthy eating habits, like consuming junk food, oily meals, and having a serious love for sugar. But eventually, I realized the importance of health and how these habits could negatively affect me in the long run, potentially leading to various diseases. I also noticed a drop in my energy levels, which motivated me to lose weight and build a healthier lifestyle. I started building habits like going to the gym, cutting out sugar and junk food, and eating healthy, yet tasty, food. Here’s what happened after 100 days: - Lost over 15 KGs - My Body Mass Index (BMI) dropped from obese to normal - My body age reduced by 2 years - Protein percentage increased by 3% (from standard to excellent) - Body fat decreased by 6% Here’s how I built this habit: 1. Set a goal for each month and reward yourself for achieving it. 2. Track your progress on a weekly basis. 3. As busy professionals, we might feel lazy or tired sometimes, but don’t skip a day. On days when you’re feeling low, aim to work out for at least 30 minutes instead of a full hour. 4. Share your goals with others. This creates accountability and self-motivation to achieve them. 5. Document your progress. I started posting a daily workout picture as Instagram stories and even had a small challenge with a friend. 6. Talk to people who have already achieved similar goals to avoid common mistakes. #health #fitness #habits