Healthy habits are usually formed when, in trying to reach a goal, a person repeats a healthy behaviour in some context. Over time, the behaviour no longer depends on the goal. Therefore, to form healthy habits, the first step is to set goals. As you pursue set goals, your behaviour can become habitual. For example, meditation can become a habit, even when the initial reason for meditating is no longer present. Or suppose you play basketball daily to lose weight. You may find playing basketball has become part of your routine even after the weight loss.

Repetition is essential to habit formation. It improves skills and reduces effort. Use reminders such as alarms or post-it notes. However, keep in mind that their effectiveness decreases over time. Rewards strengthen patterns of behaviour and make habit formation easier. Rewarding a way of behaviour only sometimes is more effective than rewarding it all the time. Anything you find rewarding, be it praise or an extra hour to play video games, may work. As reminders, rewards sometimes lose their power and need to be replaced.

To eat healthier, reduce the number of sugary and fatty snacks open on the table. Simply replace them with your favourite fruits. Similarly, to sleep better, make your bedroom more sleep-friendly than work-friendly. However, life can be unpredictable. In order to continue to practice a habit regularly, it is necessary to prepare and plan. For example, if you are trying to lose weight and eat healthy, think about what to do if you have no fruits or vegetables at home. Plan what you will do if a restaurant you are in has no healthy options available.

The best way to form a new habit is to tie it to an existing habit. Look for patterns in your day and think about how you can use existing habits to create new, positive ones. For many of us, our morning routine is our strongest routine, so that’s a great place to tack on a new habit. A morning cup of coffee, for example, can create a great opportunity to start a new one-minute meditation practice. Or, while or after you are brushing your teeth, you might choose to do squats, or stand on one foot to practice balancing.

British researchers studied how people form habits in the real world. The study showed that the amount of time it took for a task to become automatic ranged from 18 to 254 days. Habits take a long time to create, but they form faster when we do them more often. Start with something that is really easy to do. You are more likely to stick with an exercise habit if you do some small exercise every day, rather than trying to get to the gym three days a week. Once daily exercise becomes a habit, you can explore more intense forms of exercise.

Habit researchers know we are more likely to form new habits when we clear away the difficulties that stand in our way. In one study, researchers changed the timing of elevator doors so that people had to wait nearly half a minute for the doors to close. It was just enough of a delay that it convinced many people that taking the stairs was easier than waiting for the elevator. It shows how sensitive we are to small challenges in our environment. Interestingly, these people stuck with it even after the elevator went back to normal timing.

Rewards are an important part of habit formation. When we brush our teeth, the reward is immediate – a minty fresh mouth. But some rewards like weight loss or the physical changes from exercise take longer to show up. That’s why it helps to build in some immediate rewards to help you form a habit. Listening to audiobooks while running, for example, or watching a favourite cooking show on the treadmill can help make an exercise habit stronger. You can plan an exercise date so the reward is time with a friend.