Good Habit Creation 101

I have been trying a new strategy for building habits, and it is working incredibly well. This strategy is remarkably easy, and it is governed by three simple rules.

First, I’ll tell you the three rules. Then, I’ll explain how I’m using this strategy and share examples of how you can put these rules into practice.

The 3 Rules for Building Habits

1. Start with a version of the habit that is incredibly easy for youIt must be so easy that you can’t say no and not difficult at all in the beginning.

2. Increase your habit each day in an incredibly small wayMake your daily improvement almost effortless.

3. Keep all repetitions easyIf needed, break the total habit into smaller, manageable pieces.

   
   

The Push-Up Habit

The more push-ups I do, the stronger I get. So, I decided to make push-ups a daily habit using these three rules.

• Day 1: 10 push-ups (only took ~15 seconds) — Rule 1

• Day 2: 11 push-ups — Rule 2

• Continued adding 1 push-up per day until reaching higher numbers.

• Once I hit bigger totals, I broke them into smaller, easy sets.Example: 50 push-ups = 20, 20, 10. The next day: 20, 20, 11.

Why This Works

1. Capacity First – Starting easy builds the ability to handle more work later.

2. Sustainable Growth – Small daily increases let your body recover and adapt.

3. Low Mental Effort – Easy sets require little motivation and are enjoyable.

4. Consistency Over Outcome – Focusing on the habit itself develops the skill of being consistent, which benefits every area of life.

   
   

Other Examples of the 3 Rules

Meditation

• Day 1: 60 seconds

• Day 2: 70 seconds

• Continue until the time feels long, then split into shorter sessions (e.g., 5 minutes morning + 5 minutes evening).

Walking

• Day 1: 1,000 steps

• Day 2: 1,100 steps

• Continue until you reach your limit (e.g., 10,000 steps), then break it into shorter walks or light jogs.

Reading

• Day 1: Read 1 minute

• Day 2: Read 2 minutes

• Continue until your preferred time, then break into smaller reading blocks (e.g., 10 minutes morning, 10 minutes evening).

  
  

Flossing

• Day 1: Floss 1 tooth (no more)

• Day 2: Floss 2 teeth

• Continue until all teeth are flossed daily.

  
  

Do Small Habits Really Add Up?

These tiny steps may feel insignificant at first, but they compound quickly.

In 30 days:

• Starting at 10 push-ups and adding 1/day = 775 push-ups total.

• Starting at 1 minute of reading and adding 1/day = 8+ hours read (about a 400-page book).

• Starting at 1,000 steps and adding 100/day = 77,500 steps (~39 miles).

  
  

Try the 3 Rules for Yourself

The rules:

1. Start incredibly easy.

2. Increase by a tiny amount daily.

3. Keep all sets easy and break them down if needed.

   
   

Give it a try and see how quickly you build consistency.

Want support with this? Contact us at Beyond Fitness and let us help you build your system.