Having trouble sticking to habits? You’re not alone. Most people struggle with building and maintaining habits, and the reason is usually the same: they’re trying to do too much too soon.

The overwhelm problem

It is very common for people to get overwhelmed when trying to introduce new habits in their life. It is also very common to lose existing habits because of unforeseen temporary circumstances.

We start with grand ambitions. We want to read 50 pages a day, exercise for an hour, meditate for 30 minutes, write 1000 words, and learn a new language. We think that if we’re not doing the activity at full intensity, it’s not worth doing at all.

Many times the reason is that people think that in order to “make it count” they have to do unreasonable amounts of the activity. But this approach almost always leads to failure. When you set the bar too high, you’re setting yourself up to quit.

The power of consistency

However, when it comes to habits what’s important more than anything is consistency.

Consistency beats intensity every time. It’s better to read one page every day for a year than to read 100 pages once and then quit. It’s better to exercise for 10 minutes every day than to work out for two hours once a week.

Show up every day, it doesn’t really matter how much you do, if you show up every day you will see progress and it will get easier.

The magic happens when you show up consistently. Your brain starts to expect the activity. It becomes part of your identity. You start to see yourself as someone who reads, or exercises, or meditates. And once that happens, the habit becomes self-reinforcing.

The minimum viable habit

Depending on which habit you want to introduce, figure out a reasonable minimum and commit to do it only that. It really can be a minimum, for example if you want to have a reading habit, commit to reading one page every day.

The key is to set the bar so low that you can’t fail. Make it so easy that you have no excuse not to do it. Even on your worst day, you can read one page. Even when you’re sick, you can do one push-up. Even when you’re exhausted, you can meditate for one minute.

Most of the time you will read more, but when life gets in the way, one page will be enough and you will feel good for following through on your commitment.

This is the beauty of the minimum viable habit. You’re not trying to optimize for maximum performance. You’re optimizing for consistency. You’re making sure that no matter what happens, you can still show up.

Why small habits work

Small habits work because they respect the reality of human psychology. We’re not machines that can operate at peak performance every day. We have good days and bad days. We get sick, we get busy, we get tired.

When you set a small minimum, you’re working with your nature, not against it. You’re acknowledging that some days you’ll have more energy and some days you’ll have less. You’re creating a system that works regardless of your daily circumstances.

Small habits also build momentum. Every time you complete your minimum, you’re reinforcing the habit. You’re telling your brain, “This is something I do.” And the more you do it, the easier it becomes.

Examples of minimum viable habits

Here are some examples of how to apply this principle to different habits:

• Reading: One page per day
• Exercise: One push-up per day
• Meditation: One minute per day
• Writing: One sentence per day
• Learning: One new word per day
• Cleaning: Put away one item per day

The key is to make it so small that it feels almost silly. If you think, “That’s too easy,” you’re on the right track. The goal isn’t to challenge yourself - it’s to build consistency.

The compound effect

Small habits compound over time. One page per day doesn’t seem like much, but that’s 365 pages in a year. One push-up per day becomes 365 push-ups. One minute of meditation becomes 365 minutes.

But the real magic happens in the consistency. When you show up every day, you’re building something more valuable than the sum of your daily efforts. You’re building a new identity. You’re becoming someone who shows up.

And once you become someone who shows up, everything gets easier. You start to trust yourself. You know that you can commit to something and follow through. This confidence spills over into other areas of your life.

Dealing with setbacks

Setbacks are inevitable. You’ll miss a day here and there. You’ll have weeks where life gets in the way. This is normal and expected.

The key is to get back on track quickly. Don’t let one missed day become a week. Don’t let a week become a month. As soon as you can, return to your minimum.

Remember: your minimum is designed to be easy. Even if you’ve been away for a while, you can still read one page. You can still do one push-up. The barrier to re-entry is intentionally low.

Scaling up gradually

Once you’ve established consistency with your minimum, you can gradually increase it. But do this slowly and intentionally.

Wait until your minimum feels automatic. You should be able to do it without thinking, without motivation, without effort. Only then consider increasing it.

Increase by small amounts. If you’re reading one page per day, try two pages. If you’re doing one push-up, try two push-ups. Small increases are more sustainable than big jumps.

Always keep a minimum you can fall back to. Even as you scale up, maintain a minimum that you can do on your worst day. This gives you a safety net.

The identity shift

“Settle on the type of person you want to be and stick to it, whether alone or in company.” - Marcus Aurelius

This quote captures the essence of what we’re talking about. It’s not about what you do - it’s about who you become.

When you show up consistently, you’re becoming the type of person who shows up. You’re becoming someone who keeps commitments, who follows through, who can be counted on.

This identity shift is more valuable than any specific habit. Once you see yourself as someone who shows up, you can apply that identity to any area of your life.

Practical steps to get started

Pick one habit you want to build. Don’t try to build multiple habits at once. Focus on one thing and do it well.

Set a ridiculously small minimum. Make it so easy that you can’t fail. If you think it’s too small, that’s perfect.

Commit to showing up every day. Not every day except when you’re busy. Not every day except when you’re tired. Every day.

Track your consistency, not your performance. Focus on whether you showed up, not how much you did.

Celebrate showing up. Every time you complete your minimum, acknowledge that you kept your commitment to yourself.

The bottom line

Consistency beats intensity. It’s better to show up every day with a small effort than to show up occasionally with a big effort.

Set the bar low enough that you can’t fail. Your minimum should be so easy that you can do it on your worst day.

Focus on becoming someone who shows up. The habit itself is secondary to the identity you’re building.

Start today. Pick one habit, set a tiny minimum, and commit to showing up every day. You’ll be amazed at how much progress you make when you stop trying to do everything at once.

Remember: you’re not trying to be perfect. You’re trying to be consistent. And consistency, over time, creates perfection.