25 Small Habits That Change Your Life
For anyone who wants a better life but does not have room for a big overhaul.
Small habits change your life because they are easy enough to repeat, and repetition compounds. Habits such as writing down your top three priorities, walking after lunch, reading ten pages a day, putting your phone away at dinner and reviewing your week every Sunday take minutes but add up over months. Pick one, attach it to something you already do and keep it for 30 days before adding another.
Time doesn’t announce itself as important. It feels ordinary while you’re living it, and that’s what makes it so easy to overlook. The same is true of small habits.
The book I wrote did not come from one big burst. It came from writing four or five days a week, in small pockets of time: at the gym, on drives to my kids’ games and while waiting for practices to start.
Progress doesn’t come from knowing more. It comes from doing more with what you already know.
Small actions add up over time. In habit research led by Phillippa Lally at University College London, new daily habits took an average of 66 days to become automatic. That is why choosing small, repeatable habits matters: they are the ones you will still be doing on day 66.
Twenty minutes a day for three years is 365 hours.
How to make a small habit stick
Pick one habit from the list
Do not start five. Pick the single habit that would make the biggest difference to your days right now.
Attach it to something you already do
“After I pour my coffee, I will write my top three priorities.” Linking a new habit to an old one makes it easier to remember.
Make it almost too easy
If ten pages feels like a lot, read one. If 20 minutes feels like a lot, move for five. Consistency matters more than size at the start.
Track it for 30 days
Mark each day you do it on a calendar or habit tracker. Seeing the streak build is motivating, and a miss is easier to notice and fix.
Add the next one
When the first habit feels automatic, add a second. Over a year, a handful of small habits can change how your days, and your life, feel.
Progress doesn’t come from knowing more.
It comes from doing more with what you already know.
25 small habits that change your life
- 1. Make your bed every morning.
- 2. Write down your top three priorities before you open email.
- 3. Drink a glass of water when you wake up.
- 4. Walk for ten minutes after lunch.
- 5. Put your phone in another room during dinner.
- 6. Read ten pages a day.
- 7. Keep a running log of ideas worth remembering.
- 8. Say thank you specifically, not generally.
- 9. Prepare tomorrow’s clothes and bag the night before.
- 10. Do the hardest task first.
- 11. Set a consistent bedtime.
- 12. Write one sentence about your day each night.
- 13. Ask one good question in every meeting.
- 14. Text someone you appreciate, just because.
- 15. Review your week every Sunday.
- 16. Move your body for 20 minutes a day.
- 17. Turn off non-essential notifications.
- 18. Listen to a podcast or audiobook on your commute.
- 19. Keep one promise to yourself every day.
- 20. Put your phone down and listen when someone talks to you.
- 21. Ask for feedback once a week.
- 22. Spend five minutes tidying before bed.
- 23. Plan one meal a day instead of deciding last minute.
- 24. Write down one thing that went well each day.
- 25. Show up to the moments that matter at home.
Related reading: Habit Stacking, Keystone Habits and Identity-Based Habits.
Common questions
What small habits can change your life?
Examples include writing down your top three priorities each morning, walking after meals, reading ten pages a day, putting your phone away at dinner, keeping a consistent bedtime and reviewing your week every Sunday.
How many habits should I start at once?
One. Once it feels automatic, add another. Starting several at once usually means none of them stick.
How long does it take for a small habit to stick?
Research led by Phillippa Lally found it took an average of 66 days for a new daily habit to become automatic, with a wide range between people.
Why do small habits matter?
Because they are easy enough to repeat, and repeated actions compound. A few minutes a day adds up to hundreds of hours over a few years.
Pick one small habit, attach it to something you already do, make it almost too easy and keep it for 30 days.
You Are Capable
of More.
Ten principles for becoming the person you know you are capable of being, built from real stories of people who doubted themselves and did it anyway. Winner of the How-To category at the 2026 Paris Book Festival.
When I’ve got something worth sending.
Just a story or an idea I picked up that I think will help you.
Sometimes that’s twice in a month. Sometimes it’s not for a while.