93 habits

What Habits Should I Have

One press picks one small habit to take up, with a line on when to do it.

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Make your bedDo it before you leave the bedroom, so it never turns into a job for later.

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All 93 habits

Mornings 16

Check the weather before you get dressed It takes one glance and saves a walk back for a coat.
Clear your desk before you start work Yesterday's cups and papers go first; then you sit down.
Do one lesson of a course before you read the news Lesson first; headlines after.
Leave the house a little earlier than you need to Set the alarm for leaving, not for waking.
Look at your calendar before your messages Your own plans first, then everybody else's.
Make your bed Do it before you leave the bedroom, so it never turns into a job for later.
Open the curtains as soon as you are up Hang it on a moment that already happens: your feet touching the floor.
Open the one thing you are working on, and nothing else One window, one tab. The rest can wait until the first task is moving.
Put on the clothes you laid out last night The choosing is already done, so do not start again.
Read one page before you look at your phone Keep the book where the phone usually sits.
Say good morning to the first person you see Out loud, with their name if you know it.
Stand outside with your first drink of the day The doorstep counts. So does an open window.
Start with the task you least want to do Begin before you have had time to talk yourself out of it.
Tidy one thing while the kettle boils A wait you already have is a handy place to hang a habit.
Write down the three things today is for On paper, before you open an inbox.
Write the date at the top of a fresh page One page a day, for whatever the day needs written down.

Home 19

Check the door and the stove in the same order each night The same round every night, so you never wonder afterward.
Clear one shelf or one drawer every weekend One, not the whole room. Stop when it is done.
Cook one dish you have never made each month Pick it on the first weekend, so the month does not slip by.
Do the laundry on the same day each week A set day means you never have to decide.
Give one thing away when a new one comes in New shoes in, an old pair out, on the same day.
Hang up your coat when you come in A hook by the door beats a chair every time.
Keep keys, wallet and phone in one spot by the door A bowl or a shelf. They go there the moment you walk in.
Look in the fridge before you go shopping Take a photo of the shelves if a list is too much.
Mend small things in the week they break Keep glue, tape and a screwdriver where you can reach them.
Never leave a room with empty hands There is nearly always a cup or a sock that belongs where you are going.
Open the mail the day it arrives Stand by the recycling bin while you do it.
Put a thing back where it lives when you finish with it If it has no home yet, choose one now.
Put the trash out the night before it is collected Set a weekly reminder until your feet do it without one.
Take your shoes off at the door Put a rack or a mat right where you stop.
Walk through the house once and put strays back One lap with a basket, before you sit down for the night.
Wash up straight after you eat Before you sit down again. The plate is easiest while it is still warm.
Water the plants on the same morning each week Pair it with something fixed, like the day the bins go out.
Wipe the kitchen counter before you leave the kitchen Keep the cloth by the tap, so it is one move.
Write it on the shopping list the moment it runs out Keep the list where the thing was: on the fridge or on your phone.

Learning 16

Ask one question in every class or meeting Write it down as you listen, so it is ready.
Carry a notebook Ideas turn up on buses and in queues. Catch them there.
End the day with a book and not a feed Leave the book on your pillow in the morning, so it is waiting.
Explain what you just learned to someone else The part you cannot explain is the part to go back to.
Find where you are going on a map before you set off Trace the whole route once, then put the phone away.
Go over your notes on the day you made them Read them through once and underline what matters.
Keep a list of books you want to read Add a title the moment someone recommends it.
Learn one new word and use it before bed Say it in a sentence to someone, or write it in a message.
Listen to something that teaches you on the way to work Line it up the night before, so you only have to press play.
Look up one thing you wondered about today Write the question down when it comes and find the answer in the evening.
Practice at the same time every day An instrument, a language, a sport. Keep the session short enough to do daily.
Read every day Choose a place and a time. The same chair after dinner works.
Save one long read for the weekend One, kept where you will find it, not twenty open tabs.
Take one photo a day Of anything. Look back through them at the end of the month.
Write a few lines every day A diary, a letter or a story. The kind does not matter.
Write down one thing you learned today A single line in a notebook kept by your bed.

People 17

Answer a message the day it comes, or say when you will Back to you by Friday is an answer too.
Arrive on time Aim to be early and you will land on time.
Ask everyone at dinner for the best part of their day Go round the table. Yours counts too.
Ask how the thing they told you about went Make a note when they mention it, if you are likely to forget.
Ask one more question before you give your view What happened next is a good one.
Greet people by name Say the name once as you meet, and once more as you part.
Introduce yourself first A name and one line about why you are there.
Keep your phone off the table at meals In a bag or another room. Face down on the table does not count.
Let people finish their sentence Count one breath after they stop before you start.
Message one friend you have not heard from in a while Pick a day of the week for it. Two lines are enough.
Post a card for no reason Keep a few cards and stamps in a drawer, so it takes minutes.
Ring someone in your family on a set evening The same evening each week, so they come to expect it.
Say sorry on the day A short one today beats a long one next week.
Say thank you, and say what for Thanks for staying late tells them more than thanks alone.
Share one meal a week at a table with someone Put it in the calendar like any other plan.
Tell someone the same day when they did something well Say what it was. Praise without a detail slides off.
Write a birthday in your calendar the day you learn it Set it to repeat every year, with a nudge the week before.

Money 14

Check your receipt before you leave the till It is far easier to put right while you are still standing there.
Compare the price for each unit, not the price on the front Look for it in small print on the shelf label.
Decide on a subscription when its renewal notice comes Open the email, ask if you still use it, and act that day.
Empty receipts from your pockets into one envelope Keep the envelope where you drop your keys.
Keep one day a week when you buy nothing Choose the day in advance and plan around it.
Look at your balance on a set day each week Just look. Knowing the number is the whole habit.
Put loose coins in a jar Empty your pockets into it when you come home.
Read a bill before you pay it Check the dates and the amount against last time.
Shop from a list Write it at home, where you can see what you already have.
Sleep on anything you had not planned to buy Leave it in the basket overnight and see if you still want it.
Take back what you will not use, in the week you bought it Leave it by the door with its receipt until it has gone.
Unsubscribe when a shop's email tempts you The link is at the bottom. Press it before you browse.
Write down what you are saving for One line, kept where you will see it when you pay.
Write down what you spend The same evening, while you still remember where it went.

Evenings 11

Charge your phone away from your bed Give it a spot in another room and plug it in at the same hour.
Close every tab and shut the laptop at a set hour Pick the hour once and set an alarm for it.
Fill the kettle for the morning A small gift to the person you will be at seven.
Lay out tomorrow's clothes Down to the socks, on a chair you will pass.
Look at tomorrow's calendar No surprises at eight in the morning.
Pack your bag and stand it by the door Keys on top, so you cannot leave without seeing it.
Plug in everything that needs charging in one place One shelf, one power strip. Nothing runs flat at noon.
Set out the breakfast things Bowl, spoon, mug. Tomorrow you only have to pour.
Write down what is on your mind, then close the notebook It will still be there tomorrow, and off your hands until then.
Write one line about the day What happened, or what you want to remember. One line keeps it easy.
Write tomorrow's first task on a note Leave it on your keyboard or on the kitchen table.

How it works

Press the button for one of 93 small habits for mornings, home, learning, people, money and evenings. The whole list is below.

Read the full guide

Daily habits I should build first

Start with one, not six. Choose a habit that takes a minute or two and tie it to something you already do every day: the kettle boiling, coming through the door, getting into bed. When it runs without thought, press for the next.

One small action each

Every habit here is something you can do today, in one go: hang up your coat, carry a notebook, shop from a list. None is a goal, a diet or a plan.

Keep a habit small enough to do on your worst day.
Missed a day? Do it at the next chance and carry on.

Questions and answers

What daily habits should I get into?

Ones that fit a day you already have. In the morning, make your bed and write down the three things today is for. In the evening, lay out tomorrow's clothes and write tomorrow's first task on a note.

What habits should I develop?

Habits that grow with practice: learn one new word and use it before bed, explain what you just learned to someone else, ask one question in every class or meeting, and look at your balance on a set day each week.

What are habits that I should do every day?

Small ones that repeat: put a thing back where it lives, wash up straight after you eat, read, write down what you spend, and say thank you. Each has a natural moment in the day to hang on.

What are some habits I should do with other people?

Greet people by name, let them finish their sentence, answer a message the day it comes, arrive on time and keep your phone off the table at meals. Each one is done while the other person is still in front of you.