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Add one small nutrition habit, like a glass of water
One small chosen eating or drinking habit.
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After you wake up
Done first thing in the morning.
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Aim to learn, not to impress
Set goals around learning and improving rather than scores, approval or beating others.
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Allow up to two skip days a week
Planned days off without counting as failure.
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Anchor it to an old habit
Use something you already do every day as the cue.
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As a visual summary
Content presented as an infographic or one-page visual rather than a video or text.
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Ask someone to expect you
A personal ask or commitment to another person.
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At a natural break between activities
Prompted or done at a transition between activities rather than at a fixed clock time.
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At the same time every day
A fixed clock time, including fixed wake, meal or bed times.
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Before going to bed
Done in the period before sleep.
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Bonus for early, small penalty for late
Graded consequences for timing, with a grace window.
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Break up long sitting
Sit less and take regular breaks from sitting to stand or move.
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Brush your teeth
Oral hygiene as the target behaviour.
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Challenge unhelpful thoughts
Cognitive restructuring of beliefs such as perfectionism or catastrophising.
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Check in once a week
A short weekly review of progress: a call, message or consultation, or going over your own log. Not the weekly sessions of a course.
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Clarify what matters to you
ACT-style values work and committed action toward them.
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Commit for a longer stretch
Choose a longer commitment period, e.g. a 20-week rather than an 8-week contract.
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Compete or compare with others
Leaderboards, competitions or peer comparison.
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Cut down screen time
Less phone, social media or screen use.
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Cut household energy use
Use less electricity at home, especially at peak times.
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Do a relaxation exercise
Breathing, progressive muscle relaxation or similar.
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Do a short self-compassion exercise
Self-compassion practice as the target behaviour or tool.
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Do a short study session
Studying or learning activity as the target behaviour.
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Do a short wind-down routine
A calm sequence of steps before sleep.
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Do happiness-building exercises
Positive-psychology activities aimed at building happiness, hope and resilience.
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Do it with a partner or team
Working or practising together with someone.
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Do the task you've been avoiding
Exposure: deliberately start an avoided task while the discomfort is there.
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Donate blood
Giving blood as the target behaviour.
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Eat fruit and vegetables
Fruit, vegetable or other healthy eating targets.
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Eat your meals
Meal timing as the target behaviour.
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Every day
Daily repetition.
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Exercise
Physical activity or exercise in general.
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Get a reminder
Texts, emails, alerts or prompts.
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Get a reward or payment for doing it
Incentives, prizes, lotteries or points for doing it.
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Get daylight in the morning
Morning light exposure.
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Get feedback on your progress
Feedback from a person, app or device on progress.
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Get up
Wake-up or rising time as the target behaviour.
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Give each piece its own deadline
Separate due dates for sub-tasks.
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Go for a health check-up
Attending a health screening or check-up as the target behaviour.
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Go for a walk
Walking, including brisk walks.
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Go to bed
Bedtime as the target behaviour.
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Go to the gym
Gym attendance.
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Have someone help you set it up
A coach, carer, parent or clinician helps set the plan up.
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Hear an appeal to do the right thing
Get a message asking you to act for the common good, with no reward or cost attached.
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Help built into the material
Interactive support inside the study material itself, rather than being sent to outside resources.
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In a single session
Delivered in one session.
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In the evening
Done in the evening.
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In the same place each time
A stable physical context.
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In weekly sessions
Delivered as weekly sessions, classes or meetings.
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Keep the daily version tiny
A very small daily dose, e.g. a few minutes.
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Keep weekends within an hour of weekdays
Limit weekday-weekend timing differences.
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Learn better study strategies
Learn techniques for rehearsing, organising and checking your understanding of study material.
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Learn how the problem works
Psychoeducation about procrastination, habits, sleep, routines or ADHD.
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List the benefits of finishing
Write down why finishing or doing it matters to you.
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Make an if-then plan for your obstacle
Implementation intentions or WOOP/MCII: if this obstacle happens, then I will do that.
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Make it concrete and specific
A specific, physical action rather than a vague intention.
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Make it enjoyable
Shape the activity so it feels fun, social or satisfying while you do it.
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Notice the unpleasant feeling and start anyway
Emotion regulation: name, accept or tolerate the feeling a task brings, then begin.
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Pause before reacting
A mental habit of pausing before responding.
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Picture your future self
Imagery or letters connecting to your future self.
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Plan your week
Make a timetable or schedule of when you'll work or practise.
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Practise a kitchen hygiene habit
Do a small food-safety routine at home, such as disinfecting the dishcloth or sponge.
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Practise healthier sleep habits
Sleep-related habits in general.
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Practise mindfulness
Meditation or mindfulness exercises.
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Practise with a group
Group sessions or group practice.
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Put a visible cue where you'll do it
A sticker, poster, object or wearable prompt at the point of action.
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Put something at stake
Commitment contracts, deposits or penalties for not doing it.
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Rank tomorrow's top tasks
List the few most important tasks for the next day in order and do them one at a time.
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Read about someone facing the same problem
Read or watch a story whose character struggles with the same problem and learn from how they cope.
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Record it yourself by hand
Enter the reading or record yourself instead of letting a device log it automatically.
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Rehearse the steps in your mind
Mentally simulate how a task or problem unfolds, step by step, and how you'll handle it.
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Remove distractions
Clear the phone, tabs or other temptations before starting.
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Replace the habit with another activity
Pick a substitute activity to do in place of the habit you want to cut.
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Reward yourself right after
A reward that arrives immediately after doing it.
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Set a specific goal
Choose a concrete goal or target to reach.
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Share your progress with someone
Reporting progress to another person.
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Solve problems step by step
Structured problem solving: define, list options, choose, try, review.
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Split a big task into pieces
Break a task or project into smaller sub-tasks or steps.
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Take responsibility for your choices
Check whether what you're doing gets you what you want, and choose a more responsible way if it doesn't.
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Take your medication
Medication adherence as the target behaviour.
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Talk through your mixed feelings about changing
Motivational-interviewing style: explore ambivalence and draw out your own reasons to change.
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Talk yourself through the task
Guide yourself through each step of a task with spoken, then silent, self-instructions.
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Team up on a shared goal
Pair with another person so your results or rewards depend on each other's output.
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Through an app
Delivered in a smartphone app.
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Through an online programme
Delivered as an online course or programme.
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Through videos
Delivered as recorded or animated video lessons.
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Track your progress
Log, tick off or record what you did (self-monitoring).
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Train attention and memory with exercises
Structured cognitive remediation or brain-training exercises for attention, memory or planning.
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Train yourself to approach tasks
Approach-avoidance or bias-modification training: repeatedly pull task cues toward you and push distractions away.
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Try brain stimulation
Noninvasive brain stimulation such as tDCS given in sessions.
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Use a planner or calendar app
Regularly use a digital planner, calendar or memory-aid app to record and check plans.
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Use an adaptive study tool
Study with software, such as an intelligent tutor, that adapts to your progress and gives real-time feedback.
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Use the method that fits you
The technique is chosen to suit the person's profile rather than given to everyone.
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Wash your hands
Handwashing as the target behaviour.
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With a coach or therapist
Guided by a coach, therapist or trained helper.
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With an automated digital coach
Standardised feedback and prompts from a digital or avatar coach instead of a person.
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Work in short blocks with breaks
Timed work blocks such as 10-25 minutes.
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Work only in set time windows
Work on the task only inside pre-scheduled blocks.
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Write a rough draft you're allowed to throw away
A low-stakes first version of a dreaded task.
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Write down when and where
A written action plan with time and place.
3 of these are also rated for people with ADHD. See the ADHD ratings