How to Build Habits That Last
We’ve all been there — fired up with good intentions:
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“This week I’ll smash my revision.”
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“I’m going to get fit.”
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“From tomorrow, no more scrolling until 2am.”
And for a few days, you’re on it. Then life happens. You miss a day, feel guilty, and suddenly the new habit’s dead in the water. Back to square one.
Sound familiar? You’re not lazy. Most people build habits the wrong way — and that’s why they don’t stick.
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Why Habits Fail
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Trying to Do Too Much at Once
Big change feels exciting, but your brain resists overload. Motivation burns out, and the routine collapses. -
Relying on Willpower
Willpower drains like a phone battery. If your habit depends on forcing yourself every time, it won’t last. -
Chasing Perfection
One slip-up feels like total failure. Instead of picking it up again, you quit completely.
Habits don’t fail because you’re broken — they fail because the system you used to build them doesn’t match how your brain works.
Start Small
The secret to lasting habits? Start so small it almost feels silly.
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One stretch after brushing your teeth.
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Five minutes of revision instead of an hour.
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One glass of water before lunch.
Small wins trigger dopamine — your brain’s reward chemical — which makes you want to repeat the behaviour. Consistency builds identity.
Anchor to a Trigger
Habits stick best when you connect them to something you already do.
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After I brush my teeth → I stretch.
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After I get home → I spend five minutes revising.
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After I put the kettle on → I drink a glass of water.
This “habit stacking” makes new routines easier to remember and harder to ignore.
Make It Easy and Obvious
Your environment should work for you, not against you.
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Put your running shoes by the door.
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Leave your notebook open on your desk.
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Keep water on the table, not just in the fridge.
The easier it is to start, the less willpower you’ll need.
Expect Slip-Ups
Real habits aren’t about perfect streaks. You will miss days. The key is getting back on track quickly. Two days off doesn’t kill the habit — quitting does.
Your Challenge This Week
Pick one small habit you’d like to start.
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Shrink it until it’s laughably easy.
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Anchor it to something you already do.
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Set up your space to make it obvious.
Forget perfection. Focus on consistency. Small steps, repeated, become your new normal.
The Bottom Line
Lasting habits aren’t built on massive effort or flawless streaks. They’re built on small, repeatable steps stacked into your daily life. Make them easy, anchor them to what you already do, and don’t quit when you slip up. Habits that last aren’t about willpower — they’re about structure.
Mark Taylor
Creator, author and host.
I’m a Qualified/Certified Mental Health Nurse with over 35 years' experience supporting young people and their families. I’ve worked in secure hospitals, eating disorder units, and CAMHS crisis teams—walking alongside adolescents during some of their toughest moments.
My focus has always been on helping young people in emotional distress—especially those who struggle to engage or are finding it hard to stay safe.
I also teach at universities and train professionals across health, education and social care to better understand what young people really need from us.
Headstraight brings all of that together. Just real conversations, grounded advice, and ideas that might actually help. That’s the goal: make it easier to understand, easier to talk about, and more useful to you in real life.
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