Notes on habits and accountability
Why habits stick when someone else is on the hook — and what the research on friendship, consistency and follow-through actually says.
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Start Your Habit Pact in September, Not January
The date you sign a pact changes your odds more than the habit you choose. Here is why the next four weeks are the best window of the year, and the four terms to settle before you start.
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How to Run a Habit Audit Before You Commit to a New One
Most habits are lost at the picking stage, not the doing stage. One week of logging tells you which behaviour has room in your life — and which cue to hang it on.
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Why Streaks Work, and What Makes One Survive a Bad Week
Before you start a streak, it helps to know which part of it is doing the work — and which part is going to break first.
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The Friendship Recession Is Real — and a Standing Appointment Is How You Beat It
The share of adults with no close friends has quadrupled since 1990. Most advice says go meet more people. The research points somewhere less obvious: keep one friendship on a schedule.
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Showing Up Regularly Is the Whole Game
The third-place revival is usually told as a story about places. Look closer and it is a story about repetition — and about people who notice when you are missing.
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Why Habits Stick When Someone Else Is on the Hook
Most habit trackers treat accountability as a feature you can switch on. The evidence suggests it is closer to the load-bearing wall.
Habits stick when a friend is on the hook too.
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