Reference
Habit Glossary
Every term you will meet while building habits, defined in one or two sentences, with the research behind it where there is some.
Habit
A behavior you repeat in a stable context until it runs with little conscious thought. Habits are triggered by cues (a time, place or previous action) rather than by fresh decisions.
Habit loop
The cycle of cue, routine and reward that keeps a habit going. The cue triggers the behavior, and the reward makes your brain more likely to repeat it next time.
Automaticity
How automatic a behavior feels. In the 2009 UCL study by Lally and colleagues, reaching a plateau of automaticity took a median of 66 days, with a range of 18 to 254 days depending on the person and the habit.
Tiny habit
A habit shrunk until it takes very little time or effort, such as one push-up or one page. The idea, popularized by BJ Fogg, is that small behaviors need less motivation and therefore survive bad days.
Two-minute rule
James Clear's guideline that a new habit should start as a version that takes less than two minutes, like 'put on running shoes' instead of 'run 5 km'. You master showing up first and grow the habit later.
Habit stacking
Attaching a new habit to one you already do: 'After I pour my coffee, I write one sentence.' The existing habit becomes the cue, so you do not have to remember.
Implementation intention
An if-then plan that names when and where you will act: 'If it is 7 p.m. on a weekday, then I walk for 10 minutes around the block.' Research by Peter Gollwitzer shows such plans make follow-through much more likely than goals alone.
Keystone habit
A habit that sets off positive changes in other areas, such as a fixed bedtime improving energy, mood and willpower. LazyHabits calls this your High Impact Habit.
High Impact Habit
In LazyHabits, the one habit you mark as having the biggest ripple effect on the rest of your life. It earns extra points and appears at the top of your Today list.
Master Habit
In LazyHabits, the habit of working on your habits: a recurring check-in with a fixed day, time and place where you review what works, change what does not and plan the next week.
Habit review
A short, regular reflection on your habits: how consistent you were, how much you enjoyed each one and what to change. Low-enjoyment habits are the ones most likely to be dropped.
Streak
The number of times in a row you completed a habit. Streaks motivate early on but can backfire after a miss. In LazyHabits a streak only counts the days the habit is scheduled.
Never miss twice
The rule that one missed day is normal but two in a row starts a new pattern. Research suggests a single miss barely affects habit formation; the comeback matters more than the perfect record.
Break day
A planned day off from all habits to recharge. Planning rest in advance keeps a day off from feeling like a failure.
Habit backlog
A list of habits you want to adopt later. Parking ideas there keeps your active list short until your current habits feel automatic.
Environment design
Shaping your surroundings so good habits are easy and bad ones are hard, for example leaving a book on your pillow or the phone charger outside the bedroom.
Friction
The small effort that stands between you and a behavior. Reducing friction (shoes by the door) makes a habit more likely; adding friction (apps logged out) makes it less likely.
Identity-based habit
A habit framed around who you want to be ('I am someone who moves every day') rather than an outcome. Each repetition acts as a small vote for that identity.
Temptation bundling
Pairing a habit you need to do with something you enjoy, such as listening to a favorite podcast only while walking. The concept comes from research by Katherine Milkman.
Motivation wave
The short burst of enthusiasm at the start of a new plan. Because it fades within days or weeks, habits designed to need little motivation last longer than habits built during the wave.