← Back to Blog

Build Habits That Stick: A Practical Blueprint

7 min read

Habit Design is something many of us struggle with, yet the science of happiness and well-being has revealed powerful strategies that can make a real difference.

Scheduling and committing to future actions can help overcome procrastination, a tendency exacerbated by present bias or defective telescope effects.

In this guide, we’ll explore evidence-based approaches to habit design, drawing on the latest research in positive psychology and behavioral science. You’ll learn practical strategies you can implement today, backed by studies from leading researchers in the field.

Whether you’re just starting your wellness journey or looking to deepen your practice, these insights will help you make meaningful progress.

Understanding Habit Design

Before diving into strategies, it’s important to understand why habit design matters for our overall well-being.

Time-consistent plans support autonomy and reduce stress from lingering tasks. Following through preserves money, energy, and self-trust—key ingredients for well-being.

The connection between habit design and happiness is well-documented in research. When we actively work on this area of our lives, we often see ripple effects in other domains—from our relationships to our work performance.

Research insight: Scheduling and committing to future actions can help overcome procrastination, a tendency exacerbated by present bias or defective telescope effects. (DellaVigna & Malmendier, 2006)

Strategy 1: Procrastination

Time-consistent plans support autonomy and reduce stress from lingering tasks. Following through preserves money, energy, and self-trust—key ingredients for well-being.

How to apply this:

Pick one task you’ve delayed (e.g., cancel an unused membership), open your calendar, and schedule a specific date and time with a reminder to complete it.

Research note: “Scheduling and committing to future actions can help overcome procrastination, a tendency exacerbated by present bias or defective telescope effects.” — DellaVigna & Malmendier, 2006

Strategy 2: Digital Hygiene

Reducing cues for comparison and negative information lowers rumination and supports attention control—both tied to higher well-being.

How to apply this:

Spend 10 minutes setting app limits: cap total social media to 30 minutes today, move apps off your home screen, and schedule two 10-minute check-in windows.

Strategy 3: Time Audit

Autonomy—choosing how you spend time—is a core happiness lever. Systematically removing low-value stressors and adding meaningful activities increases well-being and reduces burnout risk.

How to apply this:

Spend 30 minutes this Friday to audit next week’s calendar: mark energy-draining tasks, choose one to reduce/delegate, add two joy blocks you look forward to, and communicate one boundary to protect them.

What the Research Shows

The strategies we’ve discussed aren’t just anecdotal—they’re backed by rigorous scientific research. Here’s what the evidence tells us:

Research insights:

Scheduling and committing to future actions can help overcome procrastination, a tendency exacerbated by present bias or defective telescope effects. — DellaVigna & Malmendier, 2006

Inertia and status quo bias cause individuals to stick with costly commitments, such as unused gym memberships. — DellaVigna & Malmendier, 2006

Limiting social media exposure reduces social comparison and information overload, improving mood. — Primack et al., 2017

Humans show a negativity bias, attending more to negative information and ruminating on it. — Rozin & Royzman, 2001

Putting It Into Practice

Knowing the science is one thing—putting it into practice is another. Here’s how to start:

Start small: Pick just one strategy from this guide and commit to trying it for a week. Small, consistent actions compound over time.

Track your progress: Notice how you feel before and after implementing these practices. Awareness helps reinforce positive habits.

Be patient: Meaningful change takes time. Research shows it can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days to form a new habit, with an average of 66 days.

Get support: Consider using tools designed to help you build these habits. Apps like Neurise provide personalized, science-backed recommendations tailored to your specific needs and goals.

Quick-start actions:

  • Pick one task you’ve delayed (e.g., cancel an unused membership), open your calendar, and schedule a specific date and time with a reminder to complet…
  • Spend 10 minutes setting app limits: cap total social media to 30 minutes today, move apps off your home screen, and schedule two 10-minute check-in w…
  • Spend 30 minutes this Friday to audit next week’s calendar: mark energy-draining tasks, choose one to reduce/delegate, add two joy blocks you look for…

Conclusion

Improving habit design is a journey, not a destination. The strategies we’ve explored in this guide—backed by research from leading scientists in positive psychology—offer a roadmap for meaningful progress.

Remember that small, consistent actions often outperform ambitious but unsustainable efforts. Start with one technique that resonates with you, practice it until it feels natural, then gradually expand your repertoire.

The science is clear: we have more control over our well-being than we often realize. By applying evidence-based strategies, you can make real progress toward a happier, more fulfilling life.

Take the Next Step

Ready to put these insights into action? Neurise makes it easy with personalized, science-backed recommendations delivered daily. Our app learns what works for you and helps you build lasting habits for happiness and well-being.

Download Neurise and start your journey to a happier life today.

Sources

  1. DellaVigna & Malmendier, 2006. Paying Not to Go to the Gym. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00222437.2006.10801365
  2. Primack et al., 2017. Social Media Use and Perceived Social Isolation Among Young Adults in the U.S.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28768644/
  3. Rozin & Royzman, 2001. Negativity Bias, Negativity Dominance, and Contingent Cumulativity. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721401027003
  4. Killingsworth & Gilbert, 2010. A Wandering Mind Is an Unhappy Mind. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1192439
  5. Grummitt et al., 2023. Research on purpose and health outcomes. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.23045
  6. Grummitt et al., 2023. Research on purpose anxiety. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.23045
  7. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2020. Bureau of Labor Statistics American Time Use Survey. https://www.bls.gov/tus/
  8. Byrne, 2021. MIT Technology Review article: “Eliminating the Human”. https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/03/30/1020144/eliminating-the-human/
  9. Diener & Seligman, 2002. Findings on very happy people and time-use. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.83.2.286
  10. Kahneman, 2006. Time use and experience sampling studies. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.0606106103
  11. Price, C. (2018). How to Break Up with Your Phone. https://www.catherineprice.com/how-to-break-up-with-your-phone
  12. Waldinger et al., 2015. Harvard Study of Adult Development. https://www.adultdevelopmentstudy.org
  13. Kraut et al., 2002. The Internet Paradox: A Social Technology That Reduces Social Involvement and Psychological Well-Being. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1070108
  14. Santos et al., 2020. Sports Medicine: Balancing Training and Recovery.. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-020-01309-2
  15. Bell et al., 2023. Case Studies in Athletic Recovery.. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2023.05.004
  16. Dunn et al., 2014. The science of generosity: The link between generosity and happiness. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563214003725
  17. Dunn et al., 2012. The link between spending and happiness: Spending money on others promotes happiness. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797611421388
  18. Dunn et al., 2019. Replicability crisis in social science: A focus on happiness interventions. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797619831280
  19. Chatterjee, 2022. Happy Mind, Happy Life: Ten Simple Ways to Feel Great Every Day. https://www.amazon.com/dp/140594908X
  20. Cohen et al., 2003. Psychosomatic Medicine: A Study of Social Support, Stress, and Immunity. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12684360/