Build and protect momentum

Get a streak going and guard it — momentum makes the next rep easier than the last.

Why it works

Once a behavior repeats enough to feel automatic, it costs less willpower to continue than to stop, which is momentum. A run of consistent reps lowers the activation energy for the next one and reinforces the identity of someone who does this — both of which make continuation the path of least resistance. The hard part is the start; momentum is the reward.

How to do it

1. Get an unbroken run going, even at a tiny scale, before trying to scale up.
2. Protect the streak — a missed day costs more than its single rep.
3. When momentum exists, ride it; do not coast and let it dissipate.

Evidence

The idea that repetition lowers the effort to continue aligns with research on habit automaticity; "momentum" as Hardy describes it is a practitioner framing of that automaticity-plus-identity dynamic. (mechanistic)

Momentum is real but fragile; long breaks erode automaticity, so the streak framing reflects a genuine cost to gaps.

Sources

• Lally et al. (2010), automaticity increases with repetition (basis for "momentum")

Common mistake

Letting a single missed day spiral into a stopped habit — treating a broken streak as total failure rather than restarting immediately.