At work, I talk about habit formation with my co-workers. At the gym, it’s podcasts on human behavior. After work, I dive into books on it. And while driving with my 13-year-old son? Yep – still talking habits. You could say I’m obsessed. But it wasn’t always that way.
For the longest time, I struggled with forming habits that stuck. I tried everything – the planners, the apps, accountability buddies, the elaborate systems. But the secret to habit formation isn’t just about having a strategy; it’s about discovering what truly works for you.
In neuroscience, we know that forming habits involves rewiring our brain’s neural pathways. But there’s more to it than just science. It’s the subtle, personalized elements that make all the difference.
What Your Brain’s Doing Behind the Scenes
Habits form through neuroplasticity – the brain’s ability to rewire through repetition. The basal ganglia (the brain’s habit and motor control center) strengthens the pathways linked to repeated behaviors, making them easier to repeat in the future.
This is why habits are often automatic – once a behavior becomes ingrained, it requires less conscious effort to maintain. As neuroscientist Dr. Wendy Suzuki explains in her book Healthy Brain, Healthy Life, the brain’s ability to adapt and form new pathways makes habit formation possible. However, the journey from trying something new to turning it into a habit involves several psychological and neurological drivers.
It wasn’t until I stumbled upon a few unexpected tools that the process truly clicked. These small, seemingly random changes greatly impacted how I approached habit formation.
1) Consistency and Tracking
Consistency is the secret sauce of habit-building – but, honestly, it’s not just about showing up every day. It’s about creating reinforcement loops that your brain can’t help but chase. For me, tracking habits visually is where the magic happens. I’m talking sticker charts. Yep, full-on childhood nostalgia. Go ahead and invest in Lisa Frank because those “Good Job!” stickers still work on me.
Every time I get to slap one on my tracker, it lights up my brain’s reward system like a pinball machine. Dopamine gets released, and suddenly my brain is like, “Let’s do that again!” Research backs this up – the more we track, the more likely we are to stay consistent. Why? Because progress feels good, even in tiny, glittery doses. And when does your brain link that feel-good moment to your habit? That’s when it starts to stick.
2) Emotional Attachment (Signature Power)
Okay, here’s something a little quirky that made a surprisingly big impact for me: I started putting my actual signature on my habit tracker. Like, full-on, legal-doc-style signature. Weird? Maybe. But it created this unexpected emotional connection to the process. Signing off wasn’t just marking a task as done – it felt like I was officially owning my progress.
It turns out that psychology and neuroscience back this up. When we tie something personal – like our name, a mantra, or even a little ritual – to a habit, it activates the parts of the brain that light up around motivation, identity, and goal achievement. It’s like sending a signal to your brain that says, “Hey, this matters to me.” And when your brain believes that? It’s game on.
3) The Power of Small Wins
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: small wins are everything. Seriously. Every tiny checkmark, sticker, or “nailed it” moment gives your brain a hit of dopamine, which keeps the habit train moving. I used to underestimate this – I thought big change needed big effort. Nope. It turns out that the little wins are what build the foundation.
Every time I celebrate a micro-success (even something as simple as putting on workout shoes or writing down a to-do), I’m telling my brain, “This is progress.” And my brain eats it up. Science shows that these little victories boost momentum and build confidence, leading to even bigger wins over time. It’s like habit stacking, but with joy.
4) Environment and Cues
Your environment is one of the most powerful forces in habit formation. Seriously – your surroundings are basically setting you up (or sabotaging you) every day. Little cues can spark big behaviors. Whether it’s carving out a specific space for your habit or tossing sticky-note reminders in your line of sight, these tiny environmental nudges help your brain start wiring routines into muscle memory.
Example? If you park your habit tracker next to your coffee mug, eventually your brain will go, “Oh hey, coffee means it’s time to check off my goals.” That little visual becomes a shortcut – no thinking required. It’s like giving your habits a cozy little home where they know they belong.
5) Social Influence and Accountability
Let’s be real: we’re social creatures and care what other people think (even if we pretend we don’t). Social influence and accountability might not get the spotlight in habit talk, but they’re major players. When someone’s rooting for you – or watching to see if you follow through – it activates the same reward centers in your brain as a high-five.
Whether it’s a friend, a group, or a co-worker who keeps asking, “Did you do the thing yet?” – that social connection becomes fuel. It’s not just about pressure; it’s about partnership. You’re more likely to stay on track when you know someone’s walking alongside you (even virtually) with a mix of support, curiosity, and just enough side-eye to keep you honest.
Habit formation isn’t one-size-fits-all.
It’s messy, fascinating, and deeply personal. But some patterns make it easier. When we track progress in a way that engages our brain, form even tiny emotional bonds with routines, celebrate micro-wins, design supportive environments, or let others accompany us, it matters. It sticks.
And for those of us in leadership (or stepping into it), understanding how habits work isn’t just helpful – it’s empowering. It gives us the tools to build systems that support our growth and help our teams thrive. When we learn to shape sustainable habits, we don’t just check boxes – we change lives, starting with our own.
Author – Stephenie Rockwell, InteraWorks Director of Culture + Client Experience
About InteraWorks
InteraWorks is a global learning company on a mission to elevate the human experience at work. Specializing in professional development and performance enablement, we offer top-rated learning programs based on four defined conditions that must exist for individuals, and teams including Effective Edge, Best Year Yet, and the Essentials series. Our integrated learning framework and online tools generate immediate and sustainable breakthroughs in performance. Through decades of working at all levels in enterprise companies across many industries, we’ve built a reputation for helping people and organizations harness their focus, mindset, talent, and energy to produce results that matter most.
We’ve defined four conditions that must exist for an individual, team or organization to be effective within the arena of performance and development; Accountability, Focus, Alignment, and Integrity. We’ll continue to explore these and more in our blog and look forward to your engagement and interaction with us. Stay tuned as we engage the edges.