Make habits stick with tiny steps, Zeigarnik tension, and the Fogg model

Your brain hates unfinished work. That’s why a half‑written email hums in the back of your mind while you try to relax. Psychologists call this Zeigarnik tension, and you can use it to your advantage. Turn “do the thing” into tiny, finishable steps and the tension releases often, not painfully.

Start with the Fogg Behavior Model: behavior happens when motivation, ability, and a prompt converge. Motivation bounces. Ability you can control by shrinking the step. Prompts you can design by attaching a new action to one you already do. I might be wrong, but talent matters far less here than friction.

A micro‑anecdote helps. A project manager who dreaded proposals reframed “write proposal” into “open doc,” “write title,” and “draft first paragraph.” She tied “open doc” to starting her coffee maker. By the time the coffee finished, she had ten sentences and less dread. She even said “Yes” quietly after the paragraph, which sounds silly, but a visible celebration makes your brain like the behavior.

Ending well also matters. When you finish for the day, write the first line of tomorrow’s section. It makes the next start trivial, which is where most people fail. String micro‑wins together, and the habit forms with far less drama.

Pick one stubborn task and split it into three tiny, finishable wins. Make the first step a 30‑second action and attach it to a prompt you already do, like making coffee. When you complete a micro‑win, celebrate out loud, then set up the next step by writing a starter line before you stop. These moves lower friction so much that momentum takes over. Try them on the very next task you’re avoiding.