Keystone Habits Lead to Better Habits

Keystone habits are good habits which, when practiced, tend to lead to other good habits, often unintentionally. They are habits that keep other habits going. These are the 20% of habits that lead to 80% of the benefit, and should be the first ones to focus on.

The act of tracking something is a common characteristic for many keystone habits. This helps with accountability and leads to better self-awareness on what is actually done (e.g. how time is spent, how many calories are consumed, etc.). It is a powerful principle of deliberate practice, and leads to behaviour change.

For example, the habit of tracking food consumption can lead to the habit of eating less, most likely due to newfound awareness of one’s eating habits. Many keystone habits are those that depend on tracking and quantifying something that you are trying to improve on.

Common keystone habits are:

• Exercise

• Meditation

• Journaling

• Daily walks

• Reading

References

Atomic Habits by James Clear

I tracked every single task for 30 days.

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg