The Ultimate Guide to Making New Habits STICK | The Mel Robbins Podcast
Mel Robbins (host), Narrator, Narrator, Narrator
In this episode of The Mel Robbins Podcast, featuring Mel Robbins and Narrator, The Ultimate Guide to Making New Habits STICK | The Mel Robbins Podcast explores science-Backed Systems To Make New Habits Stick For Real This Time Mel Robbins breaks down why most people fail to maintain new habits and explains that the problem isn’t you, it’s your lack of external systems. Using her own 75 Hard challenge as a case study, she contrasts rigid challenge rules with actual habit science, emphasizing that missing a day does not erase your progress. She then lays out five core, research-based systems—plus a bonus on community—to move habit cues out of your head and into your environment. Throughout, she ties in findings from behavioral research to show how visibility, planning, tracking, and social support dramatically increase the odds that habits will stick.
Science-Backed Systems To Make New Habits Stick For Real This Time
Mel Robbins breaks down why most people fail to maintain new habits and explains that the problem isn’t you, it’s your lack of external systems. Using her own 75 Hard challenge as a case study, she contrasts rigid challenge rules with actual habit science, emphasizing that missing a day does not erase your progress. She then lays out five core, research-based systems—plus a bonus on community—to move habit cues out of your head and into your environment. Throughout, she ties in findings from behavioral research to show how visibility, planning, tracking, and social support dramatically increase the odds that habits will stick.
Key Takeaways
Missing a day doesn’t erase progress or your new neural pathways.
Unlike the 75 Hard rule set, habit research (e. ...
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Watch out for the “what the hell effect” after a slip-up.
As Dan Ariely’s work shows, once people break a rule (“I ate cake”), they often think, “What the hell, I’ve blown it,” and overindulge; instead, acknowledge the slip, enjoy it, and immediately recommit to your original promise.
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If your goal lacks a strong personal ‘why,’ it won’t stick.
Goals require both the will (intrinsic motivation) and the way (strategy); if you repeatedly abandon resolutions quickly, you likely aren’t emotionally connected to why you actually want the change.
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External cues beat willpower: make desired behaviors highly visible.
Move from ‘innie’ (in your head) to ‘outtie’ organizing by putting cues in your environment—lists on the mirror, water bottle and book by the coffee maker, workout clothes laid out—so your future self is nudged without needing to remember.
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Remove or complicate access to temptations to reduce bad habits.
Get problematic items out of sight or make them slightly harder to access (e. ...
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Track your progress visibly to harness the power of streaks.
Use grids, Post-its, paper charts, or apps to monitor daily actions; meta-analyses (Benjamin Harkin) show that monitoring your progress significantly increases goal achievement, especially when recorded or shared publicly.
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Plan ahead and use if–then plans to avoid ‘I’ll do it later.’
Create specific plans for when, where, and how you’ll act (and backup ‘if–then’ scenarios: ‘If it rains, then I’ll do X instead’); this massively boosts follow-through on habits like exercise compared to vague intentions.
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Do the most important habit in the morning to beat decision fatigue.
Willpower, focus, and processing speed are highest in the first hours of the day; getting up a bit earlier and doing key habits first reduces the chance that fatigue, distractions, and obligations will derail you.
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Leverage community and accountability to amplify intrinsic motivation.
Joining a group, text thread, or online community doing the same challenge increases encouragement, normalizes effort, and makes you less likely to quit when motivation dips.
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Notable Quotes
“You’re not the problem. The problem is you’re trying to do all this in your head.”
— Mel Robbins
“In life, unlike this 75 Hard challenge I’m doing, if you miss a day, all you do is miss a day and then move forward.”
— Mel Robbins
“If you don’t know what to do, sign up for something challenging.”
— Mel Robbins
“Failing to plan is planning to fail.”
— Mel Robbins
“There is nothing sexier than a person who keeps their word no matter what.”
— Mel Robbins
Questions Answered in This Episode
How can I clarify a deeper, more honest ‘why’ behind the habit I’m struggling to maintain?
Mel Robbins breaks down why most people fail to maintain new habits and explains that the problem isn’t you, it’s your lack of external systems. ...
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Which cues in my current environment are sabotaging my habits, and what specific changes could I make this week to support my goals instead?
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What simple tracking system (paper, app, wall grid, etc.) would feel satisfying enough that I’ll actually use it daily?
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Where in my routine do I most often say ‘I’ll do it later,’ and how could if–then planning help me in those moments?
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Who could I enlist—friends, family, or an online community—to create real accountability and shared momentum around my new habit?
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Transcript Preview
(ticking clock) (intro music) You are going to fricking love this. We just released an episode about the science of habits, we covered all of the basic foundational stuff, and what's happening is that you've gotten started, and you're rolling along on your keto diet, or Dry January, or you're trying to stick to that budget, and now the wheels are about to fall off. So today's episode, it's dedicated to you, because you are going to get the science-backed hacks that you need to stay consistent when you make change. Hey, it's your friend Mel, and welcome to a practical, tactical, tool-packed episode of the Mel Robbins Podcast. I am so excited for today's episode, I didn't even take the time to take a shower, (laughs) wash my face, or change out of my gym clothes. I exercised this morning, and I raced right up here to the microphone, because I have got so many cool things to share with you, and for those of you that have been here for a while, check it out, you are going to fricking love this. Love it. It's a, it's everything that you love. It's hilarious stories, it's science-backed tools, you are going to be inspired and in action before this thing is over. That's how jam-packed our conversation's gonna be today. That's why I had to wear running tights, 'cause we're gonna be running fast, running through this. Okay, and for those of you that are new, welcome. I'm so glad you're here, but get ready, because this is a doozy. We're talking takeaway city, we're talking proven hacks. Heck, I'm even teaching you today how to use a Post-It Note to make your new habits stick. That's right. I'm Mel Robbins. I'm a New York Times bestselling author and one of the most trusted experts in the world on behavior change and motivation. Here's the reason why I'm so excited. It's because I know that our conversation today is going to be relevant to your life, because we just released an episode about the science of habits, we covered all of the basic foundational stuff, and now, of course, I've gotten a ton of questions from those of you who are trying to make a big change, and what's happening is that you've gotten started, and you're rolling along on your keto diet, or Dry January, or you're trying to stick to that budget, and now the wheels are about to fall off. Maybe they already have. So today's episode, it's dedicated to you, because you are going to get the science-backed hacks that you need to stay consistent when you make change, and I'm also going to give you little fun strategies and systems that you can do to make all these new changes that you're working so hard on stick. How cool is that? And one final thing, this is part of a month-long series that we're doing here on the Mel Robbins Podcast about the foundational skills and research that you can use to create a better life, and so let's jump in. Let's make those habits sticky, people, and let's start with a question from a listener named Eric.
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