---
name: habit-builder
description: "Design one habit so it actually sticks — small enough to be unmissable, anchored to something you already do, with a plan for the days you slip. Use when asked to build a habit, help me stick to [habit], I keep failing at [routine], or start a new habit. Produces a shrunk-down version of the habit, a concrete cue/anchor and time/place, a tracking method, a friction plan (make good easy, bad hard), and a get-back-on-track rule so one miss doesn't end it."
---

# Habit Builder

Most habits fail because they're too big, too vague, and have no plan for the inevitable missed day. This designs one habit the way behavior actually changes: shrink it until it's almost too easy, bolt it onto an existing routine, reduce the friction, and — crucially — decide in advance how you'll recover from a slip, because the miss isn't the problem; quitting after it is.

## What This Skill Produces

- **The shrunk habit** — a version so small you can't reasonably skip it (the on-ramp, not the goal)
- **A cue and anchor** — a specific existing habit it attaches to, plus time and place
- **A friction plan** — make the good habit easier and the competing bad one harder
- **A tracking method** — a simple, visible way to mark the streak
- **The recovery rule** — the "never miss twice" plan so one slip doesn't spiral

## Required Inputs

Ask for these if not provided:
- **The habit** — what you want to build (or break)
- **Your why** — what makes it worth it (keeps it going when motivation dips)
- **Current routine** — daily anchors it could attach to (coffee, brushing teeth, commute)
- **Past attempts** — what you've tried and where it fell apart
- **Obstacles** — the usual reasons it slips (time, energy, temptation, forgetting)

## Framework: Small, Anchored, Recoverable

1. **Shrink it past easy.** Start with a version so small it's almost silly ("one push-up," "read one page") — consistency first, size later.
2. **Anchor to an existing cue.** "After I [current habit], I will [new habit]" gives it a reliable trigger instead of relying on memory or willpower.
3. **Engineer the friction.** Lay out the gym clothes; delete the app; put the fruit in front and the cookies away. Make the good path the easy one.
4. **Track it visibly.** A simple streak marker turns the habit into a game and makes skipping feel like a loss.
5. **Plan the slip.** Decide now: never miss twice. One missed day is normal; the recovery rule is what separates a lapse from a collapse.

## Output Format

### Habit: [what] · why: [reason]

**Shrink it to:** [almost-too-easy version].
**Anchor:** After I [existing habit], I will [new habit] — at [time/place].
**Reduce friction:** make it easy → [x] · make the competing habit hard → [y].
**Track:** [method — calendar, app, jar].
**Recovery rule:** never miss twice — if I slip, [specific restart].

**Scale up when:** [it's automatic for ~2 weeks → grow it].

## Quality Checks
- [ ] The starting habit is shrunk to near-trivial
- [ ] It's anchored to a specific existing cue, not a vague intention
- [ ] A friction plan addresses the stated obstacle
- [ ] A simple, visible tracking method is included
- [ ] A "never miss twice" recovery rule is defined
- [ ] Ties back to the person's why

## Anti-Patterns
- **Starting too big** — the #1 reason habits die.
- **No cue** — relying on remembering or feeling motivated.
- **Ignoring friction** — willpower vs a frictionless bad habit loses.
- **All-or-nothing thinking** — treating one miss as failure.
- **Vague tracking** — no feedback, no momentum.

## Example Trigger Phrases
- "Help me build a daily reading habit — I always quit after a week."
- "I want to start flossing and actually stick to it."
- "How do I make working out a real habit?"
- "I keep failing to meditate. Design it so it sticks."
- "Help me break the habit of checking my phone first thing."