Three tiny habits, 30 days.
Pick three habits that take less than 10 minutes each, set a start date and tick them off on a board that lives in your browser. You get a streak for every habit, a completion figure for the whole challenge and a card you can share.
Three habits, 30 days
Twelve habits under 10 minutes
0 of 3 chosen
Up to 60 characters, and something that takes under 10 minutes. 60 characters left
Your three habits
How it works.
- Choose three habits from the 12 cards, or type your own in up to 60 characters, until the counter reads 3 of 3.
- Set the start date, today by default, and press Start: the board shows three rows of 30 days with today marked in gold.
- Tick each habit as you do it. The streaks, the completion figure and the share card update at once, and the board is waiting in this browser tomorrow.
Why 30 days, and why the habits are tiny
The most cited study on habit formation, by Phillippa Lally and colleagues, appeared in the European Journal of Social Psychology in 2010. It followed 96 people for 12 weeks while each repeated one new daily behaviour. On average the behaviour felt automatic after 66 days, and the range ran from 18 days to 254 days. Thirty days is therefore a start, not a finish line: by day 30 each habit has a foothold. The habits take under 10 minutes for the same reason. In the Lally data, simple behaviours such as drinking a glass of water became automatic much sooner than exercise: the smaller the first version, the sooner it sticks. Our guide on how long a habit takes to form goes through the study in detail.
Three rules that make the ticks easier
First, attach each habit to a cue you already have. "While the kettle boils, I do 20 squats" gives the habit a fixed place in the day, so every card suggests a moment for it. Second, shrink the first version until it takes 2 minutes or less: 10 minutes of stretching begins as one stretch at the desk, and 5,000 steps begin with the stairs. Third, do not treat a missed day as the end. In the Lally study, missing a single opportunity made no measurable difference to how fast the habit formed, while several missed days in a row did. The streak counter shows consecutive days ending today or yesterday, so one gap costs you the number, not the habit. A visible run still earns its place: 15 ticks in a row is a fact you can look at.
Which habits to choose, and what the board is not
If you are unsure which three to pick, the evidence points at light, movement and people. Morning light in the first hours after waking anchors the body clock, which is why 10 minutes outside before noon sits at the top of the list. The benefit of daily steps starts well below the famous 10,000, with clear gains from about 4,000 steps a day, so 5,000 is a reachable target rather than a heroic one. One message to a friend counts for more than it looks: social connection is among the strongest predictors of a long and healthy life. The board keeps your three habits, the start date and the ticks in this browser only, under a single entry. Nothing is sent to Vitista or anyone else, so a different browser starts empty and clearing the site data deletes the board. The tool is not a treatment plan and not a measure of willpower: it counts ticks.
Frequently asked.
What happens if I miss a day?
The cell stays empty and the streak for that habit drops to 0 the day after, but the completion figure keeps every tick you have made. In the Lally study a single missed day made no measurable difference to how fast a habit formed, so tick the next day and carry on.
Can I tick a day I forgot to tick yesterday?
Yes. Every cell up to today is clickable, so you can fill in yesterday or any earlier day of the 30. Future days stay locked until they arrive.
Where are my ticks stored?
In your own browser only, under a single entry named vt_habits. Nothing is sent to Vitista or anyone else, so a different browser or device starts empty, and clearing the site data deletes the board.
Can I change a habit halfway through?
Not without starting over: the board keeps the three habits fixed for 30 days so the streaks mean something. Start over clears the ticks after a second click to confirm, and a fresh board takes under a minute to set up.
Why exactly three habits?
Three is enough to change the shape of a day and few enough to remember without a list. Each suggested habit takes under 10 minutes, so all three together fit into half an hour.
Is 30 days enough to form a habit?
Usually not on its own. The average in the Lally study was 66 days, with a range from 18 to 254, so treat day 30 as a checkpoint: a habit with a 20-day streak is close, one with 5 ticks needs a smaller first version or a better cue.
Guides behind this tool
Life
How long a habit takes to form: 66 days, not 21
Health
How many steps a day: what the studies support
Life
Social connection and health: what the large studies showMore tools
This board counts ticks you enter yourself and keeps them in your browser. It is not a treatment plan, not a diagnosis and not a measure of willpower, and it knows nothing about your health. This page is for general information and does not replace medical advice.