In this module you will
- Complete the seven Habit Design fields for one habit.
- Pass the design test: cue and location, anchor, friction and evidence all answered.
The idea
The sheet designs one habit properly: identity first, then the cue, the anchor, the two-minute start, the friction and the evidence.
From external research: James Clear’s Atomic Habits (2018) frames behavior change as four laws: make it obvious, attractive, easy and satisfying. In a widely cited study, Phillippa Lally and colleagues (European Journal of Social Psychology, 2010) found that the time for a new behavior to become automatic varied widely, from 18 to 254 days, with a median of about 66. The Compass sheet’s ninety-day protection window is a practical interpretation, not a research finding.
Compass interpretation: choose the habit by its link to an outcome you want, not by its popularity. A habit belongs on the sheet only if, practiced for ninety days, it would visibly move one of your aspirations or one of your vital few. Review it every evening against the evidence field.
Step by step
Why Behavior follows identity; outcomes follow behavior.
Write the identity line in present tense, first person, about behavior you control.
Why A habit named as an outcome cannot be practiced today.
Name one habit as an action.
Why Environment beats intention.
Fill the cue, anchor, two-minute version and friction fields.
Why Without immediate proof, the loop does not close.
Write the evidence, then check that the design test passes.
Worked example: the CEO
Identity: “I am a leader who asks before solving.” Habit: “Ask three questions before deciding any escalation.” Cue: the escalation log open on the desk. Anchor: “After I read an escalation, I will write three questions.” Two-minute version: write the first question. Friction: removed the instant-reply shortcut and added a ten-minute hold. Evidence: a tick in the log beside each escalation handed back to its owner.
Your sheet
What you type stays on this page as you move between modules. Nothing is saved or sent; reloading clears it.
Present tense, first person, about behavior I control.
One behavior. Name it as an action, not an outcome.
Time, place, object. Behavior follows environment.
Anchor the new behavior to one I already do without deciding.
Small enough that starting is never a decision.
Remove a step from the behavior I want; add one to the alternative.
Immediate, visible proof the vote was cast.
Design test: not yet designed. Answer the cue, anchor, friction and evidence fields; missing one makes it an intention, not a design.
Exercise
- Complete all seven fields for one habit.
- Read the design test. If one part is missing, it is an intention: fix it.
- Carry the habit into the three tracked habit lines, which are protected for ninety days.
Original tools
- Open the original Daily Practice Sheets (on compassperformanceinc.com, opens in a new tab)The complete original sheets: PDF in English, French or Spanish, Letter or A4, half-letter and pocket sizes.
Sources and attribution
- External source Habit Design structure after James Clear, Atomic Habits (2018). Summarised and applied by Compass; not endorsed by the author. Source (opens in a new tab)
- External source Lally, van Jaarsveld, Potts & Wardle, “How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world,” European Journal of Social Psychology 40 (2010).
- Compass The link from habit to outcome and the evening evidence review are Compass interpretation.