Keystone Habit: A Single Habit That Creates a Ripple Effect

Have you been trying to change several habits at once? The key is to focus on the habit that matters most.

A keystone is a foundation you build on. According to Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit, “Keystone habits are the routines and practices by which someone operates.” A keystone habit creates an upward cycle of productivity, wellbeing, and fulfillment by making all the other habits easier to follow through on. This works because:

Our behaviors are interconnected.

When you change one behavior, other behaviors also shift.

Positive habits produce a ripple effect.

What you choose as your keystone habit is unique to your needs and current lifestyle. It can be a physical habit, mental habit, emotional habit, or a spiritual habit. You decide what would benefit you the most right now. A keystone habit will unlock change by:

Giving you an overall sense of wellbeing.

Acting as a catalyst from which other habits can grow.

Providing you the energy and confidence to do more of what you know is best for you.

This is the process of creating the best (or next) version of yourself — a cycle of self-construction.

Credit: CoachTraining EDU, Wellness Training Guide

For my keystone habit, I choose daily exercise (or my more meaningful term - a movement practice) because this is a habit that had never been consistent for me even though I had forms of exercise I liked. This was also an area where the most resistance came up for me. It was something I always put off. I never “felt like it”. When I decided to make this the keystone, my intention was to get past the resistance and experience more flow.

This meant that I had to be flexible. What mattered was that I gave myself many options, and I had to be satisfied with going slow and starting small (rather than doing an hour workout 2x a week and then stopping).

For you, the keystone habit might be prioritizing your sleep, staying hydrated, or making time to plan your day. Maybe it’s something simple. Maybe it’s something totally new.

From there, other habits can be filled into the cycle of self-construction.

Works Cited

Duhigg, Charles. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business. Random House Publishing Group, 2012.

Williams, John Andrew, and Amois Williams. Wellness Life Coach 1.0 Training Guide. Coach Training EDU, 2020.