Change, without the rush: Designed to hold up

The problem with most January goals is not a lack of ambition. It is the assumption that life will cooperate. New routines are usually planned during a calm moment, shaped by optimism and intention, then released into weeks filled with meetings, travel, fatigue, and family demands.

When momentum fades, people often blame motivation. In reality, the structure was never strong enough to begin with. According to David Ribott, founder of Ribott Partners, habits last only when they are designed to survive pressure.

In his work with senior leaders, Ribott starts by stripping away fantasy schedules. Habits are designed around the calendar clients actually live with, not the one they aspire to. Non-negotiables such as peak meeting blocks, commute times, and family commitments are mapped first.

Only then are habits introduced. These are deliberately small, flexible, and able to survive disruption. Simple contingency rules play a central role. “If my last meeting ends late, then I do a 10-minute reset, not a 60-minute workout,” Ribott says. Recovery days, travel versions, and weekly reviews are built in so the habit bends instead of breaking.

Motivation plays a far smaller role than most people expect. Ribott sees professionals fail not because they lack desire, but because their days are already overloaded with decisions and interruptions. Under stress, the brain defaults to what feels familiar and easy.

Motivation-based plans hold only when life is calm. Structure holds when it is not. Ribott focuses on discipline supported by clear cues, reduced friction, and pre-decided defaults that protect priorities when energy is low.

Making habits repeatable often requires making them smaller. Ribott encourages people to shrink the habit until starting feels almost effortless. Anchoring a new habit to something already established increases consistency. After coffee. After school drop-off. After closing the laptop. Removing unnecessary steps matters too.

Laying out equipment, pre-packing meals, or writing the first line of an email lowers resistance. Over time, repetition does more than create consistency. It shapes identity. When a behaviour becomes automatic, it no longer feels like discipline.

Environment plays a decisive role in whether habits stick or fade. Ribott describes it as the silent driver of behaviour. “Your calendar is a values document,” he says. “If the habit is not scheduled, it becomes optional, and optional always gets crowded out.” Workspaces influence focus in the same way. Cleaner surfaces, fewer notifications, and single-task defaults reduce distraction. Boundaries reinforce consistency.

Falling off-track does not require starting over. Ribott advises treating lapses as deviations rather than failures. A brief review helps reset the system. What happened. What got in the way. What is the smallest next step. Returning to the minimum version of the habit for a few days rebuilds consistency without pressure.

He also follows a firm rule. “Missing once is human,” Ribott says. “Missing twice is a pattern.” The solution is rarely a new goal. It is a tighter operating system that matches real life.