Every article on habits tells you to push through. To never give up. To stay consistent no matter what.
This isn't one of those articles.
Because here's what nobody tells you: sometimes quitting is the right call.
Not every habit deserves your energy. Not every routine serves you. And clinging to the wrong habit can actually prevent you from building the right ones.
The cost of zombie habits
You know what's worse than not having a habit? Having a habit you hate.
I call these "zombie habits"—behaviors you force yourself to do because you think you should, not because they add value to your life.
Examples:
- Journaling every morning when you hate writing
- Meditating daily when it makes you more anxious, not less
- Running when you genuinely despise running (and there are 47 other ways to exercise)
- Waking up at 5am because some productivity guru said to
These habits drain you. They create resentment. And worst of all, they eat up the willpower and time you could be using on habits that actually matter.
The three questions
Before you quit a habit, ask yourself these three questions:
1. Is this hard because it's new, or hard because it's wrong?
New habits feel awkward. Your brain resists change. That friction is normal and temporary.
But wrong habits feel like swimming upstream forever. They never get easier. They never click.
How to tell the difference:
Run this test for 30 days. If by day 30:
- It feels slightly easier → It's just new. Keep going.
- It feels just as hard as day 1 → It might be wrong. Investigate further.
- You dread it more than you did on day 1 → It's wrong. Time to reconsider.
2. Does this habit serve my actual goals, or someone else's version of success?
Be honest. Why are you doing this habit?
Is it because:
- It moves you toward something you genuinely want?
- Or because someone on the internet said you should?
I spent two years trying to maintain a morning meditation practice because every productivity guru swore by it.
I hated it. Every single session felt like torture.
Then I tried walking without my phone. Ten minutes, no music, no podcast. Just walking.
Boom. That was my meditation. It gave me the same mental clarity without the fight.
The goal was mental space. Meditation was just one path. Not the only path.
3. What am I NOT doing because I'm forcing this?
Every habit has an opportunity cost. Time and energy are finite.
What are you sacrificing to maintain this habit?
Example: You're forcing yourself to wake up at 5am to work out, but:
- You're exhausted all day
- You're sleeping through your alarm half the time
- You skip evening social events because you need to sleep early
Meanwhile, you could work out at lunch or after work—and actually enjoy your mornings and evenings.
The 5am workout isn't serving you. It's costing you things that matter more.
Good reasons to quit
1. The habit conflicts with your natural rhythm
Some people are morning people. Some aren't. You can fight your chronotype, but why?
If you've tried morning exercise for 90 days and still hate it, maybe you're an evening exerciser. That's not a failure. That's self-knowledge.
2. The habit is solving the wrong problem
You want to "be more productive," so you try waking up at 5am. But the real problem is that you scroll on your phone for 90 minutes after work.
Fixing the scroll problem would give you way more time than waking up early. But you're attacking the wrong lever.
3. The habit has become the goal
You started journaling to process emotions. Now you journal because you don't want to break your streak.
The streak is no longer serving the original purpose. It's just... a streak.
4. The habit makes you miserable
Life is short. If you've genuinely tried something for 90 days, adapted it multiple ways, and it still makes you miserable? Stop.
There's always another path to the same goal.
Bad reasons to quit
Before you close the book on a habit, make sure you're not quitting for the wrong reasons:
1. You hit the 3-week motivation cliff
Days 18-25 are brutal for every habit. If you're in that window, don't quit yet. Push through the cliff and reassess on day 35.
2. You missed a few days
Missing doesn't mean failing. Breaking a streak doesn't mean the habit is wrong. It means life happened.
Give yourself a proper reset before deciding to quit.
3. You're not seeing results yet
Most habits take 90 days to show meaningful results. Quitting at day 30 because you don't see changes yet is like pulling up a seed after two weeks to check if it's growing.
4. It's hard
Hard doesn't mean wrong. Sometimes hard means important.
The question isn't "Is this hard?" It's "Is this hard in a way that's building me up, or breaking me down?"
The 90-day test
Here's the protocol I use:
Days 1-30: Commitment phase
You're not allowed to quit. You're learning whether this habit fits into your life. Expect it to feel hard.
Days 31-60: Adjustment phase
The habit should start feeling slightly easier. If it doesn't, start experimenting:
- Different time of day?
- Smaller version?
- Different environment?
Days 61-90: Evaluation phase
By now, you should have clarity:
- Is this habit adding value?
- Is it becoming automatic?
- Would I feel worse if I stopped?
If yes to all three → Keep going. You've built something real.
If no to all three → It's time to let it go.
If it's mixed → Give it another 30 days with one major adjustment.
How to quit intentionally
If you decide to quit, do it on purpose. Don't just let it fade away.
1. Write down why you're quitting
Be specific. "I'm quitting daily meditation because after 90 days, it still makes me more anxious. I'm going to try walking instead."
This prevents you from second-guessing yourself later.
2. Identify what you were trying to get from the habit
What was the goal? Mental clarity? Physical health? Creative time?
3. Find an alternative path to that goal
Don't just quit. Replace.
Hate running? Try cycling, swimming, dancing, hiking, or climbing.
Hate journaling? Try voice memos, drawing, or talking to a friend.
Hate waking up early? Try optimizing your evening routine instead.
4. Give the new approach the same 90-day test
You might need to try 3-4 different approaches before you find the one that clicks. That's normal.
The habits I quit (and why)
Morning pages: Tried for 6 months. Hated it every single day. Switched to evening voice memos. Way better fit.
Meal prepping: Made me miserable. Felt like a chore factory. Switched to "lazy meal prep" (buying pre-cut veggies and rotisserie chicken). Same result, way less friction.
Running: Forced it for a year because "running is the best cardio." Discovered I love cycling. Haven't run since. Don't miss it.
Strict sleep schedule: Tried to sleep 10pm-6am for years. I'm a night person. Now I sleep 12am-8am. Sleep quality improved dramatically.
Every one of these quits made room for something better.
The habit audit
Do this exercise right now:
List every habit you're currently trying to maintain. For each one, rate it:
Energy: Does this habit give me energy or drain me?
(1 = drains me, 5 = neutral, 10 = energizes me)
Progress: Am I getting closer to my goals because of this habit?
(1 = not at all, 5 = somewhat, 10 = absolutely)
Consistency: How consistently am I actually doing this?
(1 = rarely, 5 = sometimes, 10 = almost always)
Now look at your scores:
- High scores across all three? Great habit. Keep it.
- High energy and progress, low consistency? You like the habit but haven't found the right system. Don't quit—fix the structure.
- High consistency, low energy and progress? You're maintaining it out of obligation. Consider quitting.
- Low scores across the board? Quit. Now. This habit is hurting you.
Permission to let go
You're allowed to try something and decide it's not for you.
You're allowed to quit things that aren't serving you.
You're allowed to pivot, adjust, and experiment.
The goal isn't to white-knuckle your way through habits you hate. The goal is to build a life that works for you.
And sometimes, the best way to do that is to let go of the habits that don't.
When NOT to use this article
If you're reading this on day 14 of a new habit, feeling the grind, and looking for permission to quit—close this tab.
You're in the motivation cliff. That's normal. Push through to day 30, then come back.
But if you're 90 days in, you've adjusted multiple times, and it still feels like dragging a boulder uphill?
You have permission.
Let it go. Try something else.
The right habits feel hard at first, then automatic. The wrong habits feel hard forever.
Learn the difference. Honor it. Move on.
Struggling to figure out if a habit is worth keeping? Habit Coach AI provides personalized insights based on your completion patterns, energy levels, and progress. Sometimes you need accountability to push through. Sometimes you need permission to pivot. Our AI helps you tell the difference.
