☀️ habits will become automatic (but only after the awkward phase)

I got the privilege of opening up Think Summit this past Friday, and I LOVED it.

It was fun, high-energy, full of brilliant people, and I left feeling that very specific feeling of inspiraling, when you are so inspired you start spiraling (I wrote about the antidote of inspiraling here btw.)

My keynote bottom line: You can make anything a habit by creating a system. Not by waiting to feel ready. But by moving it through three steps:

The 3 Steps That Turn Anything Into a Habit

1. Experiment (the dating phase) This is the “this could be my thing??” phase.

You try it on. It feels light. Curious. A little exciting. You’re not committing—you’re collecting data. And the goal isn’t perfection. It’s spark. Because somewhere in the experimenting phase, your brain goes: “Hmm… this feels energizing instead of draining.” That matters! Because the next phase is…

2. Commit (the awkward phase)

This is where most people quit. Because the novelty wears off and suddenly it feels… ordinary. inconvenient. slightly boring. Your brain says: “Maybe this isn’t for me.” But this is actually the exact moment it’s becoming a habit. This is where systems start: A system is a pre-decided action tied to a time and place—so it runs whether you feel like it or not. This is the part where you stop deciding every day and start showing up on repeat. It’s not glamorous. It’s not exciting. It’s just… consistency.

3. Flow (the aha phase! the reward phase! the compounding phase)

This is where it starts paying you back. Not all at once. But slowly: it gets easier, it feels more natural, your identity starts to shift, and one day you realize… this is just who you are now.

This is the part people assume comes from motivation. It doesn’t. It comes from staying through the awkward phase long enough for compounding to kick in.

Systems only work if you stop skipping steps. Experiment. Commit. Flow. That’s it. That’s the whole thing.

So often we quit right before the payoff phase—right when it starts getting quiet, repetitive, or a little uncomfortable, but you’re building something that will eventually feel like you.

If you want to take one thing from this: Pick one habit you’ve been “trying” for a while. Ask yourself:
👉 What phase am I actually in?
👉 And did I skip a step?

(Then just take the next aligned step. No shame. Shame is not a strategy.)

And btw: speaking at Think Summit was such a reminder that this work—habits, systems, identity shifts—isn’t just effective. It’s kind of majorly fun. (Especially when you’re doing it with the BEST people in the room.) And one of my mantra's this year is "speaking is fun!". Keeping it light, not scary. Because our beliefs control our actions, baby!

If you were there, hit reply and say hi!
If you weren’t there, but think you might be in the awkward phase, hit reply! You’re not alone. I’m ready to hype you! ;)

xoxo,
-Katie Day

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