“If you only build one habit, make it this one.”

Most people start their habit journey by choosing something obvious: I want to exercise, eat better, read more, meditate, or sleep earlier.

That’s a good start. But there’s a hidden mistake almost everyone makes:

They forget to build Habit Zero — the “track your habits” habit.

Why Habit Zero Comes First

At its core, Habit Zero is simple: it’s the daily act of logging your habits.

Not for perfection. Not for streaks. Not to shame yourself.

But because what you measure improves.

I’ve seen this play out everywhere — in individuals, teams, and entire organizations. Whether it’s a Fortune 500 company trying to shift culture, or someone just trying to drink more water, the same truth applies:

Measurement is the ultimate leverage point.

Why Measurement Works (Neuroscience)

Your brain is a habit prediction machine. At any given moment, it’s scanning for the most likely habit to run based on past patterns, current state, and ease.

When you track a habit, three things happen neurologically:

1. Attention Shift (Awareness)

• The act of logging a habit lights up your prefrontal cortex — the Inner Coach Brain.
• This breaks the autopilot loop and tells your brain, “This matters."

2. Prediction Score Boost

• By marking a habit, you subtly increase its prediction score in your Habit Brain.
• Translation: your brain becomes more likely to choose it tomorrow.

3. Identity Encoding

• Every check-in is a vote for your future self.
• Over time, this encodes: “I’m the type of person who tracks and improves.”

This is why Habit Zero is NOT optional. It’s the first commitment skill of Habit Theory 2.0.

The Strategy of Leverage Points

In systems thinking, leverage points are the small hinges that swing big doors.

And in strategy, there are two types of measures:

• Lag Measures → The outcome you want (e.g., lose 10 pounds, run a marathon, save $10k).
• Lead Measures → The daily actions that make the lag inevitable (e.g., eat vegetables, run 3x/week, save $10/day).

Habit Zero is the ultimate lead measure.

Why? Because it’s the measure of whether you’re even paying attention to your habits in the first place.

Don’t Get Overwhelmed by Tools

Yes, there are plenty of habit trackers out there. And yes, you can get lost in them.

But here’s the truth:

• If you can’t do this on paper, an app won’t save you.
• What matters is consistency, not complexity.

That said — I’ve spent years building two different habit apps because I couldn’t find one that did this right.

The latest is Habits Coach.

It’s designed with Habit Zero as the foundation.

How Habit Zero Works in the App

When you open the app, Habit Zero is right at the top.

It’s displayed as a power bar showing your progress over a set number of days.

Tap on the power bar to customize it to your personal preference:

• Number of Days:
  • 3, 5, or 7 days.
• Number of Check-Ins per Day:
  • Single Bar = one check-in per day.
  • AM/PM = two daily check-ins.
  • 3x Daily = morning, afternoon, and evening.

Complete an awareness check-in, habit, or progress entry → and that period fills in.

• Green: all complete.
• Yellow: missed one for the period.
• Red: below 33%.

The colour feedback isn’t about guilt. It’s about awareness. A mirror, not a judge.

How to Start

1. Pick one of the 15 Essential Habits to begin with (sleep, breathwork, gratitude, etc.).
2. Commit to tracking daily for 7 days. You don’t need to add Habit Zero — the app tracks this automatically.
3. Don’t aim for streaks. Aim for awareness.
4. Watch what happens: awareness multiplies momentum.

The Big Mistake

One of the biggest mistakes I see is this: people try to build habits without building Habit Zero.

It’s like trying to run a business without keeping books. Or trying to lose weight without ever stepping on a scale.

Habit Zero is the foundation. The multiplier. The habit under every habit.

Start Here. Track daily. Build awareness. And let Habit Zero unlock every other habit in your life.

Try it in the Habits Coach app — and start building the habit that makes all other habits possible.