Module 5 · Motivation & mind · Research-supported
Boredom and novelty
Why new habits feel exciting, then flat — and how to handle the flat part.
5 min read · Level: Beginner · Free — no account needed to read
The problem it solves
Why do new habits feel exciting, then flat?
The concept
Novelty is energising. A new routine, new kit or a new plan brings interest that has little to do with the habit itself. As it becomes familiar, that energy fades — and many habits stop right there.
Boredom is a signal, not a verdict. It can mean the habit needs a little variety, more challenge, a pleasant pairing, or simply that it has moved from exciting to ordinary, which is what habits become.
The trick is to add variety inside the habit while keeping its cue the same: a new route, a new recipe, new music — same time, same place.
Why it matters
How much people enjoy an activity while doing it predicts persistence, so managing the flat stretch is part of maintenance, not a sign of failure.
Research-supported: Good studies support it, but there are fewer of them, the effects are modest, or they come from a narrow set of situations.
See it happen
Sophie’s daily walk was exciting for a month, and now feels like a chore.
- The ordinary first approach
- Walking isn’t for her after all.
- With the idea
- She keeps the time and the front-door start, but varies the route and saves a favourite podcast for the walk.
- What changed
- The habit gained variety without losing its cue.
Easy to get wrong
- Quitting a habit the moment it feels ordinary.
- Changing the cue in search of novelty, which weakens the habit.
- Chasing constant novelty instead of accepting some ordinariness.
Try it now: Vary the inside, keep the outside
- Pick a habit that feels flat.
- Write its cue (time, place) — this stays.
- List three ways to vary what happens inside it, and try one.
Apply it to one of your habits
For one of your habits, what could you vary inside it while keeping its cue the same?
Reflect
- Which of your habits is in its “flat” stretch right now?
Go deeper — evidence & sources
- Woolley & Fishbach (2016). For the Fun of It: Harnessing Immediate Rewards to Increase Persistence in Long-Term Goals. Journal of Consumer Research. doi:10.1093/jcr/ucv098
Techniques that use this idea
- Make the activity itself enjoyable — Choose the version of the habit you actually like doing. (Research-supported)
Problems this helps with
- “I start strongly and then stop.” — The first week or two go well, then it thins out and quietly disappears.
- “My habit became boring.” — It still happens, but it feels flat, and you’ve started skipping it.
Related lessons
- Progression without breaking the cue — Add challenge or variety to a habit that has gone flat, while keeping its cue steady. (6 min · Intermediate)
- Something good, right now — Immediate rewards, temptation bundling and making the activity itself enjoyable. (6 min · Beginner)