Habit technique · Reward & enjoyment · Under a minute

Reward the comeback

Make returning after a miss feel good, not guilty. Make returning after a missed day feel good — a small treat or a moment of pride for coming back.

Level: Beginner · Free — no account needed to read

Make returning after a missed day feel good — a small treat or a moment of pride for coming back.

Why it may help

The moment after a miss is when habits are most at risk. Rewarding the return makes it more attractive than giving up.

When to use it

• After a missed day
• You tend to give up after one miss

How to apply it

1. Decide a small reward for “coming back”.
2. Use it on the first day after any miss.
3. Keep it small and genuine.

An example

Mira treats herself to her favourite breakfast on the first morning back after missing her run.

The common mistake

Punishing yourself for the miss instead of rewarding the return.

Practise it

Decide your comeback reward now, before you need it.

What the evidence says

Emerging: Early or small studies look promising. Worth testing on yourself; too soon to rely on.

In a large megastudy of gym programmes, small rewards for returning after a missed workout were among the more effective ideas during the programme. Evidence is early and effects faded afterwards.

Behaviour Change Technique Taxonomy (v1) codes: 10.9.

Sources

• Milkman, Gromet, Ho, Kay, Lee, Pandiloski and colleagues (2021). Megastudies improve the impact of applied behavioural science. Nature. doi:10.1038/s41586-021-04128-4