The five-minute reset
- State what happened.Use one factual sentence without a character judgment.
- Check the contract.Did the original rule require consecutive days?
- Choose deliberately.Continue, restart, or modify—do not drift into a new rule silently.
- Add one protection.Change a cue, minimum action, time, or environment.
- Act today.Complete the smallest useful action available now.
Continue, restart, or modify?
| Choose | Use when | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Continue | Your original rule allowed misses or used a weekly target. | Keep the same window and record the missed day. |
| Restart | Your contract explicitly required consecutive completion. | End the attempt honestly and choose a new Day 1. |
| Modify | The rule was unclear, unrealistic, or unsuitable. | Rewrite the finish line before continuing. |
Five useful diagnostic questions
- Was the daily action specific enough?
- Was a time or cue protected?
- Was the minimum action small enough for a difficult day?
- Did the environment make the action unavailable?
- What one change would make the next attempt more robust?
Tomorrow at [time], after [cue], I will [minimum action]. If the full version is unavailable, I will [safe fallback]. My tracking rule is [rule].
What See You in 90 keeps after a reset
Sources and evidence limits
- Lally et al. (2010), European Journal of Social Psychology
The study reported substantial variation in modeled automaticity and a limited finding about one missed opportunity. It does not prove that misses never matter or prescribe a reset rule.
Questions after a broken streak
Does one missed day erase a habit?
No. It may break a streak counter or end a strict attempt, but completed actions and prior learning still happened.
Should I always restart?
No. Restart only when consecutive completion was part of the original contract or when you deliberately choose that rule.
How soon should I begin again?
Once the new rule and one concrete protection are clear. You do not need to wait for a symbolic date.
Can I backfill the missed day?
See You in 90 does not allow it. Outside the app, the rules are yours, but a retroactive mark does not make the action occur on the missed date.
What if illness, travel, or circumstances caused the miss?
Record the circumstance without blame and choose a safer or more realistic rule. Protect wellbeing over a counter.