Healthy habits don't come from good intentions – they come from repetition. A habit is anchored once the behavior runs automatically – without a conscious decision. In a study by University College London, this took a median of 66 days of daily repetition, ranging from 18 to 254 days depending on the person and the behavior – much longer than the often-claimed 21 days (Lally et al., European Journal of Social Psychology, 2010).
Why does a self-chosen habit stick harder?
The decisive difference between imposed and self-chosen change is autonomy. Anyone who chooses for themselves which habit to build – 'stretch for 5 minutes every morning' or 'take a 10-minute walk at lunch' or 'eat an apple daily before coffee' – has more motivation from the start. The offering provides structure: reminders, a calendar, a progress indicator. The decision of what to build stays with the individual.
What does the platform deliver that willpower cannot?
Willpower is a depletable resource. Anyone who has to decide anew every day whether to do the exercise gives up after two weeks. Anyone who has built in a trigger – a reminder at 8:55 a.m., before the first meeting slot begins – eventually acts automatically. The offering supports this process with progress feedback that doesn't punish an occasional lapse but shows how much has already been built. You will find more measures and how they fit in the field of action Stress & mental health.
How do you put the measure in place?
- 1Gewohnheit festlegen: Klein, konkret, täglich möglich
- 2Auslöser koppeln: An bestehende Routine hängen
- 3Erinnerung einrichten: täglich oder an bestimmten Wochentagen
- 4Check-in machen: Jeden Tag kurz bestätigen
- 5Nach 40 Wiederholungen: Reflektieren — behalten, anpassen, oder nächste Gewohnheit starten
What do you need for it?
- Effort
- under 30 min
- Cost
- Free
- Duration
- ~6 weeks (40 repetitions)
- Setup
- 5 min
- ✓ Individual
- ✓ Based on habit research (Lally et al. 2010)
- ✓ Reminders & calendar
- ✓ Visible progress
Tax and health insurance: what is possible
Employer health benefits can be tax-free under § 3 no. 34 of the German Income Tax Act (EStG) up to €600 per employee per year — if they are provided in addition to the salary already owed and are either certified (§ 20 SGB V) or implemented within the company's health promotion process. Gym memberships and corporate fitness are not covered. For ZPP-certified courses (e.g. from Upfit), German statutory health insurers can reimburse all or part of the course fee to their insured members — then only the amount exceeding that reimbursement is tax-free. Projects within the company can be funded under § 20b SGB V, with no entitlement. Only your tax adviser can confirm the tax exemption.
How it works in EasyWHP
This Best Practice in EasyWHP: adopt it, adapt it, measure the effect
Once adopted, the measure is ready in EasyWHP — with instructions, an invitation and surveys before and after. You adapt what fits your company and see at the end what it achieved.
Screenshots with demo data, no real people.
Adopt it for your company
Register for free — and the measure is ready to go in your cockpit: invitation, feedback survey and appointment are already set up. First cycle, first numbers for the boss.
Try EasyWHP for freeRather take a look first? To the live demo →
Contributes to
Measure the impact with
Action field
Stress & Mental Health →A fitting occasion
- New Year – Resolutions & Fresh Start
Related Best Practices
Not sure where to start? Self-check in approx. 7 minutes →