One more time, Happppppppppy New Year!!! 🎉 (because we can)
Here’s to a safe, prosperous, and phenomenally clear 2026…
a year full of growth, action, and gratitude.
I’m deeply grateful for your readership, participation, and contributions.
May the FORCE of UBM be with you! 🎉🍾🥂🎆
If you are already a devoted habit tracker—move along. This post isn’t for you.
It’s for the 95% of people who do not track key behaviors. The ones who hate tracking or think it’s stupid and painful.
They’re not entirely wrong. That’s why I wrote this…
For nearly two decades, most of the world’s leading behavioral scientists really disliked the idea of habit tracking.
They didn’t just dislike it—they claimed it was scientifically impossible to craft habits by tracking behaviors
Below is a history lesson about the evolution of habit tracking.
Phase 1: The Denial Era: 2009–2017: How It Started
When The Habit Factor® app launched in 2009 (the first habits-to-goals tracker) and the book was published in 2010, academia pushed back hard; hard enough to write papers about how ineffective habit tracking was.
The logic was rigid: Habits are automatic (unconscious). Tracking is manual (conscious). Therefore, if you are tracking, you aren’t building a habit.
Ironically, neuroscience teaches the fundamental concept of brain plasticity. Yet, for some reason, they were stuck on the two “systems” of the brain.
Their conclusion? “Dependency” on an app or the conscious effort of tracking somehow prevented automaticity—the development of a habit.
Oops.
Here are a couple of articles from that era on this topic:
The “Dependency” Study: Stawarz, Cox, & Blandford (UCL, 2016). Don’t Kick the Habit: The Role of Dependency in Habit Formation Apps.
The Claim: Apps don’t build habits; they just create reliance on the tool.
The “System 2” Argument: Dr. Wendy Wood (2017). Habit in Personality and Social Psychology.
The Claim: Conscious monitoring (tracking) conflicts with the automaticity required for true habit formation.
What’s Behavior Architecture?
👇 ENTER PROMO CODE: “NewScience”
Get instant 50% OFF. Limited time. 110% Risk-Free and Guaranteed!
New Year. 🎆 New Science. 🔬 Finally, New You. 💪🏽
Phase 2: The Confusion Era: 2015–2025—How It Went
Habit trackers not only worked—they worked so well that they proliferated!
Even tracking without a proper methodology (like P.A.R.R.) habit tracking worked better than no tracking at all.
The market exploded with copycat apps and books. A week doesn’t go by without another habit app or book hitting the shelves.
It became a game of “telephone.”
The narrative started very clearly with The Habit Factor:
Align habits to goals to achieve them more effectively and efficiently.
Then, The Habit Factor’s basic thesis—that habits and goals serve each other—splintered into chaos.
More habit books and apps appeared without any methodology.
They either ignored or didn’t understand P.A.R.R. The original THF narrative vanished.
Atomic Habits carried the “Cue, Routine, Reward” —the “Habit Loop” torch handed off by Duhigg’s The Power of Habit.
Only Clear presented the same science about rodents as “Cue, Craving, Response, Reward.”
A repackaging of the minimally helpful “Habit Loop” science.
A model that did (let’s be honest), nearly nothing to account for HUMANS’ innate capacities for CHOICE, INTENTION, and REFLECTION.
Reference: The Origins of the Habit Loop (MIT/Duhigg)
Reference: Psychology Today: The Habit Replacement Loop
Then, pop-psychology took over the blogosphere and YouTube.
Nearly every day, another blogger —a future habit expert— pimped ridiculously false battle cries like…
“Goals are for Losers”
Source: Scott Adams (2013). Yes. The Dilbert guy became another habit expert. How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big.
The Issue: He convinced millions to ditch goals for undefined “systems,” arguing that goals create a state of “pre-success failure.” Oyy!
Reference: WSJ: Scott Adams on Why Goals Are for Losers
UPDATE: 1/13/2026! I just learned of his passing and am very sad to hear the news. He was a light to many and an interesting, thoughtful man. The timing of this post, just days before his passing, is unfortunate. My comments are strictly pointed to his commentary about goals. Rest in peace, SA.
Then, the atomic misstep, “Habits are better than goals.” “Habits are systems.”
Source: James Clear (2018). Atomic Habits.
The Issue: AH conflating “systems” with “habits” (to be clear, no pun intended, habits and routines are not systems). Unfortunately, the mindless chants echoed throughout the blogosphere, “Habits are better than goals!” Oyy #2!
Reference: James Clear: Forget About Setting Goals. Focus on This Instead.
One more time: The Habit Factor’s basic thesis—that habits and goals serve each other.
What’s Behavior Architecture?
👇 ENTER PROMO CODE: “NewScience”
Get instant 50% OFF. Limited time. 110% Risk-Free and Guaranteed!
New Year. 🎆 New Science. 🔬 Finally, New You. 💪🏽
Phase 3: The Enlightenment Era 2025 — UBM and the New Science of Achievement—How It’s Going
The Unified Behavior Model is published on 7/8/2025. Pre-print Zenodo.org.
With it, P.A.R.R. Plan, Act, Record & Reassess reemerges in its original, unadulterated form—precisely as originally published nearly two decades earlier.
This time, PARR is beautifully presented—wrapped like a bouncing baby in a warm, behavioral science blanket. It’s the Robin to UBM’s Batman, paired perfectly within the Behavior Echo-System™.
Finally, behavioral science has its first elemental, unified, goal-directed, and falsifiable behavioral model, ever.
UBM offers two key components:
The Behavior Echo-System™ (BES): This is the MAP. This is what behavioral science has sought since, well, forever. Yet, a map without a GPS—a way to navigate the terrain—is only semi-helpful.
Enter P.A.R.R.: P.A.R.R. — the Navigation System (The Compass/GPS). It turns out it wasn’t just a “good idea” in 2009; it was the Scientific Method applied to behavior change.
Ultimately, scientists worldwide have come to realize that P.A.R.R. is validated by every scientific study that involved habit tracking.
How about them apples? 🍎 🍏
So, if you’re following the bouncing ball, the same behavioral scientists who said habit tracking didn’t work were using habit tracking in their own studies.
Lally, P., et al. (2010). How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. (The famous “66 days” study relied entirely on participants tracking their behavior daily).
Gardner, B. (2012). Making health habitual: the psychology of ‘habit-formation’ and general practice.
Any study you can find regarding habit development and automaticity relies on (GET THIS) the Self-Report Habit Index (SRHI)—which is, by definition, TRACKING.
Every single one of these studies involved either the scientist or the participant identifying a habit (Choosing/selecting), Planning to track it, Acting upon the plan, Recording the data, and Reassessing the results.
PLAN, ACT, RECORD & REASSESS.
Whether they knew it or not, they were validating the P.A.R.R. methodology presented nearly two decades ago.
Thank you and thank you! 🙏
So, how and when does enlightenment arrive?
Good question.
Now behavioral scientists argue (and this is good), “Well, look, maybe habit tracking works, but tracking behavior is separate from the behavior itself.”
Makes sense right?
In other words, if you are tracking the “pushup” habit, the act of tracking is NOT the pushup. It is totally different—tracking is separate.
They are absolutely correct.
And this is precisely WHY habit tracking works!
Behavior IS separate, and behavior tracking IS separate.
What does that mean?
It simply means that behavior is steerable.
I can drive to Grandma’s house, or I can drive to the mountains. Wherever I end up, I am responsible.
I can behave kindly or meanly.
I can behave generously or stingily.
I can run or I can walk.
I can talk or I can keep my mouth shut.
I can yell and get angry or I can maintain my composure.
This is why you are identified as a HUMAN BEING.
The BEING is BE-havior — how are you going to BE-have?
What other animal gets to choose their habits?
There are no “rhinoceros beings,” “elephant beings,” “tiger beings,” or “ant beings.”
ONLY HUMAN BEINGS have the innate capacity (as far as we know) to determine their habits.
We can intentionally craft habits that align with our goals.
Every other creature ‘arrives’ preprogrammed with instincts.
Thus, HUMAN behavior is separate and steeeeerable…🖐️🎤.
Yay for you!
These behavioral scientists are absolutely correct.
Tracking and behavior are distinct.
Just like a mirror and a scale are distinct from losing weight.
Each is a helpful TOOL.
Habit tracking is a tool.
No scientist on earth would argue against using a scale to measure weight loss.
Each tool, the mirror, the scale, and habit tracking provide feedback that affirms the steering.
The habit-tracking debate is finally, fini!
The New Behavioral Science of UBM, Section 7
If you are still resisting habit tracking because you think it’s “too hard” or “unnatural,” you aren’t wrong.
And (brace yourself), that is precisely why you need to be doing it.
Habit tracking may be the most potent neurological hack available. (Read that again)
According to Section 7 of the UBM Whitepaper, P.A.R.R. (Plan, Act, Record, Reassess) unleashes a host of benefits.
The VERY short list of benefits from habit tracking following P.A.R.R.:
Creates Self-Efficacy: Efficacy is defined as the capacity to produce a desired result. Tracking provides the proof that you can do exactly that. These “micro-wins” release dopamine in the brain, chemically reinforcing your momentum.
Strengthens the aMCC: Doing things you don’t “feel” like doing (like tracking) literally grows the brain’s “willpower” muscle, the Anterior Mid-Cingulate Cortex.
Develops the Meta-Habit of Discipline: This is the habit that builds all other habits. The better you get at habit tracking, the easier it becomes to cultivate other habits and skills at will.
Creates Alignment: Instantly connects your daily “Do” with your future “Who.”
Propels Momentum: From one week to the next, momentum builds as you notice your self-efficacy and consistency.
So, finally...
I think we’ve run out of “expert” reasons to resist the efficacy of habit tracking given that all of these habit studies include the SRHI.
Except…
“Too much habit tracking can be bad for you...”
So can too many carrots…
Straight from the white paper:
The tool isn’t the problem. The absence of balance and reflection is.
Science is caught up. 🙌 Typically, the bloggers aren’t too far behind.
Dare to dream.
Stop guessing!
Start tracking TODAY and steering your behavior.
~mg
keep on trackin’!
Who’s the architect of your behaviors and goals?
P.S. Today marks exactly 6 months since the publication of the Unified Behavior Model™ (UBM). With over 2,000 downloads and counting, the model remains unfalsified, which means it has not been disproven.
Thankfully, a very notable and well-regarded theorist challenged the model with the famous “Rabbit-Duck Illusion.” It was a fascinating attempt, and wonderfully validated UBM’s framework.
We appreciate the rigorous testing!
UBM’s footing is more solid than ever. Six months left to try and falsify it and you can win $1,000! The “No Fifth Element” Challenge remains open. 🙏
The Unified Behavior Model
(If you do nothing else today, read Section 7, three times)
Here’s the REAL STORY.
The new science and new model are nice.
But it’s only a little bit about them.
It’s overwhelmingly and undeniably about YOU.
(Scroll down, you’ll see.)
The impact this model and protocol will make on you is, well, remarkable.
But don’t take it from me…
Our first Behavior Architecture cohort: Fini!
And... Wow.
A huge thanks to the 12 pioneering participants.
We had barely a week to promote FC-01, yet the energy was incredible.
The reviews are still coming in.
ENTER PROMO CODE: “NewScience”
50% OFF 110% Guaranteed, Risk-Free!
New Year. 🎆 New Science. 🔬 Finally, New You. 💪🏽
👇 Behavior Architecture Course on Maven
🚨 The habit tracking controversy is over. UBM ended it ; )
—> Section 7.0 of the UBM whitepaper Each and every objection to habit tracking is crushed. Read all about it!
📄 Free habit tracking template: thehabitfactor.com/templates
📖 Full UBM whitepaper: Zenodo.org
📚 The trilogy that unearthed UBM:
🌐 Learn more: unifiedbehaviormodel.com
🌐 Behavior Architecture: https://maven.com/thehabitfactor/behavior-architecture
