When I first started coaching, I learned about Kendra, who became famous in the habits world for coaching people on flossing one tooth.
Not "floss your teeth." One tooth. That's it.
It sounds almost ridiculous, doesn't it? Who flosses just one tooth? But here's what happened: People who committed to flossing one tooth didn't stop at one. Once the floss was out, once they were standing at the sink, once they'd started, they kept going. The habit wasn't really about flossing one tooth; it was about lowering the barrier to starting so much that there was no excuse not to begin.
Kendra is now the CEO of a major coaching platform. And "floss one tooth" has become shorthand for something profound about how real change actually happens. I was so impressed that I went on to become a Certified Habit Coach, with Kendra as my instructor.
We're wired to think big. New year, new me. Complete transformation. Revolutionary change. But sustainable rhythms don't work that way. They start smaller than seems reasonable. They focus on consistency over intensity. They make the barrier to entry so low that you'd feel silly not doing it.
This is why January is littered with abandoned resolutions. We set up rhythms that require heroic daily effort. We design changes that demand we become someone we're not. And then when we can't maintain that level of intensity, we decide we've failed instead of realizing the design was flawed from the start.
The principle behind "floss one tooth" applies to every rhythm you want to build. Want a daily reflection practice? Commit to writing three sentences. Want to exercise regularly? Commit to putting on your workout clothes. Want to pray more consistently? Commit to one breath prayer while making your morning coffee.
I know what you're thinking: "But that's not enough to make a difference." Except it is enough to create consistency, and consistency is what makes everything else possible. You can't build on a habit you don't do. You can't grow a practice you keep quitting. The tiny version you do every day beats the impressive version you do sporadically and then abandon.
As you think about rhythms for 2026, resist the urge to go big. Instead, go small. So small it feels almost embarrassing. So small you can't imagine skipping it.
And here's the secret: Once you build the consistency, you can always add more. The person who flosses one tooth will eventually floss them all.
What rhythm do you want to build in 2026? Now cut that in half. Then cut it in half again. That's probably close to where you should actually start. Not because you can't do more, but because you need to prove to yourself that you will do something consistently before you add complexity.
