Over the past year, bello Salon Suites has published a series of blogs on how to market a salon. Each one shows how to use affordable, available, and easy-to-use tools to create a brand, attract new customers, and retain clients. Additionally, we’ve offered tips on how to use these tools to best position a salon for success. But no matter how many articles we post and tips we provide, the only thing that will make them work for you is to focus on marketing and be consistent. Being consistent in your marketing activity is the best path to success. If you want to learn how to create lasting habits, make them part of your daily routine, and how to build unstoppable momentum, keep reading.
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Motivation Gets You Going
Something is motivating you to read this article. You may have just started a new salon, or it may be the start of a new year. Perhaps holiday bills are coming in, and you want to earn more. Whatever your motivation, it’s great because it gets you started and moving forward. However, habit-formation experts often note that motivation is an unreliable emotion. A recent article in Peachtree Comprehensive Health states,” The truth is, motivation is fickle. It ebbs and flows, comes and goes, and can be gone in a flash. Motivation itself is based on emotion. It’s a feeling that is inconsistent, unpredictable, unreliable, and not wholly in our control.” Therefore, motivation alone is not going to sustain new habits.
Discipline Pulls You Through
Discipline, in contrast, is a system you can rely on, whether you feel like it or not. The foundation for this system is the compounding effect of daily actions. For instance, reading two books a year may seem like a daunting goal. But reading just two pages a day seems like nothing. It adds up to over 700 pages, or two books a year, with almost no “motivation” required. The goal isn’t a heroic effort today; it’s the tiny, repeatable action that builds a new reality tomorrow.
How to Start Any Habit in Less Than 120 Seconds
The biggest obstacle to forming lasting habits isn’t laziness. It’s the friction of starting. When a new goal feels like a huge effort—like a 30-minute workout or cleaning the entire house—we naturally procrastinate because the initial step feels too big.
Instead of fighting that resistance, make the first step ridiculously easy. This is the Two-Minute Rule: shrink your new habit into something you can do in less than 120 seconds.
For example, “Post to Instagram 30 Times a Month” becomes “Create One Post a Day.”
This simple shift transforms your focus. You aren’t trying to master the final goal yet; you’re mastering the art of showing up. This tiny action is a “gateway habit,” a small win that makes it easier to keep going. By proving to yourself that you can start, you begin to build momentum, turning the initial dread into a feeling of accomplishment.
How to Make Your New Habit Automatic
Now that you have a simple two-minute habit, the next step to form lasting habits is to give your new routine a permanent home in your day.
The trick is a technique called “habit stacking.” Instead of trying to remember your new habit, you simply link it to one you already do on autopilot. The link creates a powerful trigger in your brain. The simple formula looks like this:
After/Before [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW 2-MINUTE HABIT].
For example, if you want to ask clients for a referral, your habit stack could be this:
“Before I take the cape off a client, I will ask for a referral.”
This turns an existing routine into the launchpad for your new one. It is the core of the psychology of habit formation. Linking an established habit to a new one makes the process automatic, creating a system for accountability that doesn’t depend on willpower. Your old habit does the remembering for you. The term “Automatic Habits” was created by habits expert James Clear. To learn more, check out his book available on Amazon.
What to Do When You Fall Off Track: The ‘Never Miss Twice’ Rule
Even with the best system, life gets in the way. You get sick, a meeting runs late, or you’re just too exhausted. So what happens when you inevitably miss a day of your new habit? The missed day is when most people give up, but it doesn’t have to derail you.
Embrace a simple but powerful rule: Never Miss Twice.
Missing one day is an accident; it happens to everyone. But missing a second day is the start of a new, unwanted habit. Never Miss Twice is one of the most effective strategies for dealing with setbacks because it gives you a clear, immediate plan. Your only job the next day is to get back on track, no matter how small the effort.
This simple mindset changes everything. The goal is not a perfect, unbroken chain of successes. The true goal is just to show up again after you slip. This approach delivers the real benefits of a consistent schedule: resilience and progress, not perfection. The key is making sure that one off-day doesn’t become two, and there’s a surprisingly simple way to see that progress in action. It’s called the Power of “X”.
How to Build Lasting Habits Momentum: The Power of a Simple ‘X’
Getting back on track is one thing, but how do you build that unstoppable momentum we all crave? The answer doesn’t come in a high-tech app. All you need is a physical calendar and a marker. For every day you complete your tiny habit, draw a big ‘X’ over that date. This creates a powerful visual record of your effort, turning an abstract goal into something you can see and touch.
This simple act of marking an ‘X’ is one of the most effective habit tracking methods because it creates a game you play against yourself. After a few days, you’ll have a chain. Your new goal is simple: don’t break the chain. Suddenly, your focus shifts from the vague idea of “being consistent” to the very clear, manageable task of just adding one more link today.
That small moment of satisfaction from drawing the ‘X’ becomes its own reward, reinforcing your commitment and building momentum towards your goal. Each mark is proof you’re showing up. These aren’t just isolated tricks. They are the core components you need to build your system.
Conclusion to How to Build Lasting Habits
If you want to build a more successful salon, you have to focus on marketing and build lasting habits. Consistency is the key to success. While motivation starts the process, discipline carries the day. With your goal in place, create small, easy actions. These accomplishments will provide “wins” that make it easier to keep going. Use habit stacking turn easy actions into lasting habits.
Life can be unpredictable, and everyone gets off track. But don’t worry if you miss a day. Just remember to get back on schedule the next day. Never miss two days in a row, or you risk losing your habit and all momentum from your cumulative efforts. Reward yourself each day you follow through on your goal by marking a big “X” on your calendar. It’s so satisfying to see a calendar full of Xs, to see your business grow, and to know it was all because of your efforts. bello Salon Suites supports your efforts to build a more successful salon. We can provide accountability to help you stay on track. It’s just one of the ways we offer the support you need to thrive.
bello Salon Suites is a collection of 107 custom, private salon suites for rent to hairstylists, barbers, and beauty professionals in Sacramento, California. Privately owned and locally based, our facility features five stylish lounges and an outside garden for a truly zen-like experience. Additionally, we offer more resources and amenities than any other salon suite company in town, including ample free parking just steps from our front door. Take a tour today and see for yourself. For income potential, perks, and value, nothing compares to bello.