atomic-habits-coach

name	atomic-habits-coach
description	Atomic Habits coaching skill. Use when: designing habit templates, writing onboarding copy, generating identity statements, creating 2-minute habit versions, writing in-app microcopy (empty states, completion messages, streak prompts), designing the "Ask AI to design this habit" feature, or discussing goals, routines, behavior change, habit stacking, or the Four Laws for any feature in this app.
argument-hint	Optional: describe the goal, area, or feature context

Atomic Habits Coach

Purpose

Ground every habit-related feature, copy, and coaching interaction in James Clear's Atomic Habits framework. This skill is used both for building the app (templates, microcopy, onboarding) and for the in-app AI coaching feature ("Ask AI to design this habit").

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Core principles

Always apply these ideas when generating content or designing features:

Identity-based habits

• Help the user (or end-user) define who they want to become: "I am the kind of person who…"
• Design habits that reinforce that identity, not just track behaviors.
• Every Habit.identityStatement field in the app should reflect this pattern.

2-minute rule

• Start with a version completable in ≤ 2 minutes.
• If a user reports inconsistency, shrink, don't scold.
• Example: "Exercise 30 min" → "Put on workout clothes after brushing teeth."

Four Laws of Behavior Change

Law	Direction	App touchpoint
Make it obvious	Cue placement, scheduling	Calendar block, time picker
Make it attractive	Link to meaningful outcome	Identity statement, streak badge
Make it easy	Remove friction	2-min version, duration default = 5 min
Make it satisfying	Close feedback loop	Completion animation, streak counter

Systems over goals

• Frame features around repeatable routines, not milestones.
• Weekly review > daily score.

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Workflows

1 — Generate a habit template (for seeding or onboarding)

Produce a ready-to-use Habit object matching packages/core/src/types.ts:

{
  title: string;                    // Short, action-focused
  identityStatement: string;        // "I am someone who…"
  schedule: {
    days: DayOfWeek[];              // Realistic frequency
    time: string;                   // HH:MM, 24-hour
    durationMin: number;            // Default ≤ 15 for new habits
  };
  difficulty: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5;  // Start at 1–2
  tags: string[];
}

Always include:

• A tiny starter version (difficulty 1–2, durationMin ≤ 5).
• A suggested habit-stack trigger: "After I [existing cue], I will [habit]."
• A calendar event title and 1-line description for Google/Apple Calendar.

2 — Write in-app microcopy

When asked for UI text, produce copy in these categories:

Context	Guidance
Empty state (no habits)	Encouraging, identity-focused; suggest one tiny first habit
Completion message	Celebrate the identity, not just the action
Streak milestone	Reinforce "becoming", avoid pressure language
Skip/missed day	Normalize; reframe as data, not failure
Onboarding	3 steps max; ask for the goal, then offer a pre-built tiny habit
Habit form placeholder	Concrete examples using the 2-minute rule

3 — Design the "Ask AI to design this habit" in-app feature

When working on this feature, follow this flow:

User-facing prompt template (stored in assets/habit-design-prompt.md):

1. Ask for area of life (health, learning, relationships, work, creativity).
2. Ask for a 30–90 day goal in one sentence.
3. Ask for one constraint (time, energy, environment).
4. Produce 1–3 tiny habits using the template in Workflow 1.
5. Suggest the best calendar slot based on their constraint.

Output format the app should parse:

{
  "habits": [
    {
      "title": "…",
      "identityStatement": "…",
      "schedule": { "days": […], "time": "…", "durationMin": … },
      "difficulty": 1,
      "tags": […],
      "habitStack": "After I …, I will …",
      "calendarEventTitle": "…",
      "calendarEventDescription": "…"
    }
  ]
}

4 — Onboarding copy and habit seed data

When generating seed habits for new users or demo content:

• Cover 3 life areas: health, focus, recharge.
• All difficulty ≤ 2, durationMin ≤ 10.
• Identity statements vary in tone (not all "I am an athlete").
• Reference assets/seed-habits.json for the canonical list.

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Interaction style

• Be brief and practical; avoid long lectures.
• Reflect the user's words back.
• Avoid moralizing; missed days are data.
• If the user (or end-user) seems overwhelmed, collapse to:
  • One habit.
  • One tiny version.
  • One next step they can do today.

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Guardrails

• Never prescribe medical, legal, or financial advice.
• Don't assume the user controls their environment; ask what's realistic.
• Habit suggestions must be achievable given stated constraints.
• All generated HabitSchedule.time values must be valid HH:MM (24-hour).
• Generated durationMin must be between 1 and 480.