Many people start giving up on their New Year’s resolutions by the second week in January. One reason resolutions unravel so quickly is that sticking to habits is harder than it seems. Small, daily actions like practicing a language, logging workouts, meditating or tracking steps can feel effortless at first, but motivation can quickly fade.

That’s where streaks come in. According to research, counting consecutive days of activity turns routine tasks into mini-goals, giving people a sense of progress and accomplishment.

Related story: The Resolution Solution: How to Make Your Goals More Manageable

Streaks work by turning progress into a reward, says Alix Barasch, associate professor of marketing in the Leeds School of Business at University of Colorado Boulder.

“A streak has no real value in the world, but it has real psychological value,” says Barasch, who studies how technology shapes consumer behavior.

That mental pull helps explain why apps offering seemingly trivial rewards can meaningfully influence behavior. The strategy is known as gamification: turning everyday tasks into game-like achievements through streaks, progress trackers and digital rewards.

“These apps add an extra layer to goals,” says Barasch. “Tracking streaks and earning badges along the way turns something you might already want to do—like practicing a language or exercising—into something you really care about, even if the reward is just a number or a virtual icon.”

Popular apps lean heavily on these mechanics. Meditation app Calm awards badges for consecutive days of practice, while Apple Watch users aim to “close” three colorful activity rings each day.

“Tracking your progress, earning badges, keeping a streak—these things all give the behavior a sense of meaning.”

Breaking a streak, however, can feel oddly devastating. “Psychologically, it’s extra demotivating,” Barasch says. “Breaking a streak affects your likelihood of keeping up the behavior.”

Many apps now offer streak repairs, freezes or forgiveness features to help users recover without abandoning their goals, and social tracking increases accountability.

Ultimately, the goal is to reinforce the behavior long enough for it to become a habit.

“If it becomes part of your day,” Barasch says, “you’ll probably keep doing it—even without the rewards.”

Source: University of Colorado Boulder