Building habits is about consistency, but life is full of interruptions. Whether you're going on vacation, feeling unwell, or just have a week that's too busy, it's completely normal to need to press pause. Taking a planned break is a healthy part of building sustainable habits, and it doesn't mean you have to lose all your hard-earned progress.
Habitify offers three flexible ways to "cut-off" your habits temporarily. Here’s a guide to each option and when to use it, so you can choose the perfect one for your situation.
Option 1: Use Off Mode for True Time Off
What it is: Off Mode is a master switch for your entire account. When enabled, it freezes all your habits. You will not receive any reminders, and your progress streaks will be protected.1 Nothing will be marked as skipped or failed while Off Mode is active.
When to use it:
You're going on vacation or a holiday.
You're taking sick leave or dealing with a personal emergency.
You need a complete mental health break from tracking your habits.
How to use it:
Navigate to the Settings section of the app.
Find and tap on Off Mode.
Set the Start Date and End Date for your break.
Toggle the switch to turn Off Mode on.
The app will automatically resume normal tracking on the day after your selected end date.
Best for: Planned, extended breaks where you want to completely disconnect from the app without any penalty.
Option 2: Mark a Habit as "Skip" for Occasional Days Off
What it is: Skipping is an action you perform on a specific habit for a single day. It tells the app, "I am not doing this habit today, but I am not failing it either." This action preserves the streak for that individual habit.
When to use it:
You're too busy to complete a specific habit on a particular day.
You're feeling unwell, but not sick enough to use Off Mode.
Circumstances prevent you from doing a habit (e.g., your "Go to the gym" habit on a day the gym is unexpectedly closed).
How to use it:
Find the specific habit you want to skip in your main list.
Long-press on the habit, or swipe it to the left
Select Skip from the menu that appears.
The habit will be marked as skipped for that day, and your streak will remain intact.
Best for: Flexible, day-by-day pausing of individual habits.
Option 3: Archive Habits for a Long-Term Pause
What it is: Archiving a habit removes it from your active, daily list and essentially puts it into storage. The habit is not deleted; all of its history, stats, and notes are saved. You can restore it at any time.
When to use it:
For seasonal habits you don't need right now (e.g., "Gardening" during the winter).
For a habit you want to put on hold indefinitely.
To declutter your daily list and focus on other priorities for a while.
How to use it:
Select the habit you wish to archive to open its details.
Go to the habit's Edit screen.
Scroll to the bottom and tap the Archive option.
To restore it later, go to Settings > Archived Habits and select "Unarchive."
Best for: Hiding habits from your daily view for an extended or indefinite period while safely preserving all historical data.
Quick Comparison: Which Option Should You Choose?
Feature | Best For | Effect on Streaks | How It Works |
Off Mode | Vacations, sick leave (1+ days) | Pauses & protects all streaks | A master switch for your whole account. |
Skip | A single busy or off day | Protects the streak for one habit | An action on an individual habit for one day. |
Archive | Long-term breaks, seasonal habits | Removes habit from tracking | Hides a habit from your daily list. |
Listen to your body and your schedule. The key to long-term success is knowing when to push forward and when to give yourself a well-deserved break.
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