Habit stacking: how to build a habit stack that sticks

Does habit stacking work?

Part of it has good research behind it. Part of it has none. Here is the split.

The solid part is the if-then plan. Psychologists call it an 'implementation intention': you decide in advance 'when this happens, I will do that'. In a large 2006 review, Peter Gollwitzer and Paschal Sheeran pooled the results of many tests and found that people who made these plans were more likely to reach their goals than people who only set the goal.

The second part is the cue. In a 2010 study led by Phillippa Lally, 96 volunteers each picked one eating, drinking or activity habit and did it daily in the same context, for example 'after breakfast', for 12 weeks. The habit felt more automatic the more they repeated it in that same context. The time it took varied a lot, from 18 to 254 days. A 2016 review by Wendy Wood and Dennis Rünger describes habits in the same way: the same action, repeated in the same situation, until the situation starts to prompt it.

What is missing is a test of stacks themselves. The research is on if-then plans and on repeating an action in a steady context. Whether chaining three habits together works better than a single plan is not something these studies show. So treat a stack as a neat way to write an if-then plan, not as a proven system.

That is a reasonable thing to try. It costs nothing, and you can see within a couple of weeks whether it works for you. The guide to building good habits covers how long to give it.

Habit stacking examples

A good stack is made of plain, everyday moments. These are starting points. Swap in whatever really happens in your day.

• Morning: After I switch off my alarm, I will drink a glass of water.
• Morning: After I pour my coffee, I will write down the one thing I want to finish today.
• Morning: After I brush my teeth, I will do two minutes of stretching.
• Work: After I sit down at my desk, I will open my to-do list and pick one task.
• Work: After I finish a call, I will stand up and take three deep breaths.
• Work: After I eat lunch, I will walk around the block.
• Evening: After I put the kettle on, I will tidy one surface.
• Evening: After I plug in my phone, I will read two pages of a book.
• Evening: After I get into bed, I will write down one thing that went well.

Notice that every anchor is something that happens at a fairly fixed time and place, and every new habit is small. You can find more ideas for the start of the day on the morning routine checklist.

How to build a habit stack: step by step

Start with one stack of one link. Add a second only when the first feels easy.

1. 1Pick one habit you want. Choose the one that would make the biggest difference to your week.
2. 2Make it small enough for your worst day. Two pages, not a chapter. One minute, not twenty.
3. 3List what you already do every day. Write down five or six things that happen without fail, such as waking up, making a drink, sitting down at your desk or brushing your teeth.
4. 4Choose the anchor. Pick the one that happens at a steady time and place, and that you finish before the new habit begins. 'After I check my phone' is a weak anchor if you check it all day.
5. 5Write the sentence: 'After I [anchor], I will [new habit].' Say it out loud once.
6. 6Set the scene. Put what you need where the anchor happens: the book on your pillow, the water by the kettle.
7. 7Tick it off for two weeks, then look back. If it is easy, add one more link. If it keeps slipping, change the anchor or make the habit smaller.

A paper tracker makes step 7 easy. It takes a few seconds a day, and the gaps show you where the stack is breaking.

Why habit stacks fall apart (and what to do)

If a stack keeps failing, it is rarely about willpower. These are the usual causes, with a fix for each.

• The anchor is vague or happens at random times. Pick something with a steady time and place.
• The new habit is too big. Shrink it until it takes under two minutes.
• The stack is too long. A chain of seven habits breaks as soon as one link is missed. Go back to one or two links.
• The anchor does not happen every day. A habit tied to 'after I go to the gym' is gone on rest days. Choose a daily anchor.
• You are stressed or ill. Wood and Rünger's review describes research showing that stress makes people fall back on the habits they already have. A hard month is not the time to judge yourself. Keep only the smallest link.
• You missed a day and gave up. In Lally's study, missing one opportunity did not materially affect how the habit formed. Come back at the next anchor, without trying to catch up.
• You are putting off starting. If the first move keeps slipping, the guide to stopping procrastinating looks at what is behind it.

If you feel flat and have little energy for anything, the guide to getting motivated is a gentler place to begin than a stack.

When to get more support

Sometimes the trouble is bigger than the habit. If you cannot get going with anything because you feel low, hopeless or exhausted most days, that may be low mood rather than a lack of discipline. If the habit you want to change is drinking, drug use, gambling or eating in a way that feels out of control, a stack is not enough. A GP is a good first step and can talk you through your options.

This is a self-help tool, not therapy or medical advice. If you ever feel unsafe or have thoughts of harming yourself, call Samaritans on 116 123 (UK and Ireland), 988 (US), or find a line at findahelpline.com. You deserve real support, not just a checklist.