HabitsTime

Habit stacking

Habit stacking ties a new habit to something you already do every day: “After I make my morning coffee, I will read 1 page.” Pick up to 3 everyday moments, add one tiny habit after each, and the maker below turns them into a card you can print, save or track.

Free · No account · What you type stays on this device

Pick 1 to 3 things you already do every day

They go in the order of your day. Add your own if yours isn't here.

After each one, what tiny habit will you do?

Small enough that a bad day doesn't stop it.

Pick a moment above, and a line for it shows here.

How habit stacking works

Where the name comes from

"Habit stacking" is the name James Clear uses for linking a new habit to one you already do. He credits the method to BJ Fogg, who calls it "anchoring" in his Tiny Habits method.

A moment that already repeats

Habits form as people repeat the same response in the same context. Stacking gives a new habit a moment you already repeat every day, like waking up or finishing dinner, as its cue.

“After I …, I will …” is an if-then plan

A 2006 meta-analysis of 94 independent tests found that if-then plans ("If situation Y happens, then I will do X") had a medium-to-large effect on reaching goals (d = .65). Each line of your stack names the situation (the moment) and what you will do then (the tiny habit).

Keep each habit tiny, and the stack short

Make each habit small enough that a bad day doesn't stop it; you can always do more. The maker holds up to 3 lines, and the tracker holds up to 3 active habits, so you can start with one moment and add the next one later.

Habit stacking examples

One line for each everyday moment in the maker. Swap in your own tiny habit.

  • After I wake up, I will make the bed.
  • After I make my morning coffee, I will write one line in a notebook.
  • After I start my commute, I will think of the one task that matters most today.
  • After I finish lunch, I will reply to one message I have been putting off.
  • After I get home, I will hang my keys on the hook.
  • After I finish dinner, I will wipe the kitchen counter.
  • After I brush my teeth, I will lay out tomorrow's clothes.

Want a whole run of steps rather than one habit after each moment? Build a morning routine or a daily routine.

What happens to what you type

Your stack stays in this browser and is never sent anywhere. “Start tracking” saves each line as its own habit in the habit tracker on this device only. For one habit with a plan for missed days and a start date, make a habit plan.

If you need help now

These tools are for everyday habits. They are not a crisis service. If you are struggling or don't feel safe, you can contact:

  • 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

    988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US): call or text 988, or chat online. Free and confidential, 24/7.

  • Emergency services (911)

    US: call 911 if you or someone you know is in immediate harm or danger.

  • Samaritans

    Samaritans (UK and Ireland): call 116 123, free, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

  • Emergency services (999 or A&E) · NHS 111, mental health option

    UK: call 999 or go to A&E if someone's life is at risk or you can't keep yourself or someone else safe. For urgent help that isn't an emergency, call 111 and choose the mental health option (NHS).

Elsewhere, call your local emergency number.

Sources

  1. How to Build New Habits by Taking Advantage of Old Ones. James Clear. jamesclear.com
  2. Wood W, Rünger D (2016). Psychology of Habit. Annual Review of Psychology 67:289–314. PMID 26361052
  3. Gollwitzer PM, Sheeran P (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: a meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology 38:69–119. kops.uni-konstanz.de
  4. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. 988lifeline.org
  5. Contact Us. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. 988lifeline.org
  6. Contact a Samaritan. Samaritans. samaritans.org
  7. Where to get urgent help for mental health. NHS. nhs.uk