DailyWallHabit stacking means linking a new habit to an existing one using the formula "After I [current habit], I will [new habit]." Choose an anchor you do reliably every day, keep the new habit tiny, and write the stack down somewhere you'll see it, like a checklist on your Lock Screen.
Habit stacking is one of those ideas that sounds almost too simple to work: you attach a new habit to something you already do every day. After I pour my coffee, I'll take my vitamins. After I sit down at my desk, I'll write my top three tasks. Yet it works remarkably well, because it solves the real problem with new habits, which isn't motivation. It's remembering.
What habit stacking is
The term was popularised in books about habits, building on research into how cues trigger behaviour. You already have dozens of routines that run on autopilot: brushing your teeth, making coffee, unlocking your front door, plugging in your phone at night. Each one is a reliable cue. Habit stacking borrows that reliability for something new.
The basic formula is: After I [current habit], I will [new habit]. It's a close cousin of the if-then plans psychologists call implementation intentions, and it works for the same reason. You don't have to remember the new habit; the old one reminds you.
How to build your first stack
Tick the steps as you go
Morning habit stacking examples
Tick the steps as you go
Work and study examples
Tick the steps as you go
Evening and home examples
Tick the steps as you go
Common mistakes
Stacking too much at once. A morning routine of eight new habits collapses the first time you oversleep. Add one link at a time.
Choosing an unreliable anchor. If you only go to the gym some days, "after the gym" is a weak cue. Pick something you do every single day.
Making the new habit too big. The point is to get started automatically. Once the habit runs on its own, it's easy to make it longer.
Keeping it all in your head. In the first few weeks, a written stack makes a real difference, because you haven't yet built the memory.
Keep your stack visible on the Lock Screen
A habit stack lives or dies in its first few weeks, before it becomes automatic. During that time you need a nudge, and the best place for one is where you already look all day: your phone's Lock Screen.
In DailyWall I write my current stack as a checklist note, for example "Morning: water after alarm / 3 priorities after coffee / 5 pages on the train", and tick each item as I go. A one-time Shortcuts automation turns the wall into my Lock Screen wallpaper and refreshes it when I close the app, so the unticked items are right there under the clock. You can also add a Home Screen widget and tap a note's ring to complete it.
For the setup, see how to put a to-do list on your Lock Screen or how to put notes on your iPhone Lock Screen. If you're starting a stack in January, our guide to New Year goals on the Lock Screen pairs well with this method.
Questions people ask
What is habit stacking?
Linking a new habit to an existing one with the formula "After I [current habit], I will [new habit]," so the old habit becomes the reminder for the new one.
What is an example of habit stacking?
"After I pour my morning coffee, I'll write my three priorities for the day." Or "After I brush my teeth at night, I'll plug my phone in outside the bedroom."
How many habits can you stack?
Start with one. Add another only once the first feels automatic. Long chains built too quickly tend to break.
Does habit stacking actually work?
It's based on the well-studied idea that cues trigger behaviour, similar to if-then plans. It works best with a reliable anchor and a very small new habit.
How do I remember my habit stack?
Write it down where you'll see it. A checklist on your iPhone Lock Screen, for example in DailyWall, keeps the stack in view dozens of times a day.