MOVING ON UP –
April 26, 2026 – Habit-stacking, a technique that’s gotten a lot of attention in recent years, can create a structured and effective routine when motivation alone isn’t enough.“When people aren’t achieving their wellness or health goals, it’s not because they don’t care enough or they’re not disciplined, It’s because they’re relying too heavily on motivation alone to create new habits.”
Habit-stacking is a habit formation technique that’s gotten a lot of attention in recent years. Created by “Tiny Habits” author BJ Fogg and further popularized by “Atomic Habits” author James Clear, “it’s a technique that a lot of behavioral therapists use,” said Beena Persaud, a psychologist at Cleveland Clinic. “I use it with clients all the time.”
We spoke to experts about how habit-stacking works, what the science says, and how to use it to start making real progress toward your health and wellness goals.
What is habit-stacking?
Habit-stacking means linking a new habit you’re trying to form to an existing habit, or “stacking” the new habit on top of the old one. “You take a habit that’s already part of your daily life, like brushing your teeth or making coffee — something that’s very routine — and then you use that as an anchor for a new, very small action,” Glazier explained. For example: After I get out of my morning shower, I will do a 10-minute guided meditation.
One key component of habit-stacking is the specificity of the action itself, Persaud said. You want to boil down a large, abstract goal (such as “get in shape” or “exercise”) into something tangible and achievable (like “do 20 push-ups” or “jog around the block”).
Another is the specificity of when and where you are going to do the action. So instead of just planning on exercising “in the morning,” for example, you choose the exact moment in your day, like “after I finish one cup of coffee.”
