Habit stacking: hook the new habit to one you never miss
An existing habit is the most reliable cue you have.
The short version: try one today
- After I pour coffee, I take my meds.
- After I brush my teeth, I set out tomorrow’s clothes.
- Keep the stack to two links at first.
Keep forgetting the new routine? Priori has reminders and streaks to keep it in front of you. (We make it. It's free to download.)
You have never once forgotten to make your morning coffee. Nobody reminds you and there's no alarm. Your body simply walks to the kettle. ADHD habit stacking borrows that reliability by hooking a new habit onto one that already runs itself.
Why an existing habit is your best cue
New habits fail with ADHD mostly at the remembering stage. You meant to. You wanted to. The moment came and went while your attention was somewhere else.
Alarms help for a while, then you start swiping them away unread. Sticky notes fade into the wallpaper. A habit you already have is different, because it's an action your body performs, in a place, every day. You can't swipe it away. When the new habit comes directly after it, the old one acts as the reminder.
The formula is: 'After I [thing I always do], I [new tiny thing].'
Choosing the anchor
The anchor has to be something that truly happens every day, including weekends and bad days. Be honest here. 'After my morning workout' is a poor anchor if the workout happens twice a week.
Good anchors tend to be boring.
- Pouring coffee or tea
- Brushing your teeth
- Getting into bed
- Taking your shoes off when you get home
- Sitting down at your desk and opening your laptop
The anchor should also happen in the place where the new habit can be done, with the equipment already there. 'After I brush my teeth, I do ten minutes of yoga' means walking to another room and finding the mat. That gap is where it falls apart. For more on closing it, see make it obvious, make it easy.
ADHD habit stacking in real mornings and evenings
Here are two stacks that suit a lot of people.
'After I pour coffee, I take my meds.' If you've been prescribed medication, this puts it next to something you never skip. Keep it by the mugs so you see it as you pour. Anything about timing or how to take it is a question for your prescriber.
'After I brush my teeth at night, I set out tomorrow's clothes.' This one pays off most when you have a 9am lecture or an early shift. Morning-you, who can't make decisions yet, finds an outfit on the chair and gets ten minutes back. There are more ideas like this in morning habits for people who hate mornings.
Others worth trying: after I take my shoes off, I put my keys in the bowl. After I open my laptop at work, I write down the one thing I must do today. After I put my plate in the sink, I fill my water bottle.
Two links, then stop
Once one stack works, the temptation is to build a magnificent chain: coffee, meds, journal, stretch, plan the day, reply to texts. Hold off.
Every link depends on the one before it. If link three goes wrong, links four to six never happen, and you end the morning feeling you failed a whole routine when you only missed one step. Keep the stack to two links at first: the anchor and one new habit.
Give it time before adding a third. The 2009 University College London habit study found a median of 66 days for a behaviour to become automatic, with a range from 18 to 254 days. A fair test is whether the new habit still happens on days when you're tired and distracted. When it does, it can become the anchor for the next one.
If a stack keeps failing, check three things. Is the anchor truly daily? Is the new habit small enough to do in under a minute? Is everything you need within arm's reach? Fix whichever answer is no.
And if you miss a day, carry on the next morning as if nothing happened. The same study found that one missed day did not derail progress.
Quick questions
What is habit stacking for ADHD?
It means attaching a new habit directly after something you already do every day, so the old habit acts as the reminder. For example, setting out tomorrow's clothes right after brushing your teeth. It reduces how much you have to remember.
Why does my habit stack keep falling apart?
Usually the anchor doesn't happen every day, the new habit is too big, or the stack has too many links. Cut it back to one reliable anchor and one tiny action. Make sure whatever you need is already in the place where the anchor happens.