Module 3 · Build better habits · Research-supported

Anchor it to something you already do

An existing routine is a cue that already shows up every day.

6 min read · Level: Beginner · Free — no account needed to read

The problem it solves

Why is “after I…” such a useful way to start a habit?

The concept

An existing routine is a cue that already happens every day. Attaching a new behaviour to the end of it — “after I pour my coffee, I will write one line in my journal” — borrows that reliability.

Contextual consistency matters here: the anchor should happen in the same place and in a similar way each time, so the new habit gets a stable signal. The end of a routine tends to work better than the middle, because it’s a natural break.

Over time the new habit can become part of the routine itself, and can in turn anchor something else.

Why it matters

In a small flossing study, people who flossed right after brushing formed stronger habits than those who flossed before. Anchoring to a routine gives the habit a cue you don’t have to remember.

Research-supported: Good studies support it, but there are fewer of them, the effects are modest, or they come from a narrow set of situations.

See it happen

Hugo wants to take his vitamin each day and keeps forgetting.

The ordinary first approach

He should set three phone reminders so he can’t miss it.

With the idea

He puts the bottle beside the coffee machine and takes it right after pouring his coffee.

What changed

A daily routine replaced reminders as the cue, so the habit no longer depends on an alert.

Easy to get wrong

• Anchoring to something that doesn’t happen every day.
• Putting the new habit in the middle of a busy routine where it gets squeezed out.
• Stacking too many new habits onto one anchor at once.

Try it now: Write an “after I” sentence

1. Pick a routine you do daily in the same place.
2. Write: “After I [routine], I will [new habit].”
3. Put anything the habit needs right where the routine ends.

Apply it to one of your habits

Write an “after I…” sentence for one of your habits.

Reflect

• Which of your routines ends at a natural break where something new could fit?

Go deeper — evidence & sources

• Judah, Gardner & Aunger (2013). Forming a flossing habit: An exploratory study of the psychological determinants of habit formation. British Journal of Health Psychology. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8287.2012.02086.x
• Keller, Kwasnicka, Klaiber, Sichert, Lally & Fleig (2021). Habit formation following routine-based versus time-based cue planning: A randomized controlled trial. British Journal of Health Psychology. doi:10.1111/bjhp.12504
• Stawarz, Cox & Blandford (2015). Beyond Self-Tracking and Reminders: Designing Smartphone Apps That Support Habit Formation. Proceedings of CHI 2015. doi:10.1145/2702123.2702230