Tie new habits to existing ones (habit stacking)
Linking a new behaviour to an existing routine dramatically increases follow-through by using established neural pathways as an anchor.
Why this matters
Starting a new habit from scratch requires enormous willpower because it has no automatic cues. Habit stacking, a concept popularised by James Clear in Atomic Habits and grounded in earlier behavioural research, solves this by attaching the new behaviour to something the client already does reliably.
The formula is simple: "After I [existing habit], I will [new habit]." Because the existing habit is already automatic, it becomes a reliable trigger for the new one, requiring far less conscious effort to remember.
In practice
A client wants to add a daily mobility routine but keeps forgetting. Instead of "do it every morning", the coach suggests: "After you pour your morning coffee, do 5 minutes of hip stretches while it cools." Two weeks later, the client reports 100% consistency — something they'd never managed with the abstract intention.
Source: Clear, J. (2018). Atomic Habits. Avery. / Duhigg, C. (2012). The Power of Habit. Random House.
Try it today
Ask your next client to list three things they do every single day without fail (brush teeth, make coffee, open their phone). Together, choose one new habit and attach it to one of these anchors using the "after I... I will..." formula.
Make it a habit
Include habit stacking as a default question in your initial client intake: "What existing routines could we build your new habits around?"
Ready to put this into practice?
Sticky Coach helps you track client habits and conversations — so nothing falls through the cracks.
More tips
Make the target behaviour ridiculously small to start
Shrinking a new behaviour to its smallest possible form lowers the motivation threshold, making the first repetition almost effortless.
Read tip →Use open questions to unlock client insight
Replacing closed yes/no questions with open questions invites clients to explore their own thinking, uncovering goals, barriers, and readiness for change.
Read tip →Reflect back to show you're really listening
Reflecting what a client says — in your own words — demonstrates genuine understanding and encourages deeper exploration.
Read tip →