“Stacking” is a term that refers to linking a habit you want to create with one that you already have. For example, if brushing your teeth is a well-established routine, then doing a stretch exercise afterwards becomes an extension of that routine. Washing the toothbrush under a tap becomes a reminder or trigger to stretch.
Stacking is particularly helpful for people with ADHD and some other forms of neurodivergence, because habits work at a largely unconscious level. Yet everyone can benefit from linking activities they don’t enjoy with activities they do enjoy, to avoid procrastinating over the former.
Coaches and mentors can help clients to:
- Define precisely what they tend to avoid doing, but know they should do
- Define relevant activities that occur in the same time or space
- Find suitable reminders for “when I do this, I will also do that”
- Be appropriately forgiving of themselves when they don’t follow through on a trigger: recognise it hasn’t stuck yet and committing to renewed effort until it does
©️David Clutterbuck, 2025