How to habit stack and become 1% better each day

The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu once said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Similarly, Van Gogh once wrote that great things are done by a series of small things brought together.

It’s a powerful reminder: Big change doesn’t all happen at once. To achieve what we want in life, small steps need to be taken consistently. That’s exactly why building good habits matters. But what if there was a smarter, easier way to build them? That’s where habit stacking comes in.

What is habit stacking?

‘Habit stacking’ was popularised by the author James Clear in the book Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones.

Before we start talking about habit stacking, let's talk about habits. Habits are essential in our life.  Whether it's brushing our teeth at a certain time in a certain way, or the road we take to work, we all have well-formed habits. These habits are beneficial to us, in that they create efficiency for our brain. 

In a paper called Leveraging cognitive neuroscience for making and breaking real-world habits, neuroscientists talk about how habits help us save mental energy by putting everyday tasks on autopilot. This frees up our brains to focus on more important or unfamiliar things. 

Think about it. While we brush our teeth, we might ponder through a complex problem for work. While we take that drive to work, we might be considering where to buy a house. Even the ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes, in a story that is sometimes disputed, is said to have discovered an important scientific concept in the bath.

In habit stacking, we leverage existing habits to add on something new. For example, you could add on thinking about gratitude while brushing your teeth. Otherwise, you might listen to a podcast to increase your knowledge during the commute to work. Essentially, it's about adding a new habit to an existing well-formed habit in a way that works for you.

How habit stacking works

Habits are powerful, but habit stacking builds on that power in an intentional act to improve our lives in some way. It’s not just about the basics like brushing your teeth or commuting to work. It’s about building in small, meaningful actions like reading more, moving your body, or practicing mindfulness. 

Let's talk about this a bit more. The magic of habit stacking has to do with compounding – one of the most powerful forces of mathematics.

Compounding is amazing. Let's say that you want to become 1% better at something every day. In a year, 365 days, you won't be 365% better at it. Actually, you'll be 37 times better. That is the power of compounding, small improvements add up over time.

What if you wanted to improve your knowledge base by 1% every day? What if you wanted to get 1% fitter every day? It could be anything, but over a long period of time, it adds up to a lot.

How you can start habit stacking

Really, habit stacking could be anything to reach your goals. But, here are some ideas.

Habit 1

Strengthening exercises have numerous benefits for everyone. One idea is to buy some resistance bands, then build them into a small part of your daily routine. It doesn't have to be a full workout, but maybe focus on one muscle group at a time. With consistency, watch the strength grow.

Habit 2

There is some evidence that gratitude is related to better wellbeing. Whether it be just before bed or when waking up, think about building gratitude into your habits.

Habit 3

Whether it be on the way to work, school, or around the house, what about building some cardiovascular activity into it? It could be about taking the stairs, or perhaps parking the car in the furthest car park to add some steps to your day.

Habit 4

Most Australian adults are not getting the minimum recommended servings for fruits and vegetables in a day. It’s one of the simplest and most powerful ways to support your health. For habit stacking, you can consider eating a piece of fruit on your walk from the car to the office, for example.

Habit 5

Books are the doorway to more knowledge. There are a wealth of books in the world. What about trading some screen time for book time? Consider reading five pages in a book every day, attached to one of your other habits. Imagine how much you could learn in a year.

The bottom line

Habit stacking is a great tool to improve our lives. Coupled with the power of compound interest, the right habits stacked together could make an incredible difference to our health and wellbeing over the long-term.

Reviewed by the Healthylife health team October 2025.