ÜBERMAD

Rule · when

Anchor it to an old habit

Use something you already do every day as the cue.

A man in a checked dressing gown pours coffee into a mug, then waters a small potted seedling beside it with the kettle.

Studies (8)

  1. Paper

    With habit tools, people did a daily self-kindness exercise more often for six months
    UsedHelped

    People who got a plan, phone reminders and skip days did the exercise more, and it felt more automatic.

    Randomised trial of 497 US adults with smartphones · vs the same exercise and cue without habit tools · they rated themselves

  2. Paper

    Daily texts and prize draws didn't clearly help people take blood-pressure pills
    UsedNo difference

    Daily text reminders, on top of a plan to take pills after a set routine, didn't clearly help pill-taking.

    Small randomised trial of 60 adults with high blood pressure in Los Angeles · vs usual care with the same leaflet and pill bottle · behaviour was recorded · ⚠ numbers unreliable; many people dropped out; summary claims more than the results show

    UsedNo difference

    Prize draws plus daily texts, for taking pills on time, didn't clearly help daily pill-taking compared with usual care.

    Small randomised trial of 60 adults with high blood pressure in Los Angeles · vs usual care with the same leaflet and pill bottle · behaviour was recorded · ⚠ numbers unreliable; many people dropped out; summary claims more than the results show

    UsedNo difference

    Daily text reminders didn't clearly help people take their pills within an hour of their chosen routine.

    Small randomised trial of 60 adults with high blood pressure in Los Angeles · vs usual care with the same leaflet and pill bottle · behaviour was recorded · ⚠ numbers unreliable; many people dropped out; summary claims more than the results show

    UsedNo difference

    Prize draws plus daily texts didn't clearly help people take their pills within an hour of their chosen routine.

    Small randomised trial of 60 adults with high blood pressure in Los Angeles · vs usual care with the same leaflet and pill bottle · behaviour was recorded · ⚠ numbers unreliable; many people dropped out; summary claims more than the results show

  3. Paper

    Group habit meetings made daily brisk walks feel more automatic, still two years later
    TestedHelped

    Group meetings on a daily brisk walk made walking feel more automatic than tip sheets did, still two years later.

    Randomised trial of 618 adults with metabolic syndrome in the US · vs a Fitbit, monthly tip sheets and phone calls · they rated themselves

    TestedNo difference

    The same programme made pausing before reacting feel no more automatic than a Fitbit and tip sheets did.

    Randomised trial of 618 adults with metabolic syndrome in the US · vs a Fitbit, monthly tip sheets and phone calls · they rated themselves

  4. Paper

    One set of plans was followed by a stronger habit of buying vegetables
    UsedMixed

    Plans to buy vegetables built no stronger habit at first, but the authors report a stronger one by six months.

    Randomised trial of 198 UK adults who ate few vegetables · vs the same goal and video without plans · they rated themselves

  5. Paper

    Daily phone reminders did not make a walking habit feel more automatic
    UsedNo difference

    Days with a phone reminder before the daily cue left the walking habit no stronger than days without one.

    Very small randomised trial of 24 adults in Switzerland who wanted more activity · vs days without a phone reminder · they rated themselves · ⚠ not yet checked by other scientists

  6. Paper

    A daily routine worked no better than a clock time for new habits
    TestedNo difference

    A new habit tied to a daily routine felt no more automatic than one tied to a clock time.

    Randomised trial of 192 adults in Germany, mostly students · vs the same plan tied to a clock time · they rated themselves

    TestedNo difference

    People did a new eating habit tied to a routine no more often than one tied to a clock time.

    Randomised trial of 192 adults in Germany, mostly students · vs the same plan tied to a clock time · they rated themselves

  7. Paper

    Prize draws for taking most pills may have raised HIV pill-taking a little
    UsedNo comparison

    People who took pills at a set time, tied to an alarm or prayer, did better after prizes stopped.

    Randomised trial of 155 adults with HIV at a clinic in Uganda · no comparison group · behaviour was recorded · ⚠ summary claims more than the results show; numbers unreliable; many people dropped out

  8. Paper

    Parents' food goals felt more automatic after home visits, with no group to compare
    UsedNo comparison

    Goals tied to a meal or event grew a bit more automatic in two weeks than others, but not reliably.

    Small study of one group of 57 parents of young children in London · no comparison group · they rated themselves · ⚠ intervention arm only, no comparison analysed; post-hoc analysis; numbers unreliable

Often used with it