Stack behavior change
Stack behavioral change interventions by addressing cue visibility first, then friction reduction, then reward design—each layer compounds on the previous rather than operating independently.
When This Fires
- Designing a new habit or behavioral change from scratch
- When a behavior change attempt has failed and you're redesigning the approach
- During any systematic behavior design effort
- Complements When behavior change fails, adjust the cue/friction/reward… (iterating after failure) with the correct intervention sequence
Common Failure Mode
Starting with reward design: "I'll reward myself with a coffee after writing." But the cue isn't visible and the friction is high, so the writing rarely happens — and the reward never fires. Fix the cue first (writing app open when you sit down), then the friction (document pre-loaded with yesterday's endpoint), then the reward (coffee after 20 minutes of writing). The sequence compounds.
The Protocol
When designing behavior change: (1) Cue: make the trigger unmissable. What will you see/hear/feel that initiates the behavior? Place it where you can't avoid it. (2) Friction: minimize steps between cue and behavior. Pre-prepare everything the behavior needs. Remove decisions from the execution path. (3) Reward: design an immediate positive signal that follows the behavior — not the long-term outcome (too delayed) but a short-term satisfaction marker (completion check, pleasant ritual, tracked streak). Stack all three; each compounds on the ones below it.