Technique · Hooked
Reduce non-routine: fit the action into existing habits
When the action asks users to break their routine, bring it to where they already work and attach it to something they already do: inside email, chat or the calendar, right after an existing ritual, with their data imported.
Plain label: work where users already areAlso known as: integrations, routine anchor, existing workflow, import, switching cost, ritual, 9x rule
How it works
Behaviors that fit an existing routine need no new decision about when to do them; behaviors that need a new routine compete with old habits that usually win. A newcomer asking people to change much must be far better than what they use today, and even small layout changes force regulars to relearn, so lowering the change is often cheaper than raising the benefit.
Evidence warning
The 'nine times better' bar for newcomers is a rule of thumb from one paper, not a measured constant.
What the research says
Habits form as links between a stable context and a response; in one study the median time to automaticity was about 66 days (range 18-254).
Lally et al., European Journal of Social Psychology, 2010
How to build it
- B2B
- Core actions inside the chat, email and calendar tools the team already uses, plus import from the tool they are leaving.
- Mobile
- Ask which daily routine the action should follow and schedule the prompt right after it.
- Web
- A browser extension or calendar add-on that brings the action into the existing workflow.
- E-commerce
- Subscribe-and-save timed to the customer's existing order rhythm, with skip and pause.
What can go wrong
- Integrations so complete that the product itself becomes unnecessary.
- Demanding a brand-new daily ritual.
Pairs well with
- A reminder tied to the routine the user named.
- Integrations that time the next prompt.
In practice
Where it shows up
Limits
What we don’t claim
- The Hook Model is a practical design tool, not a validated or complete theory of behavior.Hooked, Introduction
Sources
Hooked · Nir Eyal
Ch.3 · Ch.1 · Ch.7
How are habits formed: modelling habit formation in the real world · Lally et al., European Journal of Social Psychology, 2010
Evidence grade B. Moderate evidence: solid studies with some limits.
Source IDs: HK-ACT11HK-STR06HK-STR07HK-TRG29F15
Book content is paraphrased, never quoted at length. Last verified October 24, 2026.
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