SKILL.md
331 lines · 1,898 words
Habit Stacking Engineer
When to Use
Use this skill when:
User asks about habit stacking engineer
User needs guidance on habit stacking engineer topics
User wants a structured approach to habit stacking engineer
Search the docs, videos, blog, apps, teams, skills and release notes.
At a glance
What it is
Habit formation science, stacking techniques, environment design, tracking systems, and recovery strategies for building lasting behavior change.
A skill is a written procedure a bot loads when a job calls for it. This one is a single file, SKILL.md, and the whole file is on this page.
The whole file, exactly as it downloads. Read it before you rely on it.
SKILL.md
331 lines · 1,898 words
Use this skill when:
User asks about habit stacking engineer
User needs guidance on habit stacking engineer topics
User wants a structured approach to habit stacking engineer
Habit formation science, stacking techniques, environment design, tracking systems, and recovery strategies for building lasting behavior change.
Nothing. It ships with Murage, which is open source. Your bots run on the AI plan you already have.
Yes. Open it in Settings → Skills to read, edit or duplicate it. Skill Guard scans it again after every edit.
Download the app, connect the AI you already pay for, and tell your Chief of Staff what needs doing. Plan on about ten minutes from install to a working team.
No account needed · Runs on the AI plan you already pay for
Paste it into your agent's instructions (CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md or a custom GPT), or add it to a bot in Murage.
Ask Ember for the bot, then switch the skill on in its settings.
Step 1
Send your Chief of Staff this message. It proposes the bot and its role first, and creates it when you say go.
Send this to Ember
“Create a bot that uses the Habit Stacking Engineer skill, and show me the plan first.”
You're done when your Chief proposes the bot and its role, and the bot appears in your sidebar once you say go.
Step 2
You're done when you see the bot’s skills and the library.
Step 3
You're done when the skill shows as on for that bot.
Step 4
You're done when the bot takes the job and opens the skill when it needs it.
Prefer to do it yourself? Choose + in the sidebar, then New Bot.Read the full guide to skills and Skill Guard
What it teaches a bot, what it covers, and the whole file to read.
What it covers
When to Use
The Science of Habit Formation
Habit Stacking
Environment Design
Tracking Systems
Recovery from Breaks
Advanced Techniques
Output Format
Example
Edge Cases
Request requires professional consultation beyond educational guidance
User needs emergency assistance
Every habit follows the same neurological loop (from Charles Duhigg and BJ Fogg):
CUE --> CRAVING --> RESPONSE --> REWARD
(trigger) (motivation) (the habit) (the benefit)Example: Phone buzzes (cue) -> curiosity about notification (craving) -> check phone (response) -> information/social connection (reward)
Key insight: "You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems." -- James Clear, Atomic Habits. Habits ARE the system.
Any new habit should take less than two minutes to start. This removes the activation energy barrier.
| Goal | Two-Minute Version |
|---|---|
| "Read 30 minutes daily" | "Read one page" |
| "Run 3 miles" | "Put on running shoes and step outside" |
| "Meditate 20 minutes" | "Sit on the cushion for 2 minutes" |
| "Write 1000 words" | "Write one sentence" |
| "Eat healthy" | "Eat one vegetable with dinner" |
Once started, momentum often carries you further. But the habit is "doing the two-minute version." Everything beyond that is bonus.
Instead of focusing on what you want to achieve, focus on who you want to become:
| Outcome-Based | Identity-Based |
|---|---|
| "I want to lose weight" | "I am someone who moves every day" |
| "I want to write a book" | "I am a writer" |
| "I want to read more" | "I am a reader" |
| "I want to save money" | "I am financially responsible" |
Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you want to become. Small actions, repeated consistently, shape identity.
Habit stacking links a new habit to an existing one:
Formula: "After I [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT]."
The existing habit becomes the cue for the new habit, leveraging your brain's existing neural pathways.
Morning Stack Example:
After I pour my morning coffee, I will write in my gratitude journal (2 min)
After I write in my journal, I will meditate (5 min)
After I meditate, I will review my top 3 priorities for the day (2 min)
After I review priorities, I will do 10 push-upsEvening Stack Example:
After I finish dinner, I will prepare tomorrow's clothes
After I prepare clothes, I will read for 15 minutes
After I read, I will write 3 things that went well today
After I write, I will set my phone in the charging station outside the bedroomWork Stack Example:
After I sit at my desk, I will close all browser tabs
After I close tabs, I will review my calendar for the day
After I review my calendar, I will start my most important task (25 min focused)
After my first focus block, I will stand and stretch for 2 minutesAnchor to a strong existing habit (something you do every day without fail)
Match context: Pair habits that happen in the same location/time
Match energy: Do not stack a high-energy habit after a low-energy one
Keep new habits tiny (2-minute rule) until they are automatic
One new habit at a time: Add to your stack gradually, not all at once
List habits you already do every day without thinking:
MY EXISTING DAILY HABITS (ANCHORS)
Morning:
[ ] Wake up
[ ] Use the bathroom
[ ] Brush teeth
[ ] Make coffee/tea
[ ] Check phone (if applicable)
[ ] Eat breakfast
[ ] Commute to work
Afternoon/Work:
[ ] Eat lunch
[ ] First meeting of the day
[ ] Afternoon coffee/snack
[ ] End of work routine
Evening:
[ ] Arrive home
[ ] Change clothes
[ ] Eat dinner
[ ] Brush teeth (evening)
[ ] Get into bedEach of these is a potential anchor for a new habit stack.
Reduce friction (fewer steps = more likely to happen):
| Habit | Environment Design |
|---|---|
| Exercise in the morning | Sleep in workout clothes, shoes by the bed |
| Eat healthy | Pre-cut vegetables in front of fridge, junk food out of sight |
| Read more | Book on pillow, phone charges in another room |
| Drink more water | Water bottle at desk, refilled each morning |
| Meditate | Cushion visible in a quiet corner, app on home screen |
| Practice guitar | Guitar on a stand in the living room, not in a case in the closet |
Increase friction (more steps = less likely to happen):
| Habit to Break | Environment Design |
|---|---|
| Scroll social media | Delete apps from phone, use only on laptop |
| Eat junk food | Do not keep it in the house |
| Watch too much TV | Remove batteries from remote, unplug TV |
| Snooze alarm | Put alarm across the room |
| Impulse purchases | Remove saved credit cards from online stores |
| Late-night phone use | Phone charges in a different room after 9 PM |
Walk through your home and workspace. For each area, ask:
What behavior does this environment encourage?
What is the first thing I see/reach for?
Where does friction prevent good habits?
Where does ease enable bad habits?
Measurement creates awareness (you manage what you measure)
Streaks create motivation (do not break the chain)
Data reveals patterns (when do you succeed vs. fail?)
Visual progress is rewarding (dopamine from checking boxes)
Paper-Based
Habit tracker in a journal or planner (grid of habits x days)
Calendar with X marks (Jerry Seinfeld method)
Whiteboard in a visible location
Digital
Habitica (gamified habit tracking)
Streaks (iOS, simple and visual)
Loop Habit Tracker (Android, free and clean)
Notion/spreadsheet (customizable)
MONTHLY HABIT TRACKER - Month: ___________
Habit | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
________________________| _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
________________________| _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
________________________| _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
________________________| _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
________________________| _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Monthly completion rate:
Habit 1: ___/30 = ___%
Habit 2: ___/30 = ___%
Habit 3: ___/30 = ___%Never miss a habit two days in a row. Missing once is an accident. Missing twice is the beginning of a new (bad) habit. If you miss a day, the MOST important thing is to show up the next day, even in the smallest way.
Everyone breaks habit streaks. Illness, travel, life emergencies, burnout, and simple forgetfulness all interrupt routines. The question is not "How do I never break?" but "How do I recover quickly?"
Day 1 After a Break: Do the absolute minimum version of each habit
Missed gym for a week? Do 5 push-ups.
Missed journaling? Write one sentence.
Missed meditation? Sit for 1 minute.
Day 2-3: Increase to 50% of your normal habit Day 4-7: Return to full habit Week 2+: Re-establish the stack, add back any habits that dropped
Vacation rules: Define a minimum version of your habits for travel/disruption
Bad day protocol: The minimum version counts. Showing up matters more than performance.
Re-start ritual: Have a specific trigger that resets your habits after disruption (e.g., "The Monday after any break, I restart my full morning stack")
Forgive yourself: Self-compassion predicts better habit recovery than self-criticism
Pair a habit you NEED to do with something you WANT to do:
Only listen to your favorite podcast while exercising
Only watch your guilty pleasure show while on the stationary bike
Only go to your favorite coffee shop for deep work sessions
Be hyper-specific about when, where, and how:
"I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION]"
"I will meditate for 5 minutes at 7:00 AM in the living room chair"
Studies show implementation intentions double the likelihood of follow-through
Once a habit is fully automatic (typically 30-66 days), you can:
Increase the duration or intensity
Add a new habit to the stack
Let the habit run on autopilot while focusing attention on the new one
QUARTERLY HABIT REVIEW
Habits currently in my stack:
1. _________________________ Status: [ ] Automatic [ ] In progress [ ] Dropped
2. _________________________ Status: [ ] Automatic [ ] In progress [ ] Dropped
3. _________________________ Status: [ ] Automatic [ ] In progress [ ] Dropped
4. _________________________ Status: [ ] Automatic [ ] In progress [ ] Dropped
5. _________________________ Status: [ ] Automatic [ ] In progress [ ] Dropped
Habits to add next quarter:
1. _________________________
2. _________________________
Habits to remove or modify:
1. _________________________
What is working well? _________________________
What is not working? _________________________
What environment changes would help? _________________________HABIT STACKING ENGINEER OUTPUT
==============================
Section 1: Assessment / Analysis
- Key findings
- Recommendations
Section 2: Action Plan
- Step-by-step guidance
- Timeline if applicable
Section 3: Resources
- Relevant references
- Next stepsInput: "Help me get started with habit stacking engineer"
Output: A structured habit stacking engineer plan tailored to the user's specific situation, following the process outlined above.
Incomplete information: Ask clarifying questions before proceeding. Do not assume details the user has not provided.
Out of scope requests: Redirect to appropriate professional resources when the request exceeds educational guidance.
Conflicting requirements: Present trade-offs clearly and let the user decide priorities.
SKILL.md
331 lines · 1,898 words
The text of SKILL.md is shown as it downloads, under the Apache-2.0 license, by Ferrox Labs. The license is the one in the file's own frontmatter.
Your new bot
Habit Stacking Engineer bot
Waiting in your sidebar once you say go.
No account needed · Runs on the AI plan you already pay for