Sheeran, Listrom & Gollwitzer, 2024
Meta-analysis of 642 independent tests. If-then plans were effective across cognitive, emotional and behavioural outcomes, with larger effects when plans clearly linked a cue to a response.
View research ↗Habits / Interactive Tool
TheDominoEffect
Pick what you do first. See the knock-on effects. Change one thing and compare how the rest of the night can move.
One choice doesn't define you. But it can change what becomes easy next.
The Momentum Standard / Behavioural Simulator
The Domino Effect
Step 01 / Situation
Choose your moment.
V1 starts where a lot of useful plans go to die, the five minutes after you walk through the front door.
Other scenarios planned5 later
02 / LATERMorningGet up or hit snooze.
03 / LATERPay dayYour pay lands.
04 / LATERWeekendNothing is planned.
05 / LATERPhoneOne quick check.
06 / LATERTrainingYou don't feel like going.
Step 01 / Pick one
What do you do first?
It’s 6pm. You’re home from work. You planned to train, eat and get to bed at a decent time. Pick the first thing that actually happens.
6:00 PM
You walk through the door tired. What happens in the next five minutes?
Tap one. The chain opens straight away.
Step 02 / See the effects
Here’s what can follow.
Clear effects, not destiny. This is one realistic path, not a guarantee.
Your first path
One decision didn't ruin your life.
But it changed the conditions for the next decision. That's the point.
Step 03 / Change one thing
Change the first domino.
Pick one small move you could realistically do instead.
Your original first move
—
The changed path
You might still have a shit day. You just made the next decision easier.
Step 04 / Compare
Now compare the night.
Same person. Same night. One different first move.
What this does mean
Repeated decisions can leave you with more or fewer jobs to solve later.
What this does not mean
A skipped workout, takeaway meal or night on Netflix is not catastrophic. This is an educational behavioural simulator, not a prediction engine.
Step 05 / Keep the rule
Your first-domino rule.
Keep one clear action for the moment you get home. No extra decision required.
Your first-domino rule
Make the next decision easier.
Downloads a simple 1080 × 1350 result card, no account or backend required.
The standard
Don't build a system that requires you to become a different person at 6pm. Build a rule that gets you through the first five minutes.
Why the rule is built this way
It links a specific cue to a specific response. Research on implementation intentions finds this kind of if-then planning can improve follow-through, especially when the cue and action are clearly connected. Research ↗
Coach Tazz McAlister
The Momentum Standard
Your rule is saved in this browser so you can come back to it. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Research + methodologyHow the tool is grounded
Evidence, without the bullshit
What this tool can actually claim.
The Domino Effect illustrates plausible behavioural chains. Research supports the underlying ideas that habits are shaped by recurring contexts, specific cue-response plans can improve follow-through, planning can support physical activity, and sleep can be affected by screen use, alcohol and sleep restriction. It does not mean one choice will cause the exact next outcome shown here.
The behaviour logic
The simulator uses cautious language such as “can”, “may”, “more likely” and “changes the conditions for”. The paths are examples of changed friction and context, not forecasts of what will definitely happen to an individual.
The calculator logic
The dollar and screen-time defaults are editable examples, not research-backed population averages. The outputs are simple arithmetic based on the values you enter.
Spend × times/week × 52 = annual spend
Minutes × nights/week ÷ 60 × 52 = annual hours
Annual hours ÷ 24 = equivalent full days
Minutes × nights/week ÷ 60 × 52 = annual hours
Annual hours ÷ 24 = equivalent full days
Wood & Rünger, 2016
Major review of habit psychology describing how repeated responses in recurring contexts can become efficient default patterns of behaviour.
View research ↗Stojanovic, Grund & Fries, 2022
Two longitudinal studies found that more stable habit contexts predicted greater automaticity and higher habit-repetition goal attainment.
View research ↗Peng et al., 2022
Systematic review of 41 randomised trials, with 35 included in meta-analysis, found planning interventions produced a small-to-moderate improvement in physical activity.
View research ↗He et al., 2025
Systematic review and meta-analysis of 21 cohort studies found greater screen time was associated with shorter sleep, delayed bedtime and higher risk of several adverse sleep outcomes. Association does not prove that screen time caused every outcome.
View research ↗Gardiner et al., 2025
Systematic review and meta-analysis of 27 studies found alcohol altered sleep architecture, including delayed REM onset and reduced REM sleep, with greater disruption as dose increased.
View research ↗Wüst et al., 2024
Meta-analysis of 44 studies found one night of restricted sleep increased subjective sleepiness and impaired sustained attention, while several other cognitive outcomes were not significantly affected.
View research ↗Evidence supports probabilities, not domino certainty.
The research above supports the mechanisms behind the simulator. It does not validate the exact sequence, timing, dollar amount or outcome shown for every person. Those parts are illustrative and deliberately editable where numbers are used.
Back to the comparison ↑Research links accessed for this build in August 2026. The simulator is educational and does not provide medical, psychological or financial advice.