Why a clock time gets forgotten
A reminder at 8:00 works on the days you are free at 8:00. On the other days it arrives in the middle of something else, you swipe it away, and the habit slips.
The day already has moments that happen whatever time they happen: the first coffee, brushing your teeth, getting home from work. Those make better starting points than a clock.
Pick a moment that happens every day
Look for something you do daily without thinking about it. Then put the habit right after it: after your morning coffee, read one page. After brushing your teeth, take three slow breaths. After work, walk for two minutes.
The moment should come before the habit, so finishing one reminds you of the other.
Keep the first step small
A moment helps you remember, and the habit still has to fit in the gap after it. If the coffee is quick and the habit takes twenty minutes, it will lose. Start with the minimum, the smallest version that still counts.
Check whether it worked
Give the new moment a few days before you judge it. If the habit happened, keep the moment. If it didn't, the moment may be the wrong one, or forgetting wasn't the real problem.
Why checking after three days helps
How LilCoach does this
After a miss, LilCoach asks “What got in the way?”. If you pick I forget, it suggests a moment to tie the habit to, such as “After your morning coffee”. You apply it with one tap and can undo it.
On Plus, three days later you see how it went, for example “With an anchor: 3 of 3 days”, and choose to keep the change or go back to the previous goal.