Create New Habits That Last With Habit Stacking
You are less in-control and in-charge of your behaviors than you may think.
But let’s use that to our advantage!
None of our behaviors happen in isolation and often our random thoughts or seemingly “impulsive” actions can be predicted,
if we pay attention to the cues.
Every day, after my precious first cup of coffee and early morning kitty snuggles, I feed the three monsters their breakfast which sets off a series of subsequent actions. I replace their water bowls, I water the plants, I clean their litter boxes, I do any dishes from the night before, and I tidy up the main living space of all the random things we’ve left out the day before. Then I start my breakfast, and – you get the idea! I won’t bore you with my whole daily routine!
Each action triggers the next behavior.
Without realizing it, I made an entire morning routine using HABIT STACKING. I get a lot done without much thought at all anymore. It just happens.
What is Habit Stacking
When you want to build new habits, you can use this connectedness of our behaviors to do more good stuff!
Identify a current habit you do each day (or most days)
Stack your new desired behavior on top
By doing this, your current habit becomes the cue or trigger for the next action, which is the new habit you want to build.
Examples:
-After I start my coffee machine, I will drink a glass of water.
-After I take off my work shoes, I will change into my workout clothes.
-After I step into the shower, I’ll think of one thing I’m grateful for that happened today.
You can link lots of things together (eventually) by using this tactic. The first 2-ish hours of my day are basically filled with stacked habits. BUT NOTE – you must start with an established habit, build the second new behavior so that that’s a habit, before tacking on more. Otherwise it’ll all go to shit and you’ll be less likely to stick with it long-term.
Habit Sandwich (trademark pending :p)
You can also make a habit sandwich (not an official term).
If you have a routine, you can add something in the middle of it –
this works for both:
establishing a new habit, or
planting a cue or trigger for something later
If you want to drink a glass of water when you start your coffee like the example I gave earlier – maybe you set out a water cup next to your coffee machine as part of your night routine. So instead of: prep lunch for workday tomorrow > prep coffee machine > set out work clothes, you could add “set out water cup” in there.
The key for habit stacking and “habit sandwiching” is finding the RIGHT cue to set things off and the best cue that easily transitions to the next behavior.
So look at your specific routines and habits, and try to find a good spot to place a new desired behavior in a way that will make sense and flow seamlessly.
*pro tip: don’t try adding something to a time of day that’s already FULL or chaotic or unpredictable. The less friction, the more likely you’ll nail it!
Let’s implement this
*do this right now, or make a reminder right now to do it at a time that’s more convenient for you!
Make a list of all your habits you do each day
Make a list of other habits that happen at other set frequencies (taking the trash out each week, for example)
Make a list of things that happen to you each day without fail (getting a text message, going to the bathroom, picking your kid up from school/daycare)
Decide what new habit(s) or behavior(s) you want to start implementing (be careful not to overcommit!)
Decide at what frequency you want to do this new behavior/habit
Look at your lists and decide where you’d like to try implementing this new habit. Think about time and place, other similar tasks in your routine, and pay attention to the frequency you want to do the new habit vs the frequency of the existing habit (you want the frequency to be the same!)
Try it out, and if it’s not working – time to reassess. Make sure this habit is something you actually truly want to do, determine why it may not be working at the point that you inserted it, find a possible better time, and try it out.
This isn’t about forcing yourself or your life into a mold, it’s about using what you already have and building more.
And doing so in a way that works WITH you and your life, not against it.
So if something isn’t working, don’t just keep forcing it and failing (you want to feel successful otherwise you’ll stop trying altogether!) Instead – review, reassess, and adjust things.
Trust me – from a girl who was TERRIBLE at consistency and routine – you can build up a lot of good habits with this strategy.
You just need to be patient and find that right cue/action/time/location. Once you find the right flow, it’ll become an obvious and nearly thoughtless behavior, and dare I say EASY to stay up on. I promise!
The inspiration for this blog post was from the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. I highly recommend reading this book, it is a game changer!