Habit Stacking
I’ve recently been introduced to this concept of HABIT STACKING and I cannot get enough of it!
What is habit stacking?
Pairing a habit you already do consistently with one you would like to implement. You use the momentum of a current habit to make it easier to adopt the new one! They can be done at the same time or one right after the other.
For me 👇🏼
🧖🏼♀️ I have a great weekly habit of taking 10 mins to do a mask
🪴 I have a TERRIBLE habit of putting off watering my plants for DAYS at a time. (Seriously I have no idea how they survive as well as they do.)
So my new habit stack: every time I do my weekly mask, I’ll water my plants!
🧖🏼♀️ + 🪴 = 👏🏼
A few examples of habit stacking:
You cook dinner every night + you want to find the time to listen to that educational podcast you have heard great things about. HABIT STACK: Listen to that podcast WHILE you cook!
You brush your teeth every morning + you want to drink more water. HABIT STACK: Every time you brush your teeth (which should be twice a day) pause to drink a glass of water BEFORE doing anything else (especially making that morning cup of coffee.)
You already take the time to make tea every morning + you want to be more consistent with spending time in prayer. HABIT STACK: Pause to pray WHILE you wait for your tea to steep. That’s 5 minutes you would be tidying the kitchen (or scrolling instagram) that you will be deeply rewarded spending in prayer instead.
You already have a great bedtime routine + you want to stop the bedtime scroll on social media. HABIT STACK: when you enter your room to start getting ready for bed (PJ’s, brush teeth etc) you plug your phone in on the other side of the room first and commence a phone-free wind down.
You sit down to lunch every day + you want to do a better job checking in with your friends and family. HABIT STACK: every time you sit down for lunch, you send out 3 messages to loved ones.
The key benefits of habit stacking include efficiency (saving time by combining tasks), consistency (leveraging existing routines to build new habits), and reducing the mental effort required to initiate and maintain behavior changes. It's a practical strategy for building a series of small, positive changes into your daily life, leading to significant long-term improvements in various areas.
Share in the comments if you have tried habit stacking and if so, how did you like it?