Habit Stacking: The Most effective way to make long lasting healthy habits
Why is it that healthy habits are so hard to build while the not so healthy ones are so hard to break?
My theory is that we put so much pressure on ourselves to build healthy habits and set ourselves up with unrealistic expectations that are impossible to meet. We set big goals, rely on willpower and self-discipline, and when we’re running low on these things, because let’s face it we’re human, we feel like failures and give up.
I’ve written about this before, adopting and sustaining healthy habits that stick doesn’t have to be painful. It takes some willpower yes, but it doesn’t happen overnight, it happens gradually over time, in small steady steps. But how do you make sure you’re taking those small steady steps, consistently?
That’s where habit stacking comes in.
What is habit stacking?
I happened upon the concept of habit stacking just a few months ago and it has changed my life. I have been able to make habits stick like never before. Things I’ve struggled with in the past have now become second nature, with little effort, and while they may be small, all the little things are adding up to big change.
The concept is so simple yet so powerful, because it actually works. You start with existing daily habits that are second nature and attach new habits to them, basically integrating these new habits into your daily routine. It would look something like this:
After/Before [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT]
How does habit stacking work?
It works because your brain creates a strong connection between these two activities, making it more likely for you to stick to your new habit for the long haul, until it too becomes second nature .
If you think about it, most of what we do day in and day out, is a habit. We wake up, we go to the bathroom, we have breakfast, we brush our teeth and we get ready for our day, we take our kids to school, we go to work, we take breaks, we have meals, we watch our favourite television shows, and the list goes on.
The trick is making sure to pair or attach habits that can be done at the same time of day and with the same frequency.
Practical Examples of Habit Stacking in Action
Here are some real life examples of the few habits I’ve formed over the past few months:
After I get out of bed in the morning, and go to the bathroom (existing habit), I’ll drink a cup of warm water (new habit)
Every Monday morning, before I start my work day (existing habit), I’ll organize my to do list, make a list of priorities and set my goals and intentions for the week ahead (new habits)
Every Saturday morning, I’ll go for a power walk (new habit) before hitting the farmer’s market (existing habit)
These may seem small and inconsequential to some people but believe me when I say, nothing ever is. All the small things add up. If you start small, you’ll give yourself the opportunity to master your new habit, you’ll feel accomplished and good about yourself and you’ll be more likely to continue adding new good habits and shedding old bad habits as time goes on.
How do you create more complex habit stacks?
If you’re just starting out with this, then keep it simple. There’s no need to create complex habit stacks, but once your small and simple (with big impact) new habits become second nature, you might want to do a little habit stacking to simplify your life. The morning routine is a good place for this.
If you follow me on Instagram, then you’ll know that I’ve set some intentions for myself this year on my 43rd birthday. One of them was to incorporate more movement into my day. So, I’ve stacked this new habit onto an existing habit stack:
After I get out of bed in the morning, and go to the bathroom (existing habit), I’ll change into my work out clothes (new habit), then after I drink a cup of warm water (newly formed habit) I’ll do yoga/strength training/go for walk (new habit)
I can honestly say that this is the first time in my life I’ve felt this good about creating a new habit around movement. I’ve set realistic expectations and I’m respecting where my body is at this point in my journey. The goal is to move and I’m moving. I’ll worry about the speed and intensity another time. I’m keeping it simple.
I’m stil working my way through James Clear’s book Atomic Habits, all about creating good habits and breaking bad ones, so expect to see more in depth articles on this subject in the future, especially in relation to creating long lasting healthy eating and lifestyle habits that last.