Have you been wanting to make something a part of your routine, but you’re having a hard time fitting it into your schedule (or even just forgetting to do something completely 👀)?
Do you * know * what you “should” be doing, but it’s harder to put it into practice?
If you’ve been doing any research into habits, you’ve likely come across the concept called habit stacking.
In this blog post, we’re going to talk about what habit stacking is, how to use it to create a routine you love, & some of my personal favorite ways to habit stack.
What is Habit Stacking & Why Does It Work?
Just like dominos, a habit stack is when you add one activity before or after another.
(Yes, changing up your routine doesn’t have to be super difficult!)
Our brains loooove predictability. Researchers say that about 95% of our actions are automatic.
When our ancestors were roaming the savannas, food & water were never a guarantee. We adapted to be able to survive on the least amount of energy possible.
Our cells are pretty adaptable & can create energy in various ways, but their favorite, most efficient way is by using glucose (aka sugar).
At rest, our brains use 25% of our body’s available sugar! So imagine if we had to think intentionally about every. single. little. thing that we needed to do throughout the day—we would run out of our fav energy source!
This is why up to 95% of our actions are automatic, because our brains looove efficiency (chop 👏🏼 chop 👏🏼).
But what happens when you want to try something new?
Well, our brains fight tooth & nail to make sure that doesn’t happen, because changing things up would take more energy.
& this, my friend, is the beauty of a * habit stack *.
Habit stacks decrease the amount of friction standing in-between you & what you want to be doing.
If you want to start exercising after work, instead of thinking of what outfit you should to wear, what workout you should do, if it’s a hair wash day, if you should workout before or after x y z, etc etc etc…
Rather than needing to spend a bunch of mental energy figuring things out, make small stacks throughout the day:
- Lay out your workout clothes before you leave for work.
- While you’re on your lunch break, pick the YouTube workout you want to do.
- As soon as you walk through your door, change out of your work clothes and into your workout clothes.
Boom!
Now that you know that habit stacking is amazing because it decreases brain power, increasing your likelihood of doing something, let’s talk about how you can create a habit stack of your own!
How Can YOU Create a Habit Stack?
The formula is pretty simple!
Take the habit you want to create.
Think about the habits you already do throughout the day. This might be a little hard to notice at first (since habits are usually automatic, you might not even notice you do them).
Then ask yourself where it’d be make the most sense to add the new habit in.
For example, if you want to take your supplements every day but you can’t take them on an empty stomach, does it make sense to have them next to your toothbrush or next to the fridge?
If you go to the gym right after work, it would make sense to put your clothes next to your lunch bag the night before.
If you want to send a “thinking of you” text to a friend every day, do it in the morning when your car is warming up.
Another key thing to note is that it’s so. much. EASIER to add things on than take them off, so keep this in mind as you’re thinking about making life changes.
That’s part of why I love habit stacking—it’s all about adding good things to your day, not taking things away!
Some of My Favorite Habit Stacks
I’ve been using habit stacking to my advantage for years at this point & it’s made it so much easier to start habits.
I keep my vitamins in this little organizer. I make them at the start of the month & when I’m getting my breakfast ready, I take out the day’s vitamin.
I love reading before bed & I keep my Kindle right next to my bed, that way it’s easier to reach for it when I’m snuggling up to B.
I keep cuticle cream in my car & when I get to the first red light on my way to work, I apply it.
I do a facial lymphatic drainage massage every morning with cleanser.
Pretty much as soon as my retainers come out in the morning, I scrape my tongue.
Funny story about this: My acupuncturist doesn’t like me to scrape my tongue before appointments because she needs to check my tongue’s biofilm (kind of gross but oh well).
It has become SUCH a habit for me that I have to hide my tongue scraper the night before or else I will do it without thinking!
