The Power of Habit Stacking Humans are creatures of habits. We wake up at roughly the same time every morning, get ready the same way as the day before, drive the same route to work and interact with the same people. Rarely does this change and rarely do we even remember any of it unless something out of the norm occurs. However, this isn’t the perception of our lives that we typically have. So many of us think our lives are more complicated than this. We think our days are jam packed, totally unpredictable and that adding anything or changing anything is impossible. The fact of the matter is, there’s plenty of room for the things we know we should be doing, but our current routine is so habitual that we can’t comprehend doing anything else. If this sounds like you, then it’s time to try something new: habit stacking. Habit stacking is a simple but powerful technique that can help you make lasting changes in your life. It involves adding a desired behavior and stacking it on top of an existing behavior to create a new habit. The idea is that by adding a one additional step to something you already do regularly, you're more likely to stay motivated and keep going until the desired behavior becomes a regular part of your life. For example, let’s say you know you need to drink more water. Just telling yourself you’re going to drink more water isn’t going to be enough. Remember, your life is complicated and you’re too busy to stop and drink water, right? Besides, drinking water isn’t a part of your existing habits, otherwise we wouldn’t be setting it up as a goal. The habit stacking strategy to make drinking water a part of your day where you don’t even have to think about it goes like this. Identify something you do first thing in the morning like brush your teeth. Now every time you brush your teeth (which is your existing habit) start drinking a glass of water immediately after (desired habit). When you get up from your desk each morning to hit the bathroom after the morning coffee kicks in, (existing behavior) drink a glass of water before resuming work (desired behavior). As you work your way up the habit stacking ladder, your desired behavior will become more and more of a habit. Instead of trying to add something new, it will feel like it’s always been there, since it’s now associated with an existing behavior. Habit stacking is an easy and effective way to make those desired changes just a part of the routine, you don’t even think about. It’s also a great way to stay motivated and on track with your goals. You can use habit stacking for any behavior you want to change, from getting up early to eating healthier to hitting the gym after work. The best part is, it’s easy to stick to your own habit stacking plan because it will automatically fit your already existing lifestyle. If you’re looking for a new way to make positive changes in your life, without completely flipping your routines upside down, why not give habit stacking a try? You might be surprised at how quickly you can make positive changes in your life.
