No matter how spontaneous your daily life can be, many of us have habits that we have acquired to the point that they have become part of who you are. For example, even your body knows that the moment you get home after a long day at work, you will first take off your shoes, then go sit on the couch.
Another example would be automatically knowing that before you hop into the shower, you first brush your teeth; it’s never the other way around. Now, there is what experts call habit stacking, which has been recommended to people when they want to improve their way of doing things.
Psychologist Lauren Alexander explains that habit-stacking is a technique where a new habit is attached to a habit that already exists, causing self-directed neuroplasticity. Lauren states that habit stacking is a new term that the author James Clear “coined it in his bestselling book Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones.”
Here is how you can use the habit stacking strategy to your advantage, according to various experts:
List the habits you already have.
The Cleveland Clinic advises that you think of what you do automatically each and every day. Taking a shower, cleaning your teeth, and having your morning coffee are all stacking behaviours. The above clinic states that you should list the things you consistently do, but not daily. Maybe food shopping is usually done on Sundays, and perhaps you never miss your once-a-monthly brunch date with your high school best friend. Perhaps you have weekly injections for a long-term illness. All of these behaviours are quite stackable.
List habits you want to form
It is suggested that you write down every detail, even making the bed, being grateful, and writing 300 words a day towards the novel you’ve been thinking about for years. According to the psychologist mentioned above, “You’re doing well as long as you’re selecting habits that require you to do tiny, regular actions. Even though you’ll be starting small, with just one habit, you can still have huge dreams.”
Create a stack
Dr Lauren also advise that once you have integrated your new and old habits, start stacking them according to how you will conduct them. She says that trying out a new habit can take a long time for it to become a part of you. “Success, however, is dependent upon the habit’s worth and enjoyment.” For example, it takes more work and discipline to incorporate a new habit into a routine, but that can be successfully done if the new habits that are enjoyable. “In these circumstances, the Premack principle—a reward system based on the stacked habit can raise the probability of success.”
Test out your stack
The Everyday Health publication suggests that you establish a seven-day challenge for yourself to begin incorporating the stacked habit into your daily routine. At the end of each day, reflect on how the new habit is working for you and whether you have maintained the new routine. Make changes where needed.
