By Do you find it difficult to be more productive? How many times have you given up on a new routine halfway through due to a lack of motivation and consistency? The habit stacking technique will help you integrate them with less effort and more effectiveness.
In this fast-paced world, we are all looking for alternatives to improve our productivity. One technique that is gaining popularity is habit stacking . It is a strategy that links a new habit to an existing one, making it easier to incorporate it into our daily routine.
Let’s face it, adding routines can be a challenge . We often abandon practices because we’re predisposed to stick with what we know and are comfortable with. However, making changes is essential to growing and achieving new goals.
During this reading, we will explain how this method works and what its benefits are. In addition, we will offer you practical examples so that you can implement it easily.
What is the habit stacking technique?
Habit stacking is based on the theory that it is easier to develop a new habit if it is associated with an already established one. Instead of trying to introduce another behavior in isolation, it is linked to an already established routine. This significantly reduces the mental effort required to adopt it, thus increasing the likelihood of success.
The concept was first outlined in 2017 by productivity author SJ Scott, in his book Habit Stacking: 97 Small Life Changes That Take Five Minutes or Less . James Clear, author of the best-selling Atomic Habits , later expanded on the term, referring to it as a form of implementation intention.
Putting the technique into practice involves intentionally planning to incorporate a specific habit into your daily routine, rather than waiting for motivation or a mindset shift to facilitate it. Essentially, it involves automating activities so that they are perceived as part of a single process.
Neural or synaptic pruning is the underlying process that makes the habit stacking technique work. As a person ages, the brain naturally removes connections between neurons that it no longer needs and builds more connections that it uses more frequently. This process strengthens the neural pathways associated with repeated habits, making them easier to maintain.
Therefore, by continuing existing habits, these neural pathways are reinforced, increasing the likelihood that they will persist. The idea is to create healthy habits by starting small and being consistent, which encourages the formation of synaptic connections that consolidate them.
Know its four stages
Repetition and consistency are the main factors for a habit to become established. Although it can sometimes be difficult to maintain them, this method provides a practical and accessible way to move towards our goals. To better understand it, we must know its four stages. Let’s analyze them with a simple example:
When Pedro gets up, he goes to the bathroom to brush his teeth because he has morning breath.
- Desire: The first action always triggers the process. In this case, we start with the desire, which corresponds to the motivation and is the engine that drives us to do something based on a signal. The latter here is our morning breath, and the desire is to brush our teeth to clean our mouth.
- Cue: The second stage is the cue that acts as a reminder or trigger to perform the habit.
- Answer: It is the action you perform, like brushing your teeth.
- Reward: What you get for responding to the cue. In this case, the reward is fresh breath and clean teeth.
Benefits of this strategy
James Clear says the reason habit stacking works so well is that your current habits are already hardwired into your brain . Patterns that have been strengthened over the years are stored there. When you attach new habits to an existing cycle, the new behavior is more likely to stick.
While we know that this procedure helps to work on consistency, implementing it can bring multiple benefits. Let’s look at some:
- Increased productivity : Making it easier to incorporate positive habits can boost your efficiency.
- Improved wellbeing: Adding more healthy habits can have a positive impact on both a physical and mental level.
- It gives a sense of accomplishment – it pushes you to achieve your goals and provides satisfaction every time you successfully complete your stacked habits.
- Reduced mental effort: Associating a new habit with an existing one eliminates the need to remember the new behavior, thus reducing mental resistance.
- Greater consistency: By linking another habit to an established routine, you are more likely to maintain consistency in its practice, which is crucial to its long-term consolidation.
- Adopting habits without seeing them as an obligation: you will see each action as something natural. For example, if you work from home, imagine that before starting your day, you get ready, have breakfast, organize the kitchen and then go to the dining room. How about now that you are in the kitchen, you pour water into a jug? Seeing it on your desk will motivate you to drink it during the day.
This technique, by simplifying the incorporation of new behaviors and reducing the mental load, facilitates the development of sustainable and beneficial habits in the long term.
How to implement the habit stacking technique?
Making changes in your life doesn’t happen overnight. You need to follow a process where you can accept ups and downs. One day everything can flow wonderfully, but the next, laziness can get the better of you. So you need perseverance and some strategies to stay on the right path. Here are a few ways to start building habits and making a change in your behavior.
1. Dedicate yourself to observing what happens in your day to day life
There is no better starting point than introspection . Pay attention to what is happening around you, and how you spend your time. Write down in a notebook or in the notes on your cell phone how you behave at different times of the day. What you do, how long it takes you to carry out said action, whether you do it every day or not.
2. Identify your existing habits
Take inventory of your current habits. Clear recommends using a scorecard (which he calls a habit scorecard ) as a starting point. You might also like a list with two columns. In the first column, you should write down the habits you perform every day without fail. Some examples include:
- Have breakfast.
- Go to bed.
- Go for a walk.
- Brush your teeth.
- Getting dressed for work.
- Take the kids to school.
- Make coffee in the morning.
- Check email.
Then, in the second column, put everything that happens every day without fail. For example:
- The sun rises.
- The moon rises.
- You receive an email.
- You receive a WhatsApp message.
- Finish the song you are listening to.
With these lists, you can find the best place to incorporate your new habit into your lifestyle. At this point, it is important to ask yourself if what you have detailed could be considered a “good” , “neutral” or “ bad ” habit. To do this, you should write a “+” next to it if it is good, a “-” if it is bad and an “=” if it is neutral.
Rating habits can be tricky, but it does allow you to see if what you do has a positive effect in the long term. A good question to prompt behavior change is: Does this behavior help me become the person I want to be?
3. Select a new habit
Choose the new habit you want to add to your routine. Make sure it’s specific and achievable, following SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound) goals. For example, saying “read more” or “eat healthy” is too vague. It doesn’t lay out a roadmap for how and when to act. Instead, be clear: “I will read one page of a book every night before bed.” Specificity is important.
The more closely tied the new habit is to a specific cue, the more likely it is to stick to your routine. Using the reading example, it’s unrealistic to set yourself the goal of reading an entire novel in three days. Go little by little. If you fall down in the process, get up and start again.
4. Match the habits
Finding an existing habit that you can use as a cue for the new habit is essential to successful habit stacking. The basic formula is: after/before [current habit], I will adopt [new habit]. Here are some practical examples:
Have a more active life
- Existing habit: coming home from work.
- New habit: do 10 minutes of exercise.
- Formula: After getting home from work, I will exercise for 10 minutes.
Meditate in the mornings
- Existing habit: brushing teeth in the morning.
- New habit: meditate for 5 minutes.
- Formula: After brushing my teeth in the morning, I will meditate for 5 minutes.
4. Start with small steps and set a deadline
It’s important to keep the new habit small, manageable and realistic. Starting this way reduces resistance and increases the likelihood that you’ll continue. Once established, gradually increase its duration or intensity.
Setting a deadline is a great help in creating the new behavior. It can be arbitrary (a week or a month) or a real deadline for an event. When goals are too vague, you may feel less motivated to work on them. Setting a deadline helps reinforce your commitment to working toward that goal.
Plus, setting a deadline creates a great time to pause and reflect on your progress. Did you manage to meditate for three minutes before you started working on the entire month? Or did you give up after a few days? Ask yourself why, modify the goal, or consider choosing another old routine to tie yourself to.
5. Keep track and reward yourself for your achievements
Tracking your progress is a great way to stay motivated and consistent. You can use a habit tracking app or keep a journal where you check off each time you complete a new routine. Also, giving yourself small rewards for your progress is motivating. You could make a poster board and stick stars on it or treat yourself to ice cream as a reward for your accomplishments.
6. Reassess and adjust
As you become more familiar with this technique, you may need to re-evaluate and adjust your habits. If you find that a pairing isn’t working, don’t hesitate to try a different combination. Don’t try to force something that doesn’t fit, because you’ll end up being disappointed and frustrated.
Remember that this is a process that will take time, but the results will come. Every small step you take brings you closer to your goals. Stay consistent , be patient with yourself, and enjoy the journey. According to Clear, it takes at least 2 months for a new behavior to become automatic . The rewards of a healthier, more productive, and more fulfilling life are worth every effort.
Go ahead and make the change!
Changing your life doesn’t have to be an overwhelming process. Habit stacking is a powerful tool that allows you to make transformations gradually and sustainably. By linking new routines to those already ingrained in your daily life, you reduce mental resistance and increase the likelihood of success. This approach makes it easier to incorporate positive behaviors without them feeling like an additional burden.
Start with simple, manageable activities. Identify small changes you can make today and watch how, over time, these efforts add up to a bigger impact. Setting easy-to-achieve goals and celebrating small wins will keep you motivated and committed to your journey to a better you.