Struggling to establish healthier habits? You can make it easier with a simple technique called “habit stacking.” This is one of my favorite lessons from James Clear’s Atomic Habits.

Improving our health and wellness boils down to changing our habits. This can be difficult, but there are simple things we can do to make the change process easier. One of them, known as habit stacking, is particularly helpful when establishing new healthy habits.

I first learned the term habit stacking when reading James Clear’s wildly popular book, Atomic Habits. As he explains it, habit stacking is one of the best ways to build a new habit. To use this technique, simply identify a current habit or routine you already do every day and then add your new behavior on top of it. This is known as habit stacking.

A Few Examples of Habit Stacking from Wellness Coaching

Habit Stacking Stretching

One of my wellness coaching clients set a health goal to incorporate more stretching into her daily activities. She reflected on her daily routine and identified a convenient time to add stretching. Every morning, she brews coffee upon waking up. My client started to use this time to do 5-minutes of stretching at her kitchen counter. In other words, she stacked stretching onto coffee brewing.

Habit Stacking Meditation

Another wellness coaching client wanted to incorporate meditation into his evening routine. Since he showers each evening before bed, he thought this would be an easy time to add in breathing exercises. When he stepped in the shower, it was a cue for my client to start a 5-minute breathing practice. He was able to stack breathing onto showering.

How to Use Habit Stacking:

1. Consider the healthy habit you would like to establish. Get specific about the behavior you want to encourage.

For help setting specific goals, see my post on SMART goals!

2. Write a list of your typical daily habits and routines in chronological order. If you work, it’s easiest to start with your work day routines, since those days are the most structured and frequent.

3. Choose one of your well-established habits or routines. This will be your cue.

4. Each time you do your established habit or routine, use it as a cue to add on your new desired behavior or routine.

Another Habit Stacking Example: Daily Steps

For example, imagine you want to increase your daily steps. Your weekday routine involves a commute and parking in an employee parking lot. You decide to park in the farthest spot available, so you take more steps to and from the building. You stacked taking more steps (a new behavior) onto your commute and parking (established routine).

Why Habit Stacking Works:

Clear explains in Atomic Habits that the first step in developing a habit is to identify a cue, and in order for your habit to stick, it must feel easy. Habit stacking addresses both of these aspects.

Building awareness around your already existing habits and routines helps you identify a cue that is obvious. Your existing habit/routine cues you into your new habit. In addition, it feels easier to add a new behavior onto an already established one. There is less mental friction.

In the daily steps example above, consider the amount of effort required. It would require considerably more effort to walk after work than it does to park a little bit farther. In the long run, this may not be enough steps to reach the ultimate goal, but it’s a great foundation from which to expand. Remember, baby steps pave the way to sustainable change.

Habit Stacking Pointers:

  • Choose the easiest, most likely to succeed cue on which to stack your new behavior.
  • If possible, choose a cue that has the same frequency as the habit you’re trying to establish.
  • Be as specific as possible when defining your new behavior and frequency.
  • It’s perfectly acceptable to start small. You can always expand or increase your desired behavior after you’ve established the habit.

Small Changes, Big Transformation

Habit stacking is a simple technique that can have atomic consequences. (See what I did there!?!) It’s one small change we can make to prioritize our health and build resilience. Wellness doesn’t have to feel so overwhelming. Give this practice a try this week and let me know how it goes!

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