Is there something that you want to start incorporating into your daily routine? Do you ever wish you had more time to commit to starting something new? Have you ever committed to a new habit, and then by Day 5 or 12 you realize you have not been consistent because you just totally forgot about it? Does the thought of adopting a new habit ever seem absolutely daunting to you?
Amidst our fast-paced lives, it is common to be too busy to start new habits, and even abandon old ones. Adopting new habits does not have to feel like a chore. Rather, incorporating new habits into your life should be simple and effective, as well as inspiring. Habit stacking is a great alternative for those who are looking to introduce new habits into their routines, while also maintaining current ones.
Simply put, habit stacking is the process of using current or old habits to trigger the adoption of new ones. By pairing a new habit with an old one, you are more likely to create repetition and consistency. Therefore, it eventually becomes ingrained in your everyday life and maybe even like second nature. Habit stacking is simply a way of accomplishing more at one time; some may call it ‘killing two birds with one stone’.
For example, if you desire to express more gratitude each day, try stacking it onto your already existent morning coffee routine. Each day when you wake up and walk to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee, say aloud three things you are grateful for while waiting for the coffee to brew. To further trigger you to remember to do this, stick a Post-It note on the inside of the cupboard where you keep your coffee mugs that reads ‘What are you grateful for today?’. It is highly likely that you will drink coffee each morning, right? By pairing this new habit of gratitude with your daily trip to the coffee maker, you are more likely to adopt and maintain this habit into the future.
