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Sticking with habits that are good for you can be irritatingly tough. And incorporating new routines into an already stacked schedule? Forget about it. Still, if you want to expand your perspective of what’s possible within any given day—and thus how your life can feel—try habit stacking.
Popularized by James Clear’s Atomic Habits and books such as Habit Stacking by S.J. Scott and Tiny Habits by behavior scientist B.J. Fogg, habit stacking is all about leveraging your existing practices to normalize new ones.
What Is Habit Stacking?
Habit stacking works by taking “easy” habits, things your brain has been wired to do through repetition, and literally stacking something new onto it. As simple examples, Clear suggests meditating for one minute after pouring your coffee or saying one thing you’re grateful for after sitting down to dinner.
“Our bodies are primed for creating new habits,” says psychologist Terri Bacow, PhD. “Habit stacking is based on behavioral science, a mix of operational and classical conditioning (yay, Pavlov!). We are constantly making new associations and connections, often by pairing one thing with another.”
Consider habit stacking the ultimate routine reframe. Instead of experiencing a day so full of tasks there’s no room for growth, your day can be filled with opportunities to hone new neural pathways—and welcome new experiences.
The Benefits of Habit Stacking
In addition to helping you get more done, habit stacking can help you feel as though you’re doing it all well, a simple sentiment that can be deeply motivating.
“We are built to constantly learn new things,” says Bacow, who notes that the sense of efficacy gained from meeting goals can be almost as helpful as completing the goals themselves. “Humans have a force of forward motion that is difficult to escape. You may not have to try that hard to make habits stack, especially with a burst of intrinsic motivation.”
Bacow explains that the number one benefit of habit stacking is an increased sense of mastery and control, both of which can boost your mood. “We derive a sense of pride when we accomplish new things, and forming new habits increases self-esteem and enables us to view ourselves in a more positive light,” she says.
Life, leadership, and creative coach Geena Glaser finds habit stacking’s focus on ease over discipline to be its most essential factor. As an example, Glaser cites her tendency to forget to take her daily vitamins—and beat herself up for the lapse.
“I later realized it was because the habit wasn’t grounded or rooted in anything, so it never grew,” she says. Once Glaser moved her vitamins into the bathroom and began taking them after brushing her teeth (a deeply ingrained habit), the new ask became effortless. “Not only do I feel proud of how great I am at brushing my teeth, but I also feel great that I’m taking my vitamins, whereas before it was all too easy to be mean to myself for not doing it,” she says. “Shame does not motivate us to do things, but celebration sure does,” she says.
According to Bacow, this is a natural result of working with, rather than against, our nature.
Though this may vary from person to person, so can your approach to habit stacking. The strategy allows room to arrange your to-dos in a pattern that works for you, boosting your individual sense of accomplishment—and the potential for play.
“Creating new habits can bring on a sense of novelty and bring our lives a much needed boost of what psychologists call behavioral activation, or any behavior that gives us a feeling of positive reinforcement and thus a jolt of dopamine and serotonin,” says Bacow.
How to Habit Stack
The basic formula for habit stacking is simple: take an established pattern and add another.
The way you stack is entirely up to you. Habits can be executed consecutively, one after the other; concurrently, like wearing a red light mask during your morning meditation; or through a combination entirely your own.
The key to habit stacking is to choose a base habit that’s deeply ingrained, such as starting your car. Maybe you use that opportunity to also take a few deep breaths. Once those are paired, perhaps you can add something new—but don’t get ahead of yourself (or your brain).
“Stack one habit at a time, and aim for repetition to strengthen the pathways in the brain,” suggests Bacow, noting that you could try adding the first habit for a week before expanding the stack. She adds that habits should be manageable and achievable. “Starting small will give you a sense of accomplishment, rather than setting the bar so high that you can’t reach it.”
Finally, the cues for your new habits should be obvious and non-ambiguous, the better to set your stacking up for success. “Creating these contingencies (if X, then Y) is crucial for linking a new behavior to an old one,” says Bacow. “Don’t be vague—be very clear with yourself when and how you will stack one habit to another.”
The takeaway? A touch of intention around mundane actions can transform the way you move through your days, which in turn transforms the way you approach your life.
