Why habit stacking is a genius way to teach yourself a new habit

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Have you ever had a moment in which you wanted to start a new habit (like starting to workout every single day), but it just did not seem to stick? You tried hard for a few days, but it just did not work? Maybe it is because you tried to do it without a good plan. In comes; habit stacking. It’s a great way to learn new habits that will actually stick!

What is habit stacking?
Habit Stacking is a way to implement new habits into your life. And just as the word describes; you stack habits. You simply take advantage of habits that you have already implemented in your life, and add new habits on top of it.
How does it work?
So habit stacking is a very basic and simple concept. You basically say:
Before/after I … (habit), I will … (new habit)..
- Before I brush my teeth, I will stretch my body.
- After I make my bed, I will do a load of laundry.
- After I have my morning cup of coffee, I will go for a walk.
- Before I leave the house for work, I will put away the dishes
etc.
The power of habit stacking lies in the first habit. This is something you already do without thinking, every single day. So stacking a habit on top of it will make it a lot easier to actually follow through and do it.
Creating a lasting routine
Once you master the idea of habit stacking, you can create amazing routines. One habit at a time.
Instead of changing your entire morning routine at once, start by adding one habit. And then another. And another. And in the end your routine might look like this:
After my alarm clock goes off, I will get up and open the windows and blinds.
After I opened the windows and blinds, I will make my bed.
After I made my bed, I will do my morning workout.
After my morning workout I will take a shower and get ready for the day.
After I am ready, I will pour myself a nice cup of coffee.
Using this technique has been very helpful to implement new habits into my life. And I am not done yet!
Have you tried this method? Let me know how it worked for you!
X Steph