How to improve your life with habit stacking
From the moment we wake up, we engage in habitual activities requiring little effort. Imagine the power you hold to enhance your daily life by adding a few more activities.
This is the essence of habit stacking. It’s not about drastic changes overnight or in a few weeks but about incremental additions to your existing routine, which can be surprisingly easy and effective.
What is habit stacking?
So, what exactly is habit stacking? It’s the art of adding a new habit to an existing one, a practice we often do without realizing it.
For instance, your habit stack could be as simple as brushing your teeth and then using mouthwash or making a cup of coffee and then sitting down to write in your planner.
The beauty of habit stacking is its practicality and ease of implementation, as I discovered in the insightful book Atomic Habits by James Clear, which I highly recommend.
How to start habit stacking.
If you want to improve your life or get more things done, you can do so by stacking habits. First, think about the things you want to improve. Then, think about when it will fit into a habit you already do daily.
For example, if you’re going to eat more fruit, find a time of the day you do something the same every day. You get off your seat at work to stretch or go for a bathroom break around 10:00. When you return, eat a banana or apple. So, it is your habit to take a morning break and stack it with adding fruit.
Need a few ideas for habit stacking?
Below are a few of my daily habit stacking that I implement daily to improve my life.
Remember, the key to effective habit stacking is to choose a habit you already do consistently and pair it with a new habit you want to develop.
10 Habit Stacking Tips to Improve Your Life.
- Take vitamins
We don’t always get the proper nutrients our body needs daily. To help you get started taking your vitamins, start with a multivitamin. Take the vitamin at the same time every day. I take my multivitamin every day with my lunch. While you have your lunch, grab your vitamin and take it.
Sometimes, I am busy and forget to eat lunch, but since I habitually stack my multivitamins daily with my lunch, I remember having a quick lunch to take my vitamins.
This has helped me with eating and my vitamins because if I forget one, I won’t forget the other.
- Drink lemon water
Drinking a glass of lemon water daily has many benefits. Lemons are packed with nutrients, including fiber, vitamin C, calcium, and iron.
Lemon water can cleanse your system and boost your immune system. It also helps keep your skin blemish-free and freshens your breath. There are so many benefits to drinking a glass of lemon, and you should add a glass of lemon water daily.
While I am preparing breakfast, I also prepare a glass of lemon water to drink with breakfast.
- Walking
If we notice how much time we spend on our phone screens or how much television we watch daily, we can take a little time to walk. Going outdoors for a walk is a great way to get some cardio.
Walking outdoors helps with your mental health and improves your mood. Suppose you want to listen to your favorite podcast or listen to someone on a YouTube video about self-improvement or motivation.
Avoid looking at the screen while walking. Choose something as long as you plan to walk. To get you started, you can listen to something for 20 minutes.
By habit stacking, walking, and listening to a motivational speech or self-improvement, you are exercising and learning at the same time.
- Read before bedtime
There are many benefits of reading a book before bed. It is a great idea to add reading to your nighttime routine.
Since reading is a low-key activity, it can help you relax and wind down when you are not sleepy. When you are ready to go to bed, grab a book to read instead of scrolling on your phone or watching television.
I leave my book underneath my bed and put it back underneath my bed when I’m done. You can start by reading just a few minutes every night.
- Floss in shower
If you are like me and need to remember to floss because you are in a hurry in the morning or too tired at night. Floss in the shower. We all take a shower at least once a day. I use floss picks since it makes it easier for me to floss. While you let the shampoo or conditioner set on your hair or relax while the water runs on you, floss with a floss pick.
- Skincare a.m. and p.m.
Creating simple skincare should be part of your daily routine. I habitually combine my skincare routine with brushing my teeth. When I brush my teeth, I know it’s time for my a.m. skincare routine, and when I brush my teeth at night, I combine it with my p.m. skincare routine.
Read my post 25 Bad Habits You Need to Break Before 2025
- No phone during meals
Nowadays, almost everyone is holding a phone and looking at the screen everywhere, from waiting areas to even restaurants. We should value our time with our loved ones, especially during meals.
To do this, leave your phone on the kitchen counter, charging with your notifications turned off. So, before you sit down for a meal, habit stack, leaving your phone out of reach.
- Laundry
Our dirty clothes need to be washed, folded, and put away. When you have to fold a load of laundry, lay it on your sofa or bed and listen to something that can motivate you or self-improvement. Or if you are planning to learn something new, that is the time to listen to a video or podcast while you fold and put away the laundry.
- Journal
For as long as I can remember, and especially when I was going through difficult times, I would write down in my journal to let my feelings out.
If you want to journal, write in a planner, or read, find a time of the day when you have around ten minutes. This could be when you sit down to drink your coffee and wait for it to cool. Have your writing materials close by, preferably in your kitchen area since that is where you make your coffee.
- Relationships
Days go by so fast that we start another week by the time we know it. If you are short on time to spend with family and friends, make it a habit to send one text to a friend or family member at the start of the week. Then, on the same day the next week, send a text to another friend. This can be when you sit down and take your first sip of coffee.
Final thoughts
We are accustomed to instant gratification, making it easy to lose motivation when we don’t see immediate health or personal growth results. However, you can create lasting habits by starting small and building on them.
When I began taking vitamins, I would set reminders to take them during my lunch break. Now, it’s a habit that comes naturally to me.
Read 10 Micro-Habits to Start Now to Improve Your Life.
Try habit stacking and share your experiences in the comments below.
How do you plan to habit stack? What habits have you already stacked, and how long did it take for the new habit to stick? Let’s learn from each other and grow together.