The One Habit That Will Change Everything

Mar 21

Everyone talks about the science of habits around the beginning of the year, every year. But it’s usually around this time of year — mid March — that most people have already fizzled out. According to a 2016 study, of the 41% of Americans who make New Years resolutions, by the end of the year only 9% feel they are successful in keeping them, which is pretty sad.

If you’ve ever felt like sticking to new habits just isn’t working for you, there is something you have to try because it really does make a difference. I’m talking about habit stacking! It’s a shortcut that attaches a new habit onto a habit you already currently do, like brushing your teeth, or trying your shoes. You don’t have to think about those habits because they are so ingrained, you just do them.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

If you are trying to develop a new habit, try connecting it to a daily habit you already have. For example, “After I brush my teeth in the morning I will drink 8 ounces of water.” Or “When I let the dog out I will stretch for 5 minutes.”

HOW IT WORKS

I 100% did not come up with this genius idea of habit stacking, but it is backed by clear science. James Clear writes about habit stacking in his New York Times Best-Selling Book, Atomic Habits (get it on Amazon for $11.98). He is one of my favorite writers who has written a lot about productivity, and has the best newsletter on the internet, in my opinion.

When you develop any skill or complete a task the brain creates a connection between neurons related to that particular action. It forges a pathway so that the next time you do the same task, the path is readymade and becomes easier each time. James explains that as we grow and age our brains undergo a process called “synaptic pruning”, which clears away the unused connections and devotes energy toward building new connections for other skills. As adults we have about 40% less neurons than we have as babies. Our brains become less malleable to change. There’s some truth to the old adage that “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” — You absolutely can, but it does get harder. This is thanks to this process of synaptic pruning.

Although we are losing neurons and connections, the connections that remain and are being used frequently get very strong. Think of them as the road more travelled. There are so many paths or habits we have developed that we don’t even have to think about. Brushing our teeth. Walking the dog. Checking the mail. Emptying the dishwasher. Washing the dishes. Laying out your exercise clothes the night before (maybe this is a habit you want to start doing…we will get to that).

The point is, the more you do certain tasks, the stronger and faster and easier these “paths” become.

GETTING STARTED

Habit stacking harnesses the power of using well-worn paths you already have and pairing them with a new habit or behavior you want to strengthen. You’re basically hitching a ride, using well-established neural pathways for new habits so you’re not creating a whole new road every single time you want to make a positive change in your life. For example:

When I walk the dog I will call my mom or dad.
When I brush my teeth I will rehearse positive affirmations for the day.
When I make the bed I will then do 10 minutes of client follow up messages.
After I eat breakfast I will read for 30 minutes.

Habit stacking is taking the well-worn habit you have already developed and attaching a habit you want to form.

EXPANDING YOUR HABITS

It gets better with practice! Isn’t that the truth with everything! The best part about Habit Stacking is that once you get good at it, you can stack multiple habits onto that same neuron path. For example:

When I walk the dog I will call my mom or dad, THEN rehearse positive affirmations for the day.
When I brush my teeth I will do 50 lunges, THEN apply sunscreen.
When I make the bed I will spend 10 minutes following up with clients, and THEN do ten minutes of stretching.
After I eat breakfast I will read for 30 minutes and THEN respond to emails.

Start with one. Make that path solid, and then add another. Each habit will reinforce the other making those neural pathways easy, fast, a no brainer.

HOW I USE HABIT STACKING

Does this all make sense? I remember when I first learned about it I was mind blown with the simplicity but also the effectiveness. Here are a couple examples of habit stacking that I’ve utilized in my own life so you can see how this works for me:

So, I really wanted to try out this teeth-whitening system, but I was never seeing results because I was always having a hard time remembering to use it. I needed 10-15 minutes a day consistently for it to work it’s magic, but it’s not something I can do in the middle of the day because I can’t use my mouth to talk or be out in public with the blue-light mouth piece in place. So when is a time I am still, and don’t have to talk to anyone? First thing in the morning, when I read my scriptures. So I stacked the habits like this:

When I read my scriptures in the morning, I’ll use my teeth-whitening system.

And to make it even easier I started putting out the teeth whitening system at night, on top of my scriptures so I have the visual cue and reminder before I can start reading.

Another example:

When I go downstairs to read with the kids in the morning before school, I’ll make a drink with my collagen supplement, and then start the laundry.

So, I’m already downstairs in the kitchen, usually the kids are filling their water bottles and getting ready for school and I have this connection in my brain to get a drink of water myself, but now I have this trigger to make sure to get my collagen drink in with my water before I start the laundry. I’ve started setting my collagen drink out at night by my water glass to make it even easier.

Obviously, a big part of successful habit stacking is finding the right triggers, so here is a quick list of some common ones that you and I probably share. You may have others that are unique to you! Use this list as a spring board to think through the habits you already do:

Get out of bed.

Brush your teeth.

Exercise.

Take a Shower.
Get dressed.
Eat breakfast.
Drop the kids off.
Walk the dog.
Turn on your computer.
Eat lunch.
Pick the kids up.
Make dinner.
Turn off your computer.
Change into comfortable clothes at the end of the day.
Eat dinner.
Pick out a show before bed.

Wash your face.
Get in bed.