Alarm blares out. Bleary eyes open. Stumble to coffee machine. Make (admittedly decaf) coffee. Take supplements while waiting for oat milk to heat up. Guzzle a half litre of water with pills. Pour alt milk into mug. Take coffee back to bed and wait for brain to also wake up.
This might seem like a rambling way to describe a standard morning routine. But, for someone who’s long struggled to string together several habits without feeling overwhelmed, taking my supplements and drinking a quarter of my daily water quota before I’m fully cognisant is fairly (really) cool. And that’s only the half of it.
Meet habit stacking – the only way I’ve been able to reliably and consistently join together behaviours that make me feel my best. Allow me to explain further.
What is habit stacking?
In simple terms, habit stacking is linking existing and new habits together (a little like piggybacking), eventually forming a string of beneficial behaviours that feel like second nature.
For example, while I wait for my coffee to brew each morning (a well-established habit), I knock back my supplements and vitamins (a new habit). Cognitively, my brain has formed the link between making coffee and taking the little capsules that help me with my PMS, gut health and more.
Or, take the fact that I’ve long wanted to instil meditation or breathwork as a daily habit. But, the allure of doing, well, anything else has always trumped it. Now, when I’ve done my evening skincare and settled into bed, I pop on my LED mask (which has an inbuilt 10-minute timer), queue up a meditation and breathe for 10 minutes. Two habits, stacked together, saving me time and mental energy to try and squeeze them all in separately.
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Or, for those of you who like a three-part example (don’t say I never do anything for you), as soon as I finish lunch, I pop my trainers on and head out for a walk, during which I call my sister – something that can slip by the wayside with juggling difficult time zone differences. I’m exercising, socialising and beating the slump that can come with the post-lunch digest.
Consultant psychologist and co-founder of The Chelsea Psychology Clinic Dr Elena Touroni explains the science: “Habit stacking is a cognitive strategy you can use to link a new behaviour with an existing habit that is already ingrained in your daily routine.
“By connecting a new behaviour with something that is already part of your established routine, you enhance your memory and the likelihood of repeating the new behaviour. Essentially, you're creating a cognitive link in your mind between the old and new habits, making it easier to remember and integrate the new behaviour more seamlessly into your daily life.”
Something of a productivity hack, habit stacking doesn’t ask you to overhaul your life. Instead, it asks what routine or habitual behaviours already exist and how can you join them up with new, desired ones. (Don’t stress, more on how to start habit stacking later.)
What are the benefits of habit stacking?
The benefits of habit stacking are wide-reaching. Not least because it can help to build a routine that serves your mental, physical and spiritual health.
“The main psychological benefit of habit stacking lies in its ability to boost motivation and provide a clear structure for changing your behaviour,” says Dr Touroni. “When people try to build new habits, like meditation, for example, they often struggle with finding the time or remembering to do it. Habit stacking can help by linking the new behaviour to an existing routine, making it more accessible and memorable. In this way, it can help you stay motivated and consistent.”
Habit stacking is also time efficient, piggybacking on existing behaviours to slot a new one in. It can also help to chip away at big (or small) goals, keeping you on track without feeling overwhelmed.
7 ways to make habit stacking easier
If the prospect of habit stacking has piqued your productivity interest, Dr Touroni has some easy ways to make it a reality. The bottom line, she says, is taking the time to tune into the habits you want to encourage (or cut down on) and be realistic with your expectations and yourself.
Rome wasn’t built in a day and for good reason: overstretching yourself could lead to overwhelm and, eventually, abandoning your desired habits altogether. Not what we want. Instead, here are the five ways she suggests making habit-stacking part of your life.
1. Set clear goals
“Clearly define your goals for breaking the old habit. Understand why you want to make this change and how it aligns with your values and well-being,” Dr Touroni says.
2. Weigh up the pros and cons
“Reflect on the pros of breaking the old habit versus the cons of maintaining it. It’s important to have clear reasons you can connect to emotionally for breaking this habit.”
3. Plan for relapses
“Understand that motivation can fluctuate. Have strategies in place to revisit your commitment when your motivation dips.”
4. Be realistic
“Avoid overwhelming yourself with too many habit changes at once. Focus on one or a few habits, and give yourself a specific timeframe for achieving your goals.”
5. Reward yourself
“Positive reinforcement can be powerful. Set up rewards for yourself so you are consistently reinforcing the new behaviour.”
6. Consider ‘temptation bundling’
Dr Mahrukh Khwaja, founder of The Mind Ninja, positive psychology consultant and author of Navigating A Squiggly Life Toolkit has some advice for establishing habits you like with the ones you’re trying to build.
“Linking pleasurable temptations with a habit that provides delayed rewards, such as only listening to your favourite podcast (tempting) whilst cycling (delayed reward) can help to build willpower,” she explains. “This makes activities that have delayed rewards more enticing and much more readily executed.”
7. Have some compassion for yourself
If part of your building a habit-stacking routine involves breaking older habits that don’t serve you, Dr Mahrukh has some key advice: go easy on yourself.
“Self-compassion is key when we are trying to break old habits. This means treating ourselves with the same kindness, care and warmth that we would naturally show to a good friend,” she says.
“Studies show that people who are more self-compassionate display an increased engagement in health-related behaviours, resulting in better overall physical health and immune function due to increased parasympathetic system and reduced sympathetic nervous system activation. Self-criticism, on the other hand, is not an effective long-term motivator.”
The bottom line on habit stacking
Building a new routine, whether it’s tied to your existing one or something radically different, can feel overwhelming. Staying the course and reaping the benefits will come down to how consistent you are. However, that doesn’t mean you need to strive for perfection – long-term behaviour change is about looking to create an average baseline of the things you’d like to do.
For example, aiming to strength train or run two or three times a week will be more achievable over a longer period of time than trying to hit the gym six times a week.
Most importantly, habit stacking will be most effective if done with self-compassion in mind, something the science backs up.
“Self-criticism undermines self-confidence and leads to fear of failure. Self-compassionate people still have high standards but do not criticise themselves when obstacles get in the way or mistakes happen,” says Dr Mahrukh. Capice?
Morgan Fargo is a freelance beauty and wellness editor. Her CV includes Women's Health Magazine UK (and sister publication Women's Health Australia), Stylist Magazine and more.
