Habit stacking is the idea of creating a new habit by piggybacking off an already established habit. It’s a method used to create new healthy habits in small increments. It can be an excellent tool to use in the workplace to learn a new skill, shuffle through email more efficiently, or improve time management.
Here are three ways to make a new habit stick.?
- Do ONE thing at a time. Pick just one new habit to focus on at a time. Once you know what you want to focus on, you can schedule a time that makes sense to focus on the new habit. As an example, let’s say you want to learn a new skill that’s offered online. It might make sense to tackle the new habit of upskilling during your lunch hour or over your morning coffee.?
- Use a well-established habit as an anchor. We’re really creatures of habit. How many of us go through the same routine every morning? Drinking your morning coffee is a habit. Having lunch at noon is a habit. When you use habit stacking, it’s key to pick an anchor habit that is well established.?
- Start small. Let’s go back to our online class. Start with just 5 minutes of learning a day. Or take the course for as long as it takes you to eat breakfast. You want to create small successes to reinforce the new habit.?
