Habit Stacking

Dreaming is a funny thing. Big visions is nothing without tiny habits which takes us from where we are to where we want to be. It’s a repeated exercise, like a hammer hitting a nail until it’s firmly in place. But we all know that every hit is unlike the other, the pressure varies, the angle shifts, we miss or worst case we sacrifice a thumb. It’s easy to be deterred.

We have to remind ourselves that it isn’t the quality but the consistency that matters when it comes establishing a new habit. A simple trick to build a new habit is to stack it on top of a current one. It goes:

Before/During/After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].

For example, starting out in a creative industry I would mostly, often intentionally, rock up to meetings unprepared thinking that this was the best way to be creative. This backfired more often than not, especially as I side-stepped into a new industry. I needed a simple, and obvious, solution:

Before MEETINGS, I will TAKE 10 MINUTES TO CONSIDER THE AGENDA.

I believe this method is a great way of helping your form new small habits, that stacked together help you achieve a bigger vision. It’s not the answer to everything but it keeps you moving in the right direction.

What new habit will will you stack on your current ones? Here is some inspiration to get you going:

Before I LEAVE for the day, I will CHECK-IN with my direct reports.

While I have my MORNING COFFEE, I will WRITE MY TO-DO LIST.

After our WEEKLY MEETING, I will SUMMARISE and SET ACTIONS.