Between work, kids, laundry, and 250 new emails a day, it can feel impossible to find time for anything new, especially the new habits we can’t seem to make happen – drinking more water, stretching, strength training, organization, wathever.
But there’s a way to make new habits feel doable – even on your craziest, busiest days.
Here’s the truth: you don’t need more time.
You need a strategy.
Enter… habit stacking.
Habit stacking is a fancy name for attaching new habits onto stuff you’re already doing.
It’s sneaky. It’s simple. And it actually works.
New habits take effort, and effort takes energy—especially when you’re trying to wedge something new into a busy day that already feels too full.
Your brain loves routines. When you link a new behavior to an existing one, it helps make it feel familiar and natural.
You don’t have to reinvent your whole schedule or rely on willpower. You just attach the new habit to something that’s already on autopilot.
You’re already brushing your teeth and making coffee, right?
Stack a habit on top of that and make your brain think it’s no big deal.
Here are the steps:
- Pick a habit you already do without thinking.
- Attach your new habit to that routine.
- Keep it short and doable.
Here are some examples:
- Before I make coffee, I’ll make my bed.
- After I brush my teeth, I’ll stretch for 30 seconds.
- After I empty the dishwasher, I’ll drink 8 ounces of water.
- After I check my email, I’ll delete one email.
- When I drink my morning coffee, I’ll take deep breaths for one minute.
- After I park the car in the driveway, I’ll take one piece of trash out of the car.
That’s it. One small action stacked onto another.
It keeps things simple, and it makes habits easier to remember.
Over time, these tiny additions stack up to something much bigger: consistency, confidence, and real momentum.
What’s something you already do every day?
Stack a new habit on top (or underneath) and let it grow from there.
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