Habit Stacking

6 days ago
2 min read

The realisation that it’s Wednesday already hit me like a ton of bricks just now! It’s a good thing I put a note about posting this blog on my weekly to-do list, otherwise it would have gone right out of my head. That’s what happened last week: I blinked and it was Thursday, and I realise I had completely forgotten about my weekly Wednesday post!

You see, although I’m committed to being consistent in posting blogs, it has not yet become a habit. It is still something that I need to consciously remind myself about. A few months ago I learned about habit stacking, which is basically creating a new habit by expanding on an existing one, as this then makes it easier. For example: I used to forget to take off my ring when I go swimming, but now I hook my ring on to the arm of my glasses, which I always take off before swimming. By adding on a new habit to a regular one (and knowing that I expect to see my ring on my glasses arm when I place it in my bag before I swim), I have a much better chance of remembering. So I need to find a habit stacker for these blogs!

Think about what habits you would like to implement into your routines; how can you habit stack so that it becomes easier for you? I’ve been talking more with parents about using screens less. Some of the comments have been that it would be so difficult to do. This is understandable, because if you’re going from something being a huge part of your routine to eliminating it completely - without having a substitute - this can be very difficult to conceptualise. If we start to habit stack, or get a smaller step closer to the big goal, it might be more doable. Try it with yourself: if right now your usual screen time is to cut off at 10pm but you are ultimately aiming for 9pm, try to cut off at 9:45pm each day instead. (Side note: Lunch & Learn episode #3 will be on Screen Time!)

Over the next week, let’s all try to stick to our goals by using strategies such as habit stacking, so that not only can we stay focused, but we can give ourselves some grace in the process!