Habit stacking has become a somewhat trendy phrase on social media, but you might not fully understand what it means. Habit stacking simply means stacking a new behavior you would like to implement into your routine on top of an old one. By adding it alongside a regular habit you already do, you’re increasing the likelihood that you’ll stick with the new habit. Essentially one habit is a cue for the next and helps you creat simple and repeatable routines.
I think of habit stacking more as multi tasking. We all have very busy lives and have a million things we are trying to accomplish each day. I saw this funny gif of a woman walking on a treadmill, drinking her Stanley water bottle, with her LED face mask on and that’s essentially what I think of when I think of habit stacking. I feel like I can accomplish way more throughout the day when I combine certain habits. Here is an example of 5 different ways I habit stack or multitask most days.
- WALKING + EYE PATCHES + PODCAST
Anytime I’m walking on the treadmill and not taking a Peloton class I’m listening to a podcast. I’ve recently layered on wearing my morning eye patches during a walk in order to make wearing those patches a habit. - READING + LEGS UP THE WALL + LED FACE MASK
When I’m finally in bed in the evening and ready to read my book I will spend 20 minutes with my legs up the wall and my face mask on. I love this combo so much! - STRETCH BEFORE BED + FACE MASK + AUDIBLE
Whether I take a Peloton stretch class or not, I always do at least 5-10 minutes of stretching before I get into bed. I take this opportunity to throw on my LED mask or another beauty face mask I have in my drawer and listen to my book. This is such a s great way for me to unwind before bed. - DISHES + NIGHT TIME DRINK + AUDIBLE
This might sounds weird, but if I’m totally into my audible book I don’t dread cleaning up the house once the girls are down for the night. It’s my way to transition from being on with the girls to getting into my evening. The second I say goodnight I throw on my headphones, make my night time drink, and listen to my book while cleaning up the kitchen, folding laundry, etc. - FOAM ROLL + WATCH A SHOW + NIGHT TIME DRINK
I 100% will just veg out and watch a show, but sometimes I prefer to multi task ;). In the evening, I will get the foam roller out, sip on my night time drink and watch a show with my husband. I feel like 10-15 mins of foam rolling goes by so fast when watching a show and my body is thankful that I did it! - WALK ON TREADMILL + READ EMAILS + ATHLETIC GREENS/COFFEE
On mornings when I feel like I have a ton of stuff in my inbox that I need/want to read I will do it on the treadmill. I obviously have to walk at a slower pace, but feel like I’m accomplishing more by getting in some steps, cleaning up my inbox, and sipping on my morning greens. I feel very accomplished after 45-60 minutes of this.
What are your favorite habit stacking combos??
xx, A
