Sundays feel a little incomplete without the NFL on the boob tube. Truth be told, I watch very few games, but I like it on in the background.
It’s kinda become a habit during the football season.
Speaking of…on last Thursday’s last LIVE Q&A call, we had a great group discussion about what works for our Crew to build habits that actually stick for the long-term.
And one of the tricks that a lot on the call use, consciously and unconsciously, is “habit stacking”.
I first learned about the concept from the book Atomic Habits by James Clear – I highly recommend it.
So, the idea is that instead of building a habit around a particular time or location, you handcuff it to a current habit.
For example:
After I rinse the soap off at the end of my shower, I will turn the water cold for one minute.
After I sit down to dinner, I will say one thing I’m grateful happened that day.
After I put on my morning coffee, I will drink 24 oz of water.
Here’s the formula:
After/Before [Current Habit], I will [New Habit]
It has worked like gangbusters for us to build a lot of habits.
So, every morning when my coffee is brewing, I do my Daily Motion EFD routine. It’s our 5-7 minute mobility routine designed to grease our golf joints.
Our co-founder Ryan works out in his parents’ basement (no, he doesn’t live there:). As soon as he turns the power ON the tv and it’s warming up, he immediately starts his pre-workout warm-up.
If that weren’t enough, we can put the whole thing on steroids by stacking habits on top of habits on top of habits.
Here’s an example from the book:
- After I pour my morning cup of coffee, I will meditate for sixty seconds.
- After I meditate for sixty seconds, I will write my to-do list for the day.
- After I write my to-do list for the day, I will immediately begin my first task.
That’s gold Jerry, gold.
It is worth noting that you may already be stacking negative habits:
After I wake up in the morning, I check my email (it’s been proven that is a horrible way to start your day).
After I crack open a brewsky, I have a cig (self-explanatory why that’s bad).
So, the next step is for you to find a current habit, then handcuff a new habit you want to build to it.
And be specific!
You’ve got this.
Stay Strong,
Jeff Pelizzaro
PS – If you need help, here’s a good stack that came up with an app member:
Each day when I check my email on my phone (we all do), I open the 18STRONG App and check which workout I’m doing that day.
It doesn’t have to be the app. It could be your calendar. Because of course your workouts are on your calendar, right?