Another habit!

I’ve read James Clear’s Atomic Habits once, cover to cover, and then re-read different parts many times over the years since. It’s one of the most useful books I own.

One enduring idea I’ve taken from it is that of habit stacking.

That is, once you’ve established a new habit, an easy way to amplify your success is to stack another habit on top of it.

Like this:

  • After I get up, I go to the kitchen and make coffee for the day (habit 1).
  • After I’ve made my coffee, I make a note of how long I slept (habit 2).
  • After I’ve made that note, I write in my five-minute journal (habit 3).
  • After I’ve written in my journal, I plan my day (habit 4).
  • And so on…

Two things:

1 – Start small, with one habit (maybe two, if they’re really closely tied together), and don’t start stacking until the first habit is established (I forget, 20-some days?).

2 – As long as you adhere to #1 above, the sky’s the limit for how many habits you stack on there!

Habitually yours,
James

P.S. Thanks to Rachel at Magic Words Marketing for bringing Atomic Habits to mind and inspiring this piece!