Ok I’m sure you’re wondering what on earth I’m talking about. Piggy backs?  Well, this month is all about creating sustainable Healthy Habits so one of the easiest ways to create a new habit is to STACK it or PIGGYBACK it with another habit you have already established.

 

Everytime you complete something, the stronger and more efficient your neuro connection becomes to that habit. Think about bruising your teeth.  You don’t stop and question…hummm should I brush my teeth? NO! You do it without thinking about it. Your brain has already developed these strong networks of neurons to support your current habits. 

 

We want to harness the power of these already established connections!  

 

One of the best ways to build a new habit is to identify a current habit you already do each day and then stack your new behavior on top. This is called habit stacking.

 

Habit stacking is a special form of an Implementation Intention. Rather than pairing your new habit with a particular time and location, you pair it with a current habit. This method, which was created by BJ Fogg as part of his Tiny Habits program, can be used to design an obvious cue for nearly any habit.

 

Here are some examples:

 

• Before I pour my cup of coffee each morning, I will drink a large glass of water.
• After I take off my work shoes, I will immediately change into my workout clothes.
• After I sit down to dinner, I will say one thing I’m grateful for that happened today.
• After I get into bed at night, I will give my partner a kiss.
• After I put on my running shoes, I will text a friend or family member where I am running and how long it will take.

 

These current habits are already built into your brain. You have strengthened these patterns for years. By connecting your new habits to one that is already built into your brain, you are far more likely to stick to the new behavior!

 

One thing that is super important is to find the right trigger. We will cover that in our Thursday Thoughts Post so get a pen and paper ready and we will see you then.

 

Save this post along with Thursdays and use it as a reminder when life gets busy and you need help getting back on track.

 

What habits have you stacked?  Share with us your successes.