Last Sunday, our pastor shared a little bit about his morning routine. It included a very specific and meticulous process of preparing his coffee and then taking that coffee to the spot where he spends time in prayer and study. What he was describing is what James Clear calls Habit Stacking in his book, Atomic Habits. This is the process in which you take something you already do and add another activity that will become a habit because it is attached to a habit that is already established. Our pastor shared that he has the habit of making his coffee every morning at the same time. To make sure that he gets his prayer and Bible reading in every morning, he does it as he enjoys his cup of coffee. Thus, the Bible reading is now connected to his morning coffee. If there is a good habit you want to establish, think of the habits you already have and attach it to one of those. Here are some habits James Clear mentions that most of us have already established.
- Get out of bed
- Take a shower
- Brush your teeth
- Get dressed
- Eat breakfast
- Take the kids to school
- Start the work day
- Eat lunch
- End the work day
- Sit down for dinner
- Turn off the lights
- Get into bed
What habit can you attach to one of these? I attach flossing to brushing my teeth. I attach feeding the cat to eating breakfast. When I start my work day, I meet with Arturo to discuss the tasks of the day. When I end the work day, I clear off my desk and turn all my devices off. When I turn off the lights on the first floor before bedtime, I check all the doors to make sure they are locked. Habit stacking can be a very efficient way to establish new habits. Try one and see what happens.