Habit Stacking: How It Boosts Productivity and 5 Ways to Do It Today

Building habits into your daily routine is crucial to accomplishing your goals. You may have general work or health goals in your mind, but you won’t achieve them unless you implement the habits that will get you there. It can seem overwhelming to change habits and get rid of those that are no longer serving you, this is why I love the art of habit stacking.

Habit stacking can increase your productivity and make it easier to get through your day. Here’s how you can make the most of it.

What is habit Stacking?

Some habits are neutral and don’t really impact your day. You might chew gum while you ride the train. However, not chewing won’t prevent the train from arriving at its destination. Your life won’t drastically change. 

Other habits are bad. They can harm you or have long-term impacts on your life. Biting your nails can permanently damage them, and not staying hydrated could make you feel lethargic and less productive at work. 

You can avoid or eliminate bad habits by replacing them with good ones that positively affect your life. However, that is easier said than done. A new pattern is as hard to begin as it is to break. Habit stacking can help. 

Author S.J. Scott popularized the term “habit stacking” in his book “Habit Stacking: 97 Small Life Changes That Take Five Minutes or Less.” The process connects a positive habit to one already in your routine, eventually pairing to or replacing the old one. Your brain blends the two until the new one becomes natural. 

How Habit Stacking Improves Productivity

Your productivity doesn’t land on a straight line. It changes hour by hour, ebbing and flowing with your physical and mental energy. Sometimes, unexpected events can shake up a day, either boosting your adrenaline or making it harder to complete your tasks. 

Productivity impacts many aspects of your life. Being productive at work could lead to a promotion, and falling behind can end your career. Engaging and connecting with your friends and family strengthens relationships and provides social and emotional stimulation. 

Making necessary high-productivity tasks habits reduces the mental energy you need to complete them. It doesn’t mean zoning out but getting used to tasks to make them easier. Things like opening your office calendar can feel daunting. Stacking it with drinking your morning coffee can make it a natural part of your day.

5 Ways to Use Habit Stacking for Productivity

When life gets busy, developing habits to stack can feel impossible. Here are five ways to use habit stacking to improve your productivity and enjoy your day better. 

1. Journal While Eating Breakfast

Your morning routine is vital to physically and mentally preparing for the day ahead. While skipping breakfast or eating something quick at your desk is tempting, having a breakfast ritual can start your day. 

Journaling while you eat breakfast can have many benefits. If you want to build the journaling habit but can’t find the time for it, combining it with breakfast can help you practice two healthy habits at once. 

Writing down your thoughts and goals can help clear your mind and motivate you to conquer the day, while eating breakfast will give you the fuel you need to do so. It’s a win-win!

2. Organize Your Desk While Turning On Your Computer

A neat and tidy workspace is key in having a productive day, but it might not always be your priority when you have things to do. It’s easy to leave papers or trash on your desk when you log off for the evening, especially if you need to go pick up your kids or start cooking dinner. 

While your computer is booting up at the beginning of your day, take those few minutes to tidy up anything that’s out of place. Keep a recycling bin or shredder by your desk to easily discard any papers you don’t need. If you have items like paper clips or pens floating around, be sure to have a designated container or desk drawer to put them away. 

You’d be surprised how much you can improve your space in the few minutes it takes to start your computer.

3. Catch up on a Favorite Audiobook or Podcast While Running Errands

Self-care is essential; entertainment is a great way to fit it in during a busy day. Podcasts and audiobooks provide information, connect you with favorite entertainers, and delve into fantasy worlds. They’re often long enough to last during a commute or workout. Incorporating downtime into your busy day helps improve work/life balance, which can help if you have to take work home with you. About 26% of salaried employees work outside of job hours, so you’re not alone.

Listen to podcasts while on the treadmill, cleaning the house or taking the kids to school. Doing so can help you wake up, destress, and simplify tedious tasks. Investing in yourself when your world is busy can be hard, but doing so can help you stay mentally well. You can’t give your best to others when you're stressed. 

4. Brainstorm While Doing Laundry

One of the benefits of remote work is you can take breaks to complete home tasks. Multitasking is a learned skill, and if you find yourself staring at your computer screen, taking a brainstorming break can help. 

A work-life balance is arguably more challenging to achieve for remote workers. When you are working at home, you don’t have the physical distance going to the office forces you to have. Keeping work a room away could make it harder to stay away from. Dedicating your laundry time to work thoughts and mental planning can be a positive compromise. 

Laundry is often a tedious task that is relatively simple to complete. It’s also not often a group activity. Stacking a brainstorming session when doing your laundry helps you center your leftover work energy to focus more on time with family and friends.

5. Turn On Background Noise When You Turn On Lights

Ambient noise can help you stay productive, and there are many forms to choose from. Research shows moderate ambient noise can boost your productivity, whether you prefer ocean sounds, lo-fi music or light static. 

The problem with introducing ambient sounds into your routine is that it’s an easy step to forget. Stacking it by turning on your lights is easy to remember. You can place a Bluetooth speaker near your light switch and habitually turn both on.

Using Habit Stacking to Boost Productivity

Habit stacking is an excellent way to introduce positive habits into your daily routine. Doing so can make it easier to get things done when you aren’t feeling as productive and can improve your work and personal life.

Author bio: Cora Gold is a freelance writer who strives to live a simple but productive life. She is the Editor-in-Chief of women’s lifestyle magazine, Revivalist. Connect with Cora on LinkedIn and Twitter.