Habit Stacking

      Habit Stacking: 127 Small Changes to Improve your Health, Wealth, and Happiness

By: S.J Scott 

Introduction and Context 

The first edition of Habit Stacking: 97 small changes that take five minutes or less was written in April 2014 but was criticized. Many argued that the habits concept wasn't explained thoroughly, and some small actions seemed highly simplistic. Hence the author continued with a second edition in 2017 titled Habit Stacking: 127 small changes to improve your health, wealth, and happiness, which, like its prequel, are also about incorporating change by focusing on a series of small changes and building a routine to be followed daily.  

Author and Style 

Author SJ Scott is a psychology and business graduate who has written over 30 books in the self-improvement genre, an area he is passionate about. He devotes much time to blogging and podcasting; his blog is called Develop Good Habits and has written material on Habit-related titles is available at HabitBooks.com. His style of writing is very humorous and descriptive.  

The Big Idea: How to bring positive changes in your life by modifying your routine 

Habit Stacking is all about incorporating a single routine in our lives that brings in many small changes in our habits. The author introduces some of the leading life goals of individuals such as career, finance, health, leisure, organizing, relationships, and spirituality and gives some habits in each area justified by the type, the best time to practice the Habit, frequency, and Benefit.  

The three types of habits elaborated are Keystone, Supporting, and Elephant Habits; keystone Habits being the significant habits to work on, supporting habits as the name suggests supporting or helping to achieve the primary habits and Elephants habits being those which help in breaking down gigantic tasks. Scott beautifully jots down all the Habits, many of which continue his previous works and what category they should fall in. 

Small changes in routine can lead to big changes 

Habit Stacking includes incorporating small actions into one's everyday life that would set off a chain of positive reactions through life. These small habits positively impact the top long-term goals. As a result, the person feels more accomplished, fulfilled, and has a better sense of direction. A simple example of Habit stacking could be eating a healthy breakfast, having a great conversation with near and dear ones, and then starting off the day focusing on the critical tasks at hand. The end of the workday for that person may be more productive and fruitful than someone who would follow the same actions. Continuous Habit Stacking requires minor changes in daily routine and not an enormous effort on the part of the person 

One Routine + Multiple Habits = Habit Stacking 

However, to set forth a routine, it is imperative to have some motivation for the task. Motivation pushes people to go for something or continue with a job. Still, unfortunately, it is and cannot be the only thing that drives the subject.  

Willpower is of paramount importance as well. Unlike Motivation, Willpower is like a muscle. It tends to deplete by the end of the day. Most people tend to get exhausted mentally and physically by the end of the working day. Maximum willpower is in the morning; hence habits should be such that the primary chunk of cumbersome work is completed early.  

Sometimes, anchoring a small routine into a more extensive routine also helps with habit stacking. Suppose a person wants to write a novel, instead of writing it in one sitting. In that case, they could schedule a few words every day after a particular activity. Soon, this activity would become a part of their daily routine, and they could get done with the novel eventually. 

Goals provide direction to life, and habits help in achieving them 

Goals are essential in Habit stacking. They give the much-needed direction to life and provide the set of motivational impetus to move ahead with set ideas, plans, etc. Aligning the two, i.e., goals and habits, helps in goal setting and goal achievement. For example, if the routine of weight checking absorbs the goal of weight loss once a day, it would aid the person in the weight loss process and is a healthy habit. 

Habits should also relate to priorities; some of these are long-term plans for one's career, finance, health, leisure, organizing, relationships, and spirituality. The habit of managing finance, organizing a workspace, and taking time out for the family all help in the individual's overall development as they give a much-needed emotional and even physical break from the toils of everyday life.  

The key to consistency is inculcating a habit and treating it like a single action instead of a series of individual tasks. Attaching a habit stack with an existing habit also helps in this regard; a new habit of texting your spouse/ partner once a day that you miss them etc. can be adjusted with the habit of calling them; sometimes a simple, powerful message is all one needs to put their point across and make the other person feel loved and appreciated!  

The author also advocates tips such as completing each habit in less than five minutes to avoid procrastination, making a checklist to progress and including mainly goal-related habits in their routine. The value of habit stacking does not come from individual actions; most people already know what they should do to improve their lives; they just lack the right tools and notions to move forward with it. 

Preparing a schedule for work and breaking down big projects into manageable chunks are practices that can improve work efficiency. Financial planning and cutting down unnecessary expenses are key to achieving long-term stability

Money is an incredibly important aspect of one's life; without being overtly materialistic, anyone who understands the real value of Money would know that it is one of the first and foremost considerations, and taking good care of the same would improve his or her life vastly. Money gives one freedom and choices. Usually, the best way to achieve your financial goals is to prepare for a good career. Research shows that college-educated people earn almost twice as much as those without a degree. 

Some of the habits to ensure a better career and financial stability are; scheduling your day, removing disturbances at work, identifying tasks to delegate, tracking expenses, and reviewing financial spending. First and foremost, people should plan their day diligently; one should narrow down to the three most important tasks. This would eliminate unnecessary delays and reduce workload. 

 Most Managers would agree that chunking down a project into manageable steps helps improve the final output. Similarly, hiring virtual assistants also frees up time and is an excellent way to delegate work; numerous apps and websites provide VA services.  

Technology has come a long way. There are apps for everything. Not surprisingly, some apps remove disturbances while working. These sites block unnecessary pop-ups and gaming/ music sites that are usually accessed, freeing the person and making them more focused. Automating work is the latest fad in the market, but it is also a good habit as it makes work more productive and saves on hard manual labor. 

 Scott advises a better system to track financial expenses on the financial front. He pens down habits such as merging accounts into a tool like mint or personal capital to make tracking easier. Buying things only for value and making alternatives for small, recurring purchases are also some financial words of wisdom. The author thinks that packing a meal, coffee, or lunch, cuts down on unnecessary purchases. Financial planning helps one gather short and long-term financial goals and create a balanced plan to meet those goals. 

It is crucial to inculcate healthy habits for a healthy life, and also engage in leisure and spiritual activities for personal development 

Health is the biggest wealth we have. Our mental, emotional and physical well-being is vital to our productivity, success, and happiness. Naturally, building healthy habits for own welfare is a smart and solid move. The author details some habits that can ensure better health and happiness. For example, maintaining a food journal and using a tool like my fitness pal help keep track of diet and exercise routine. 

 Doctors advise that forty-five minutes of exercise per day is a must. Building Habits like keeping reminders for the same serves the long-term purpose. Another equally healthy habit is taking daily Vitamins. It is all too common to miss out on wholesome nutrition in our busy lives. 

Next, the author advocates leisure and spirituality Habits for personal development. These Habits are unique to each individual as everyone has separate tastes and preferences. But small changes in routine like reading a book, solving a puzzle, learning a new word, exercising, and charging the brain. Spirituality is a higher-order need and can have various definitions, but daily meditation, relaxing, and deep breathing boost focus and concentration. 

Final Summary  

Personal development is a concept not limited to self-help; modern organizations also cover formal and informal activities to develop personnel at work; or in roles such as a teacher, guide, counselor, life coach, and mentor. Personal development activities improve awareness and identity, develop potential and talent, facilitate employment and build human capital. Scott's book on habit stacking is a personal development toolkit; on developing habits that make one more productive. The book offers step-by-step methods and how they stand to benefit the doer.  

Adding a couple of new Habits to our daily routine is not simple. It isn't easy to maintain; most people lose track quickly in a few days. But it is pretty easy to build a single new routine, i.e., incorporating all new habits into one single routine. The essence of habit stacking is to take a series of small changes (like drinking adequate water or sending a loving text message to your significant other) and build a ritual that you follow daily. It usually works because it eliminates the stress of changing too many things at once.  

Stand out sections of the book  

• The opening chapter describes in detail the author's story and how he got around to developing these habits. 
• The second part of the book answers some questions that we tend to ask ourselves while setting our goals. 
• In the third chapter, the author gives a solution to everyday problems and elucidates how habit stacking can be developed into a powerful routine.