Habit Stacking Thread 📚

[Mellmars1185]

Hello BIC! Habit stacking is something I have been doing mindfully for the past few years now and thought it would be fun to discuss and share here. It has helped me save time, be more efficient and have more time for what is important to me (spend time with family/friends, scroll on BIC, read).

What is habit stacking?

Habit stacking is essentially exactly what it sounds like: taking a new habit and adding it to something you already do habitually. Habit stacking works by identifying a habit or a behavior you want to start doing and tacking it onto something you already do regularly.

Example (I do all of these at the same time):

First Habit - Prepping and making a meal in the Instant Pot

Second - Put a load of laundry on while the food is cooking

Third - Putting hair oil on my scalp or put a hair mask in

Forth - Work out (while I am working out, dinner is cooking, laundry is washing and my hair is getting a treatment)

I thought maybe this could be a space where we discuss our habit stacking, share ideas, support, learn and motivate eachother. 

What habit stacking did you do today? 

 

 

Spoiler

I am open for suggestions for this thread. Maybe we can do challenges weekly or monthly?

[CynthieLu]

Those are great stacks @Sunnysmom👌

And taking the time to find things that bring you joy and help calm your mind, that's absolutely beautiful. ✨

[Sunnysmom]

It’s such a great reminder. I think @Mellmars1185 should patent this too! 🥰

[Mellmars1185]

@Sunnysmom Thank you for sharing! You are such an amazing pup mom ❤️. Walking can be so calming. I think that is a great way for you and your pups to get fresh air (and for you to clear your mind). Finding joy in things cam really set the tone for a positive day and mindset.  I really am getting inspired to walk from this thread. I think I need to write 'go for a walk' on my to do list. Can you garden all year round where you are? Where I am about late May - September is when I am able to garden. 

[Sunnysmom]

Thanks @Mellmars1185 , they’re truly such an important part of my life and help me in so many ways! They deserve service dog status 💯! 🤣 I hope even small walks can be beneficial and cumulative, I hear they do! 

Yes we can garden all year but sometimes it looks much better and worse than others! Lol It’s kind of a raggedy time right now for example! Ugh. I’m not a huge fan of digging in the dirt too much (leave that to the hubs lol) but I love to do other stuff! The The BIC Plant and Gardening Thread is a fun one to get such good inspiration too! I can’t believe how talented some folks are! 🌸 

[ather]

@Mellmars1185  Great idea!! I love habit stacking! I love to take a nice bath and paint my nails since I am confined in the bath I can’t ruin them! Since I don’t do well staying still! 

[CynthieLu]

Clever! @ather 

I like to do my nails after I'm done everything in the evening. Cleaning, pj's, face care etc.

I sit and watch a favorite show or movie and they mostly dry, and then they have all night to set. 😉

[ather]

@CynthieLu  so smart! I should do that. I always forget to wash my face and I’m messing my nails up! But that’s a great way to relax! Doing my nails is my fav way to end my day! 

[Mellmars1185]

@ather Smart idea! I should try that next time. Ny husband got me one of those wooden bath trays and I have never used it. He would be so happy if he heard I used it. Up until now I actually forgot I had it!. Thank you for this! How long do your nails typically take to dry?

[ather]

@Mellmars1185  Ooooo I need to upgrade my bathroom and get one of those trays. Such a great idea! I usually paint a coat wait 10 minutes between coats. And maybe 20 mins after the last coat before I do anything. Even if I am using a quick dry! Just to be safe!!! 

[CynthieLu]

Thank you for the tag @Mellmars1185 I think these are good discussions. They give me handy ideas for my own life. 

I tend to think about habit stacking around the house, when I'm doing chores mostly. For example,  I'll tidy the kitchen the same time I prepare meals, if it's a dinner that requires alot of attention I can organize, tidy etc.. while I'm in the area between steps in the meal.

[heartsmyface]

@CynthieLu  I do this too.  It’s a little mantra I have to leave things better than I found them.  So if there’s a mess arounf an area imm using I’ll attempt to tidy it while doing what I’m doing.  
I’m not sure If this makes me a happier person overall cause sometimes it feels like I’ve been cleaning all day, but clear spaces make me calm. 

[CynthieLu]

I really like that mantra, and it just makes sense! @heartsmyface 💖 I also relate, I don't know if it makes me happier on all levels ( some members of my household leave things like a tornado passed through 😩) but I gain alot of peace from a little bit of clean and tidy in the areas of our home.

[Mellmars1185]

@CynthieLu Great idea. I think cleaning as you go makes things so much easier at the end of a meal. It is nice to make things a bit easier for ourselves when we can ☺️

[CynthieLu]

Yes! Most of my dinner clean up is finished as I go. And usually the remainder dishes are for my kiddo or spouse if I cooked the meal. 💕 @Mellmars1185 

[Mellmars1185]

@CynthieLu That is how it should be, right? I think I need to give them a friendly reminder about the dishes 😆

[CynthieLu]

Definitely remind them. @Mellmars1185  I feel so much better when the work of the house is shared. The mental load of caring for your home is invisible but we definitely feel it. ❤️

[danielledanielle]

I've actually been telling clients to do this @Mellmars1185 , don't know if it's worked for them yet, but they seemed interested.  You might need to trademark this term 🤣

[Mellmars1185]

@danielledanielle That makes me so happy it is spreading. I can't wait to hear if this works for them. Hehe I can't take credit for the term. I heard it on a podcast!!! 🤓

[itsfi]

An impromptu habit stack 

We had a couple of days this week of unexpected power outages in my neighborhood. I wasn't impacted by the first one, but the second one ... Well, I went to light my candles (see, I knew my candle purchases would come in handy! 😉🤣) and then thought, "huh, I should do some restorative yoga by candlelight." And so I did! This habit stacking thread has gotten me into a good mindset, @Mellmars1185; thank you!

Also, just for the record, my big takeaway from this was "buy more candles." 😂🤣😂🤣

[Mellmars1185]

@itsfi Wow I am inspired how you took an unplanned outage and turned it into something positive. I hope you were not out for too long. It probably helped you with less screen time also! I think more candles doesn't hurt especially when it comes to yoga by the candle light. Do you think you will continue this habit even when you do have power? I am glad this thread has helped! I am sorry you lost power, but it sounds like you made the best of it 🕯💡 🧘‍♀️

[itsfi]

Habit Stack Check-In #3 - it's been about 4 weeks since my last check in. I've made some tweaks to my habit stacks during that time, but for the most part, all has been going well @Mellmars1185. Yaaay! 

Habit Stack - Reading for leisure while waiting for dinner to finish cooking; 2-3 times per week

• Well, I've been reading for leisure and I've been cooking dinner, but I have not been stacking those habits together since my last check in 
• Last month, I took these two habits and ended up stacking two different activities with them. It wasn't so much deliberate and planned as I just sorta fell into it. I'm not sure if that means I have 2 different habit stacks or if this is just a temporary thing. 
• Habit Stack 1A - Reading for leisure was happening 2-3 times per week on average, for 30 minutes to 2+ hours at a time. Instead of reading while cooking dinner, I would do it while eating my lunch or treating myself to coffee/tea and likely a snack/treat. With the latter, I'd often walk to the cafe/patisserie so that got in some exercise, fresh air, and vitamin D (sun). 
• Habit Stack 1B - Instead of reading for leisure while waiting for dinner to finish cooking, i would work on some stretching exercises. I had some adjustment work done because I learned my shoulder was over-rotated. Following that, I've been doing stretching exercises. Most of that is done at set times during the week, but to get in some more stretching, I've been doing a handful of them when I'm cooking dinner or meal prepping - waiting for water to boil, or fish to finish steaming or baking, etc.

Habit Stack - Drinking at least one glass of water during morning and evening skincare routine (that's 16 oz down right there, if I stick to it)

• This has been going very well. I am pretty sure that's been the case for the last couple of weeks because it has been very warm here and hydration is at the forefront of my mind. 
• I've actually been doing this 3x per day because my evening routine is split in two parts - one shortly after I get home from work (take off my makeup and take my routine all the way through the moisturizer step) and then the last part about a half hour before bed (face oil, lip care, and (occasionally) a sleeping mask)

Habit Stack - Digital Detox & Self Care (to unwind, destress, and sleep better)

• The self-care portion (unwinding, restorative yoga, setting out clothes before going to bed) has gone better than the digital detox portion of this habit stack, at least during the first half of this last week. I had my phone on my nightstand instead of outside of the bedroom, but got back on track with the 4th of July holiday. I will say also that after having my shoulder adjusted, I have been sleeping so much better - quality-wise and as far as the number of hours go between waking up during the night. Ahhhhhh!!! Feels so good.