Habit Stacking ~ Trust Your Mind & Body

Dear Thoughtful Leader, Conscious Creative, Mindfulness Practitioner,

We know that consistency is key to maintaining long lasting, reliable daily habits. But, do we trust in our minds and our bodies enough to assist us in achieving our life goals? We should, right? Especially because there’s scientific backing that highlights the amazing capabilities of human potential. Simultaneously, there’s evidence that simplifies the process and the development of mental stamina, subtle awareness, and physical endurance. For instance, we can explore how and why we can rely on muscle memory for athletic performance. There is a simple, yet profound intelligence residing in our bodies! Coaches, players, lifters, trainers, etc. use muscle memory techniques to optimize talent and refine skill. There’s also explanations that brain experts provide that can help us to unravel the mysteries of memory recall, retention, visualization, and more. This knowledge can transform our perspective on how we can depend on our minds in order to study and work with more efficiency as well as play with more enjoyment! ​Let’s turn to a NY times best selling author, speaker, and former athlete to dive into the deeper details. Let's learn and practice a simple technique that can allow us to renew our trust with the mind and body! According to James Clear, our mind-body connection already performs in a way that strings together habits in a harmonious way that we should probably be more grateful for! In his book Atomic Habits, he writes: “You probably have very strong habits and connections that you take for granted each day. For example, your brain is probably very efficient at remembering to take a shower each morning or to brew your morning cup of coffee or to open the blinds when the sun rises … or thousands of other daily habits. You can take advantage of these strong connections to build new habits. How? When it comes to building new habits, you can use the connectedness of behavior to your advantage. 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.”

Practice ~ Habit Stacking

Set Aside10 Minutes To:

1. Make An Old Habit List: Notate 5 old habits you’re used to performing throughout the day (Examples: meditate, drink tea/coffee, workout, shower, eat)

2. Make A New Habit List: Record 5 new habits that you want to incorporate more regularly in your daily routine (Examples: drink more water, read and research, learn a new skill, clean and declutter, connect with family and friends)

3. Pick Your Top 4: Choose 2 habits from your 1st list. These actions and tasks you’re pretty much on auto pilot to remember and perform daily. Now, pick 2 from your 2nd list. These are actions and tasks that you are working to incorporate into your daily routine.

4. Create Your Old Habit/New Habit Statements​: For instance, after I meditate for 10 minutes, I will read for 10 minutes. Feel free to create reminders, timers, and/or alarms for your habits until you get comfortable with the practice.

5. Read James Clear’s Instructions: Gain more clarity and refine your habit stacks straight from the expert! Check Out This Link → James Clear Habit Stacking

Jessi’s Example

• Step 1 ~ My list of 5 old habits I am used to performing daily include:

1. Meditate

2. Drink mineral water

3. Prep for the day

4. Review nutrition and hydration

5. Workout and/or Stretch

• Step 2 ~ My list of 5 habits I want to incorporate more regularly include:

1. Learn/Practice a word a day (language study)

2. Read 5 pages or read for 10 minutes

3. Clean and declutter for 30 minutes

4. Drink more water and track my progress

5. Connect with family, friends, and coworkers

• ​Step 3 ~ Here are my top 4 habits (2 old habits, 2 new habits)

1. Meditate for 10 min (Old Habit #1)

2. Workout and/or stretch (Old Habit #2)​

3. Clean and declutter for 30 min (New Habit #1)

4. Connect with friends and family (New Habit #2)

• Step 4 ~ Here are my Old Habit/New Habit Statements​

1. After I meditate, I will clean and/or declutter

2. After I workout and/or stretch, I will connect with family and friends

• Step 5 ~ Read James Clear's Instructions:

Gain more clarity and refine your habit stacks with the knowledge coming straight from the expert! ​ Check Out This Link → James Clear Habit Stacking ​

Learn More

“There is a phenomenon that happens as we age called synaptic pruning. Synapses are connections between the neurons in your brain. The basic idea is that your brain prunes away connections between neurons that don't get used and builds up connections that get used more frequently." - James Clear ​ Learn more techniques about productivity, energy conservation, and time management that's a little bit more outside of the box than your average article on these topics: Get the book → Atomic Habits Book

---

Original Post ~ 7.22.21 ~ Habit Stacking ~ Trust Your Mind & Body