It is not only smart to start with a small win regarding taste by first eating a vegetable with some sauce on it, there is also the value of engaging in behavior that initially requires minimal effort. My physical therapist, for instance, encourages me to try five minutes on my tread mill or a 3-minute walk with my wife and puppy. As Scott recommends, we should “build our routine around habits that don’t require a lot of effort.” While “psychological retribution” forces us to stop in our tracks and give second and third thoughts to undertaking a challenging task, the tasks that yield small wins, such as the 5 minutes on a treadmill, will build “emotional momentum” because they’re easy to remember and complete. “You want to get started with these ‘no-brainer’ activities because they will eliminate the likelihood that you’ll skip a day due to a feeling of overwhelm or general busyness” – or face psychological retribution.
Step 3: Pick a Time and Location
Scott notes that: “Every stack should be anchored to a trigger related to a location, time of day, or combination of both.” There are the morning rituals and the rituals (habits) we engage when preparing for bed. The key feature of habit stacking seems to be that we don’t just engage a routine at the two ends of our day, but that we find times and locations during the middle of the day for the engagement of healthy habits, such as meditation or exercise. We can also review daily goals at a time of day when we often drift off into daydreaming or aimless behavior. Scott offers his own suggestion: “At work, in the morning: You just got to the office, so instead of checking your email or social media (like most people do), maximize the first few hours by creating an environment that allows you to focus on your high-level tasks. . . . At work, on your lunch break: The middle of the day is a great time to complete a stack. You’ve just worked for a few hours, so you’ll probably feel a decrease in energy.”
As Scott mentions, the small win-able habits could include meditating, taking a brisk walk, getting in a seven-minute workout (or five-minute workout in my case), calling an accountability partner, or completing a mini-flow activity (such as I describe later in this essay). The point I would emphasize is location. When we are in the “right place” then we do the “right stuff.” For instance, I am much more “in the mood” to work for at least five minutes on a treadmill when I am meeting with my physical therapist and using her treadmill (preceded by her work on my aging limbs).
In many cases, we are looking for a Sanctuary for stacking up our habits. This sanctuary could be a gym, our den, a trail through our nearby woods – or the office of a physical therapist. As I have often noted in my writing (e.g. Bergquist, xxx), a sanctuary is a place where we can re-store our health, our spirit, or our soul. It is also a place where we can learn micro (yet often profound) things about ourselves (including our ability to find small winds).
While the physical therapist is of great value to me in promoting the stacking of habits, it is also the service provided by a thoughtful and caring coach that can be of great value. The coach can provide a sanctuary, where we, as clients, can learn how to habit stack. We can be nurtured by engaging with our coach in identifying procedures, such as Scott has identified, that can lead us to begin engaging on a regular basis in habits that are helpful, heathy and growth-producing. Our coach can also lead us to decide that a professional (such as a gifted physical therapist) and a location (such as a physical therapy office) can be a sanctuary for effective habit stacking.
Step 4: Anchor Your Stack to a Trigger
It is clear to Scott that the Trigger is critical. I want to step outside Scott’s sphere for a moment and introduce a bit of neuropsychology that relates to his focus on habits and triggers. Basically, we now know that two primary memory systems are operating in our head, heart, and muscles at any one point. One of these systems is known as Procedural Memory. This is the memory system where all of our routines are stored. Often not in our conscious awareness, this memory system guides our driving of an automobile (or riding of a bicycle), driving of a golf ball (if we are skillful as a golfer), and even producing our ongoing interpersonal chatter (“How are you?” “How was your day?”). The Habits that Scott wants us to stack up are based on procedural memory.
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