Rise and Shine: How Habit Stacking Can Help You Win the Morning
I first learned the phrase "habit stacking" during a real estate mastermind call with my Inspire Community led by James Shaw. We were on a zoom call with Justin Su'a, the Head of Mental Performance for the Tampa Bay Rays. To this day, it has been one of the most powerful growth calls I've had the pleasure to participate in. The surprising part?... I had already been intentionally habit stacking my mornings for months... I just finally learned that there was a specific term for it! Winning the morning can truly set the tone for your entire day, and habit stacking is a technique that can help you create a morning routine that you'll actually stick to! By developing a morning routine that works for you, you can start your day off on the right foot and feel more energized and productive throughout the day.
For me, it started off with waking up and "showing up" for a daily mastermind zoom call at 7:30am. Some days I'd still be in bed, camera off, and listening to the call in the background but I never missed it... the call started during COVID so it was definitely the mental motivation I needed to get up and get my work day started on a positive note. After months of being energized by that morning call, I convinced myself to get up a little earlier and start doing quick HIIT workouts from home.
I told myself that I could commit to doing short 10-20 minute workouts each morning to get a little more movement in my day before heading to my desk job. Then I increased those workouts to doing a 2 mile morning walk with a friend who lives close by. And then eventually, we both started waking up even earlier and increased our workouts by going to the gym together. Rain or shine, we were consistent in our newfound exercise routine, but I always needed to be done in time to get back home for my 730am mastermind call. That call was the anchor that started off my day. I built and then stacked all of my other morning habits around that ONE thing.
Oh, by the way... about a month after that amazing call with Justin Su'a, I read the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. He is the author who pioneered the concept of habit stacking and focusing on getting just 1% better everyday... go check it out! It's been 3+ years and that daily morning mastermind call still happens everyday Monday to Friday starting at 7:30am. It's still the ONE thing that anchors my morning and helps my work day get started off on the right foot. If you're a Realtor- regardless of brokerage- I invite you to join in on the conversation. You can join the Facebook group here, called Pivot Shift Ahead.
1. Identify Your Existing Morning Habits: The first step in habit stacking is to identify the habits you already have in the morning. This might include getting out of bed, journaling, brushing your teeth, taking a shower, making coffee, or checking your email. These habits are the foundation on which you'll build your new habits.
2. Choose Your New Morning Habits: Once you've identified your existing habits, choose which habits you'd like to develop for your morning routine. You might want to keep some of the existing ones as well as create new ones. These might include things like reading for 20 minutes, stretching or doing yoga, meditating, or doing a gratitude practice.
3. Stack Your Habits: The next step is to stack your new habits on top of your existing ones. For example, if you already make coffee in the morning, you could start reading for 5 minutes while your coffee is brewing. Or, if you go jogging, you could listen to a podcast about personal or professional development to help get your mind right for the day.
4. Start Small: When you're building a new habit, it's important to start small. Don't try to read for an hour or meditate for 30 minutes right off the bat. Instead, start with five or ten minutes and gradually increase the time as the habit becomes more established.
5. Stick to Your Routine: Finally, make sure to stick to your routine. It takes time to establish a new habit (66 days most would say), so be patient and persistent. Try to stick to your morning routine every day, even on weekends, to make it a habit.
By habit stacking, you can create a healthy routine that works for you and helps you win the morning! Start by identifying your existing habits, choose new habits to develop, stack your habits, start small, and stick to your routine. With time, you'll find that your morning routine has become second nature and you'll feel more energized and productive throughout the rest of your day.
Originally published by A Leveraged Life Blog, May 2023
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