Morning Routines
Mornings are different for everyone, but they all have one thing in common. Routine. It may not be an efficient routine, it may not happen in a timely manner, it may not even work. But the fact is, everyone has a number of steps they habitually go through when they wake up in the morning.
You may have kids at home that need to get to school, so your morning routine may be chaotic. Or maybe you’re retired and your routine is more laid back. Whatever the case, human beings are creatures of habit. Even if you’re the world’s most spontaneous person, you’ll still follow certain patterns as you go through your day.
Habit Stacking
Whether or not your routine is working for you currently, the good news is that the steps you go through everyday can lead to great things! We recently discovered habit stacking and it has been a game changer. The concept is pretty simple. It’s a process that involves implementing a new habit by adding it to an existing habit.
First, identify a habit you want to add to your life. Maybe you want to take up yoga, learn a new language or get your house in order. Since we’re organizers, let’s assume you want to make some positive changes in your home.
Next, mentally go through your morning routine. For example, maybe you set your alarm for six a.m., hit the snooze twice, get out of bed, go to the bathroom, brush your teeth and then wash your face. Now let’s assume that your bathroom counter is cluttered and makes you crazy. You can begin habit stacking here. As soon as you’re done washing your face, which is an established habit you do every day, take five minutes to put away your toiletries or wipe down your counter.
Keep It Going!
Continue to use those five minutes every day after washing your face to keep your counters and drawers organized, and you will have stacked a habit! From there, you can find other places in your morning routine where you can make positive change. For example, we always empty our dishwasher while waiting for our coffee to brew…and you can bet that brewing coffee is something we do every single day!
There are several authors who have studied this process in depth, but our favorite is James Clear. You can learn more in this article or you can read his book, Atomic Habits. We have in no way been compensated for this post, we just have had success with the practices he outlines in his work and wanted to share.
Let us know in the comments if you habit stack and if so, how it has changed your routines!
