Habit Stacking (127 Small Changes) by S. J. Scott – Book Summary

The first edition of Habit Stacking: 97 small changes that take five minutes or less was written in April 2014. But it met with some criticism. Many argued that the habits concept wasn’t explained fully enough. And some small actions seemed extremely simplistic.

Hence the author continued with a second edition in 2017 titled Habit Stacking: 127 small changes to improve your health, wealth, and happiness.  This, like its prequel, is also about incorporating change by focusing on a series of small changes. And build a routine to be followed daily.

 

1- Modifying Your Routine Brings Positive Changes To Your Life

Habit Stacking is all about incorporating a single routine in our lives that brings in many small changes in our usual habits. The author introduces some of the main life goals of individuals such as in career, finance, health, leisure, relationships, and spirituality, and gives some habits in each area justified by the type, the best time to practice the Habit, frequency, and Benefit.

 

The Three Types Of Habits

The three types of habits elaborated upon are:

Keystone Habits:

These are the significant habits to work on.

Supporting Habits:

These are the habits that support or help to achieve primary habits.

Elephant Habits:

These habits help in breaking down gigantic tasks.

Scott beautifully jots down all the habits. And what category they should fall in. Many of these are in continuation of his previous works.

 

2- It Takes Only A Few Adjustments In Routine To Start Habit Stacking

Habit Stacking includes incorporating small actions into one’s everyday life that would set off a chain of positive reactions through life. These small habits positively impact the top long-term goals. As a result, the person feels more accomplished, fulfilled, and has a better sense of direction.

A simple example of Habit stacking could be eating a healthy breakfast; having a great conversation with near and dear ones, and then starting off the day focusing on the important tasks at hand. Continuous Habit Stacking requires small changes in daily routine and not an enormous effort on the part of the person.

 

Habit Stacking Formula:

One Routine + Multiple Habits = Habit Stacking

However, to set forth a routine, it is imperative to have some motivation for the task. Motivation pushes people to go for something or to continue with a task, but unfortunately, it is, and cannot be the only thing that drives the subject.

Willpower is of paramount importance as well. Unlike Motivation, Willpower is like a muscle. It tends to deplete by the end of the day. Most people tend to get exhausted mentally and physically by the end of the working day. Maximum willpower is in the morning; hence habits should be such that the primary chunk of cumbersome work is completed early.

Sometimes, anchoring a small routine into a larger routine also helps with habit stacking. If a person wants to write a novel, instead of writing it in one sitting; they could schedule a few words every day after a particular activity. Soon, this activity would become a part of their daily routine, and they could get done with the novel eventually.

 

3- Life Goals Determine Direction & Habits Help In Their Achievement

Goals are essential in Habit stacking. They give the much-needed direction to life. And provide the set of motivational forces to move ahead with set ideas, plans, and so on. Aligning the two, that is, goals and habits helps in goal setting and goal achievement. Take for example weight loss. If the goal of weight loss is absorbed by the routine of weight checking once a day, it would aid the person in the weight loss process and is a healthy habit.

Habits should also relate to priorities. Some of these are long-term plans for one’s career, finance, health, leisure, organizing, relationships, and spirituality. The habit of managing finance, organizing a workspace, taking time out for the family, all help in the overall development of the individual. As they give a much-needed emotional and even physical break from the drudgeries of everyday life.

The key to consistency is to implant a habit and treat it like a single action instead of a series of individual tasks. Attaching a habit stack with an existing habit also helps in this regard. A new habit of texting your spouse/ partner once a day saying that you miss them can be adjusted with the habit of calling them. Sometimes a simple, powerful message is all one needs to put their point across and make the other person feel loved and appreciated!

 

Three Tips By The Author

1. Completing each habit in less than five minutes to avoid procrastination
2. Making a checklist to progress
3. Including mainly goal-related habits in their routine.

The value of habit stacking does not come from individual actions; most people already know what they should do to improve their lives, they just lack the right tools and notions to move forward with it.

 

4- How To Manage Habits Skillfully?

Preparing a schedule for work and breaking down big projects into manageable chunks are practices that can improve work efficiency. And Financial planning and cutting down unnecessary expenses is key to achieving long-term stability.

Money is an incredibly important aspect of one’s life. Without being overly materialistic, anyone who understands the real value of Money would know that it is one of the first and foremost considerations. And taking good care of the same would improve his or her life vastly. Money gives one freedom and choices. Usually, the best way to achieve your financial goals is to prepare for a good career. Research shows that college-educated people earn almost twice as much as those without a degree.

 

Some Habits For Better Career & Financial Stability

• Scheduling your day
• Removing disturbances at work
• Identifying tasks to delegate
• Tracking expenses
• Reviewing financial spending

First and foremost, people should plan their day diligently; one should narrow down to the three most important tasks. This would eliminate unnecessary delays and reduce workload.

Most Managers would agree that chunking down a project into manageable steps helps improve the final output. Similarly, hiring virtual assistants also frees up time and is a good way to delegate work; some numerous apps and websites provide VA services.

Technology has come a long way. There are tools today for everything. And so not surprisingly, there are tools that remove disturbances while working.

These tools block unnecessary pop-ups and gaming/ music sites that are usually accessed; freeing the person and also making them more focused. Automating work is the latest fad in the market, but it is also a good habit as it makes work more productive and saves on hard manual labor.

On the financial front, Scott advises a better system to track financial expenses. He pens down habits such as merging accounts into a tool like mint or personal capital that would make tracking easier. Buying things only for value and making alternatives for small, recurring purchases, are also some financial words of wisdom.

The author believes that packing a meal that includes coffee and lunch, cuts down on unnecessary purchases. Financial planning helps one gather short and long-term financial goals and create a balanced plan to meet those goals.

 

5- Healthy Habits For A Healthy Life

It is crucial to inculcate healthy habits for a healthy life, and also engage in leisure and spiritual activities for personal development.

Health is the biggest wealth we have. Our mental, emotional, and physical well-being is vital to our productivity, success, and happiness. Naturally, building healthy habits for our own welfare is a smart and solid move. The author details some habits that can ensure better health and happiness.
For example, maintaining a food journal, using a tool like my fitness pal, help in keeping track of diet and exercise routine.

It is advised by doctors that forty-five minutes of exercise per day is a must. Building Habits like keeping reminders for the same serves the long-term purpose. Another equally healthy habit is taking daily Vitamins. It is all too common to miss out on wholesome nutrition in our busy lives.

Next, the author advocates leisure and spirituality Habits for personal development. These Habits are unique to each individual as everyone has separate tastes and preferences. But small changes in routine like reading a book, solving a puzzle, learning a new word, exercising, and charging the brain. Spirituality is a higher-order need and can have an array of definitions but daily meditation, relaxation, and deep- breathing boost focus and concentration.

 

Conclusion Of Habit Stacking

Personal development is a concept not limited to self-help; for modern organizations, it also covers formal and informal activities to develop personnel at work; or in roles such as a teacher, guide, counselor, life coach, and mentor.

Personal development activities improve awareness and identity, develop potential and talent, facilitate employment, and build human capital. Scott’s book on habit stacking is a personal development toolkit; on how to develop habits that make one more productive. The book offers step-by-step methods and how they stand to benefit the doer.

Adding a couple of new Habits to our daily routine is not simple. It is difficult to maintain; most people lose track easily in a few days. But it is fairly easy to build a single new routine, that is, incorporating all new habits into one single routine.

The essence of habit stacking is to take a series of small changes (like drinking adequate water or sending a loving text message to your significant other) and build a ritual that you follow daily. It usually works because it eliminates the stress of trying to change too many things at once.