Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsDefinitionBenefitsHow to Habit Stack
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Definition
Benefits
How to Habit Stack
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Starting a new habit (or changing an old one) isn’t easy. Fortunately, there are things that you can do to make the process a little easier. Habit stacking is one kind of genius tactic that works wonders. It involves pairing the new habit you want to establish with one that you already have. By “stacking” them together, you create an association that makes it a little easier to make them stick.
Habit stacking can work for anyone, but it can be particularly helpful for people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. When it comes toADHD, it’s important to develop habits that help managesymptoms. These habits may include healthy lifestyle practices likediet, physical activity, and goodsleep hygiene.
The problem is that people with ADHD often have a more difficult time forminghealthy lifestylehabits. Because they tend to have trouble with memory and remaining focused, it can be even more challenging to “organize daily tasks and routines.”
If you are trying to start and maintain a lifestyle change, it’s important that it becomes a regular part of your routine for the rest of your life.Using habit stacking to create these habits can be a game changer, particularly if you have a condition like ADHD and need a little extra help.
At a Glance
What Is Habit Stacking?
For example, let’s say you want to make regular flossing a habit. Since you already brush your teeth every morning, you can add flossing to your morning ritual. Over time, flossing will become just as regular for you as brushing.
When trying to form a newhabit,people often jump right in with the hope that the habit will stick. The truth is that committing to behavior is not as simple as it seems. Forming a habit takes time and, often, multiple attempts. This is where habit stacking can help.
For example, if you are trying to incorporate a certain food into your daily diet, like blueberries, you may want to try eating a few blueberries with your first glass of water in the morning. Integrating a new behavior with an already established routine can help you remember and feel this habit is more attainable.
After developing this habit, you can include more; after eating blueberries, you make sure to wash the dishes used for breakfast. All of these different behaviors will eventually become amorning routine.
The goal of habit stacking isn’t just about forming a habit or two but about creating a routine from these habits. Habits are conscious behaviors that can become a part of a routine, whereas routines are behaviors that are subconscious and done automatically.
How to Focus With ADHD
Benefits of Habit Stacking
It also helps keep things simple. Instead of having a big list of “to-dos,” habit stacking makes things just a part of your everyday routine. Doing so requires less mental energy, freeing up some of that mental space to tackle other important tasks.
It can also be helpful for people with ADHD. Habit stacking can help you with the following ADHD challenges:
Below are some steps that can help you during the process of habit stacking:
Determine the Habit
First, you must consciously decide to implement new lifestyle habits into your life. Determine the present habit you hope to form and reflect on how this habit enhances your life.
Examples of things you might try to habit stack include:
Give It Time
This is the part that most people find challenging. No matter what,habits take time to build. It is essential to know that forming a habit takes time and commitment.It usually takes months for a behavior to become a habit.
Accept Failure
It is okay if you do not get it right the first time. You may fall off the behavior before it becomes a habit, and then you stop it together.This happens all the time to all of us, but there is always the ability to try again. So do your best not to give up and keep trying until you hit a home run.
Get Organized
Gettingorganizedmay sound hard if becoming organized is the new habit you are trying to pursue. Luckily, this pertains to habit forming particularly and only takes sitting down once and creating a realistic list of other habits you want to pursue along with the current one.
Start Stacking (Only If You’re Ready)
After determining your overall goal of habits, you can then begin incorporating each behavior gradually. For example, if you are now eating fruit with your first glass of water in the morning and choose to wash the dishes after eatingfruits, it will be your new addition to habit stacking.
You may want to add one more thing to your morning routine, which can even mean doing a task before your first glass of water. Maybe you started to notice that you constantly forget to do your daily stretching after getting out of bed, so you decide to make stretching your first habit of the day.
Don’t Overdo It
Be realistic with your habit stacking. Do not choose to stack too many habits all at once. Be sure to focus on one new behavior at a time. Once that habit is formed, or you see yourself remembering to complete this habit often, then attempt to add a new one.
If you find it too much to keep up with, return to that first habit. If you’re struggling, prioritize keeping your original habit choice instead of others you may have added on.
Takeaways
Implementing a new habit into one’s life isn’t an easy thing. It usually takes multiple attempts for a habit to stick. The added roadblocks associated with ADHD, like disorganization, memory issues, and difficulty focusing, make habit forming even more difficult.
Luckily, habit stacking can help accomplish the goal of forming new lifestyle habits, even if factors like ADHD make things a bit more challenging. You might have tried your own tactics to make certain behaviors a consistent part of your routine but received no results; it’s possible that habit stacking is just what you’ve been looking for.
ADHD Time Management Tips and Strategies
4 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Arlinghaus KR, & Johnston, CA.The importance of creating habits and routine.American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine.2018;13(2):142–144. doi:10.1177/1559827618818044Björk A, Rönngren Y, Selander J, Vinberg S, Hellzen O, Olofsson.Health, lifestyle habits, and physical fitness among adults with ADHD compared with a random sample of a Swedish general population.Society Health & Vulnerability. 2018;9(1):1553916. doi:10.1080/20021518.2018.1553916Victorson D.Cultivating reciprocity between people and planet: Habit-stacking planetary health prescriptions into existing Nature RX encounters during integrative health visits.Glob Adv Integr Med Health. 2024;13:27536130241245429. doi:10.1177/27536130241245429Lally, P, van Jaarsveld CHM, Potts HWW, Wardle J.How are habits formed: Modeling habit formation in the real world.European Journal of Social Justice.2010;40(6):998-1009. doi:10.1002/ejsp.674
4 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Arlinghaus KR, & Johnston, CA.The importance of creating habits and routine.American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine.2018;13(2):142–144. doi:10.1177/1559827618818044Björk A, Rönngren Y, Selander J, Vinberg S, Hellzen O, Olofsson.Health, lifestyle habits, and physical fitness among adults with ADHD compared with a random sample of a Swedish general population.Society Health & Vulnerability. 2018;9(1):1553916. doi:10.1080/20021518.2018.1553916Victorson D.Cultivating reciprocity between people and planet: Habit-stacking planetary health prescriptions into existing Nature RX encounters during integrative health visits.Glob Adv Integr Med Health. 2024;13:27536130241245429. doi:10.1177/27536130241245429Lally, P, van Jaarsveld CHM, Potts HWW, Wardle J.How are habits formed: Modeling habit formation in the real world.European Journal of Social Justice.2010;40(6):998-1009. doi:10.1002/ejsp.674
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Arlinghaus KR, & Johnston, CA.The importance of creating habits and routine.American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine.2018;13(2):142–144. doi:10.1177/1559827618818044Björk A, Rönngren Y, Selander J, Vinberg S, Hellzen O, Olofsson.Health, lifestyle habits, and physical fitness among adults with ADHD compared with a random sample of a Swedish general population.Society Health & Vulnerability. 2018;9(1):1553916. doi:10.1080/20021518.2018.1553916Victorson D.Cultivating reciprocity between people and planet: Habit-stacking planetary health prescriptions into existing Nature RX encounters during integrative health visits.Glob Adv Integr Med Health. 2024;13:27536130241245429. doi:10.1177/27536130241245429Lally, P, van Jaarsveld CHM, Potts HWW, Wardle J.How are habits formed: Modeling habit formation in the real world.European Journal of Social Justice.2010;40(6):998-1009. doi:10.1002/ejsp.674
Arlinghaus KR, & Johnston, CA.The importance of creating habits and routine.American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine.2018;13(2):142–144. doi:10.1177/1559827618818044
Björk A, Rönngren Y, Selander J, Vinberg S, Hellzen O, Olofsson.Health, lifestyle habits, and physical fitness among adults with ADHD compared with a random sample of a Swedish general population.Society Health & Vulnerability. 2018;9(1):1553916. doi:10.1080/20021518.2018.1553916
Victorson D.Cultivating reciprocity between people and planet: Habit-stacking planetary health prescriptions into existing Nature RX encounters during integrative health visits.Glob Adv Integr Med Health. 2024;13:27536130241245429. doi:10.1177/27536130241245429
Lally, P, van Jaarsveld CHM, Potts HWW, Wardle J.How are habits formed: Modeling habit formation in the real world.European Journal of Social Justice.2010;40(6):998-1009. doi:10.1002/ejsp.674
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