Better sleep. Less screen time. More steps. We’ve all dreamed up plans about how we can improve our habits and take better care of ourselves. But then there’s work. Kids. School. Life. And all those things can get in the way.

What if there was a psychology-backed way you could make healthy habits stick? Follow our guide and see how you can achieve those health goals with ease.

The Psychology of Habits

Before we get into how to form new habits, let’s go back to the basics.

What’s a habit? A habit is a behavior or action that you perform repeatedly. Over time, your brain has learned that when you perform this action, you receive some sort of reward or positive feeling, so you continue to do it.

That’s what we call a feedback loop. Essentially, you’ve conditioned yourself to repeat this activity.

For example, let’s say your goal is to start feeling stronger. You start by adding one protein item to each meal and you begin feeling better and fuller after meals. Because you feel good, you continue to add protein to your diet. Eventually, you start to notice you’re feeling strong at the gym. Your brain now associates protein with feeling strong. That rewarding feeling gets you to consistently include protein in your diet.

Congratulations: You’ve formed a habit.

It's All About Momentum

When you look at human behavior, you also begin to realize that our days consist of a series of actions, strung together. Each action triggers the next one.

Here’s a good example of this connectedness: When you wake up, you head to the kitchen and prepare breakfast. While doing so, you notice you’re almost out of cereal. You take out your phone, add cereal to your shopping list and make plans to go to the grocery store later. You then check your fridge and pantry to see if there’s anything else you need while at the store, adding them to the list, and so on.

When forming new habits, you can use the momentum of human behavior to your advantage. We’ll show you how in a moment.

Be Specific and Intentional

The key to forming new healthy habits is to be specific and clear about your goals. It’s been shown that people are more successful in sticking to their goals when there’s a specific plan in place.¹

For example, if you want to get more steps in, tell yourself: “I will take a 15-minute walk every day during my lunch break.” You’ll find more success than just saying “I will go on more walks.”

What is Habit Stacking?

Now that we’ve nailed down all the basics of habit-forming, let’s dig into a method you can use to put those health goals into action.

Habit stacking is a concept developed by BJ Fogg in his book Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything, and a term coined by S.J. Scott in his book, Habit Stacking. Habit stacking helps new habits stick because it takes advantage of the connectedness of human behavior.

Here’s how you do it:

1. Take a habit you already have.
2. Think of a new habit you want to start.
3. Pair the habits together, repeatedly.
4. Eventually the new habit will become a natural part of your routine.

You can use this formula, which is specific and time-bound, to start habit stacking:

            After I [habit you already have], I will [new habit].

Examples of Habit Stacking

If you’re looking for inspiration, here are some ways you can habit stack:

Goal: I’m on a weight loss journey but I don’t want to lose any of my muscle.

Habit Stack: After I come home from the gym, I will have one protein shake.

Goal: I don’t want to feel tired and dehydrated after tennis practice.

Habit Stack: After tennis practice, I will drink one packet of electrolytes to rehydrate.

Goal: I need to be better at remembering to take my vitamins.

Habit Stack: After I do my nighttime skincare routine, I will take my daily vitamins and supplements.

Goal: I want to incorporate more exercise into my day.

Habit Stack: After each meal, I’ll take a 10-minute walk.

Now that you’re an expert on human behavior and habit stacking, what healthy habits will you form next?

References

¹ Clear, J. (2018). Atomic Habits. New York: Penguin Publishing Group.