The Magic of Behavior Stacking ✨

Do you’ve got cats?

Cats that wish to poop outdoors their litter field to remind you who’s boss?

I’ve a type of, and till final yr couldn’t discover a solution to cease her insanity. Then a plumber performing some work on our home gave me one of the best recommendation a cat lover may get, and it’s reworked into one of the epic behavior stacking routines of my day!

He mentioned – strive scooping out the litter *each single day* as an alternative of everytime you occur to recollect (which for me was roughly each different day), after which be sure that to do it on the *identical time* every single day too as cats love that $hit (no pun meant).

I made a decision I’d give it an earnest go, and from that subsequent morning ahead I scooped the litter each single day to see if it ended this foolish little recreation of hers…

However to do the kitty litter I’ve to placed on my sneakers first so my toes don’t get soiled from all of the litter scattered across the basement, so I have to first go into the storage to get them.

And on the way in which to the storage is my water spritzer for all my vegetation, so I would as properly give them a sprig too whereas I’m at it so that they get their every day dose of affection* as properly.

Then since I’m within the storage and have my sneakers on, I would as properly open the storage door to retrieve the newspaper ready for me, in addition to the trash and recycle bins on choose up days.

Then as soon as I’m again in the home earlier than heading right down to the basement, I also needs to gather and begin the laundry too since that additionally will get finished every day downstairs.

And since I’m going upstairs now, I would as properly swap out of my pajamas and into Large Boy garments for one much less factor to do later!

So now that the vegetation are spritzed and the storage door is opened and the newspaper/bins are introduced in and my sneakers and garments are on and the laundry basket is in my arms, I am going downstairs to do the kitty litter and have efficiently (and reasonably effortlessly!) accomplished 7 duties all inside a 5 minute window.

And since our dehumidifier can also be within the basement and must be emptied each morning, I’ll knock that out too – now making it 8 profitable duties that I don’t have to consider or bear in mind for the remainder of the day! All achieved with barely a thought since all of them move so easily collectively.

That is the magic of Behavior Stacking. And it may be utilized to all areas of life 🙂

The sweetness is that it solely takes a number of tries for the routine to set in too in case you join the proper issues on the proper occasions collectively!

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Right here’s one other stack of habits I’ve fashioned, this one round my funds:

On the finish of each month, often on the thirty first or 1st, I’ll sit down on the pc and replace my internet value. However to replace my internet value I’ve to log into all my accounts, which additionally forces me to evaluation all the pieces and ensure no unapproved transactions or hackery is occurring**.

It additionally prompts me to examine our credit score scores to see how these are going, so I plop these numbers into my spreadsheet as properly, after which replace our home worth whereas I’m at it purely for leisure functions (and it truly is “leisure” as one place can checklist our home at $100k-$150k greater than one other??! So we take the common of 5-6 totally different locations after which use that as one of the best guess of its “worth”.).

Whereas I’m sitting there, I’ll additionally make it some extent to replace our Credit score Card Tracker to see how our month of spending went in comparison with earlier months. This has been particularly enjoyable to trace out and in of Covid occasions the place the #’s have modified fairly drastically 😂

Look what I imply:

• Pre-Covid: $4,2071.44 avg/mo stability
• Covid: $3,262.19 avg/mo stability
• Covid Resurgence: $4,040.90 avg/mo stability
• Present occasions: $5,516.07 avg/mo stability

We had month-to-month financial savings of round $1,000 by means of the thick of Covid!, however because it began to dissipate so did the financial savings and we’re now spending $1,300 MORE than we had been Pre-Covid, lol… Which I think will begin going again down now that issues are settling once more (you keep away, monkeypox!!!) however factor to regulate for certain…

So once more – one behavior right here (the updating of our internet value) that kicks off a number of different related habits that each one string collectively to kind an efficient (and environment friendly) set of accomplishments.

To not point out some pressured reflection on this explicit stack of habits too because you’re getting the lay of the land of your total funds every month! You’re certain to really feel *one thing* watching your New Quantity whether or not you prefer it or not! Haha…

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Listed below are another, smaller, habits I’ve included over time too:

I’ve a devoted place the place I put ALL payments that are available in from the mail so I all the time know the place they’re and will pay in a single swoop once I’m feelin’ it.

I’ve a number of folders arrange in my desk drawer for all issues Taxes, Receipts, Enterprise, Automotive/House stuff, and many others to equally drop gadgets into as they make their manner into our home (Obtain, Course of, Place!)

I additionally nonetheless get up at 5am’ish each morning, setting off one other string of habits that features private “ME” time, delicious meals and coffees, allotted time for reflection and studying, and the rest that tends to be put by the wayside all through the busy days.

All issues kicked off, once more, by one easy behavior: on this case, waking up at 5am.

(I additionally used to have a fairly killer EVENING stack of habits too when the children had been smaller and went to mattress earlier. It went like this –> dinner –> put children down –> brush enamel (so I wouldn’t snack/drink all night!) –> take a bathe (so I didn’t must do it when exhausted) –> chill out/watch TV/learn/intercourse? –> mattress. I used to be all washed up by 8 each night time and able to chill out (healthily!) for the remainder of the night – it was marvelous!!)

And btw, this behavior stacking may additionally work *towards* you too in case you’re not paying consideration!

As properly as it could actually move collectively to enhance your life, it could actually work in the other way to attempt to destroy your life!

What number of occasions do you say you’ll exit and solely have *one drink*, however then one drink turns into two then three then making all types of regrettable choices and telephone calls, solely to get up hours later wishing you had simply ignored that first drink to start with?

Or what about while you resolve to deal with your self for being an grownup so that you head out searching for some new sneakers or an outfit, however then choose up some candy equipment to associate with it after which seize some quick meals since your now hangry, and perhaps then pop into the theater to observe that film everybody’s raving about as you digest (Prime Gun?), thereby turning your one preliminary choice right into a half-day spending extravaganza! And it flowed simply as naturally and successfully because the aforementioned *constructive* string of habits, simply within the reverse manner!

So the cascade of Good from stacking habits can very properly be a cascade of Dangerous too.

Strive spending the following few days taking a listing of all of the habits you catch your self doing every single day – each good and dangerous – after which see if you will discover the activators of the group, in addition to if there’s a manner you possibly can re-arrange and join them to move higher. It could take a little bit of sorting by means of as you’ll be amazed at what number of habits you do on the every day!, however begin paying nearer consideration and see what you possibly can shift round for extra optimum residing 👍

As nerdy because it sounds, this new routine of litter/laundry/clothes has drastically improved my mornings and it truthfully takes barely any effort in any respect! And in case you are questioning, sure – the cat is far happier now too 😉 She nonetheless toys with me right here and there, however the days of pooping outdoors her litter field are principally within the rear view mirror…

So thanks Mr. Plumber Man! Your one tip fully reworked my mornings!

Any of you guys have any nice routines which have modified the sport for you too? Whether or not in your every day lives or careers or higher but – your funds?

Share under so we will all be taught from them!!

PS: Listed below are a bunch of free spreadsheets for monitoring internet value in case you’re searching for one: Greatest Free Finances Templates & Spreadsheets (I nonetheless use a modified model of that first one up high I created circa 2008!)

PPS: And listed below are some good books on behavior forming too if (hyperlinks are Amazon affiliate hyperlinks):

1. Atomic Habits: An Straightforward & Confirmed Method to Construct Good Habits & Break Dangerous Ones – by James Clear (I’m at the moment studying this and thus far so attention-grabbing! I’m solely within the first few chapters, however hoping it covers behavior stacking and examples of such so I can steal them for my very own life ;))
2. Tiny Habits: The Small Modifications That Change Every little thing – by BJ Fogg (This one’s on my checklist to learn subsequent, primarily based on a advice by a buddy who mentioned he discovered it to be way more impactful than Atomic Habits, notably round habits you simply can’t appear to determine. He mentioned the science within the e book is extremely useful too.)

* For 30-something years I may by no means hold a plant alive for greater than per week, after which at some point I made a decision to say howdy to them within the mornings and spritz them with water, and for some magical cause that retains them completely satisfied and alive so now I do it each single morning they usually stay mainly eternally 🙂 So EASY and EFFORTLESS!

** Checking your accounts each month doesn’t catch all the pieces (like my overdue water invoice that just about obtained our water shut off final week (!!)), but it surely does stop a majority of points. And solely takes a couple of minutes in case you keep on high of it!

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