Every January, Same Story
New Year's resolution. This time I'll meditate every day. This time I'll actually stretch in the morning. This time...
Two weeks later, the streak breaks. Then guilt. Then abandonment. Same cycle, every year.
The problem wasn't discipline. It was strategy. I was relying on willpower, which is finite. I needed to hijack existing neural pathways instead.
The Stupidly Simple Formula
Habit stacking works like this:
"After I [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT]."
That's it. You link the new behavior to something you already do without thinking. You're piggybacking on established neural pathways.
My examples:
- "After I pour my morning coffee, I will meditate for one minute."
- "After I sit down at my desk, I will write down my three priorities for the day."
- "After I brush my teeth at night, I will read one page."
The anchor habit does the heavy lifting. It's already automatic. The new habit just gets dragged along.
Why This Works Neurologically
Your brain is constantly pruning connections that aren't used—it's called synaptic pruning. When you create an explicit link between two actions, neurons fire together. Fire together enough times, and they wire together.
Eventually, the second action becomes as automatic as the first. Pouring coffee triggers meditation. Sitting at your desk triggers priority-setting. No willpower required.
Start Embarrassingly Small
The key is starting so small that failing seems ridiculous. One minute of meditation. One page of reading. One push-up after getting out of bed.
You can always do more. But the goal isn't the habit itself at first—it's building the chain. Making the sequence automatic. The intensity can come later.
Two weeks of one-minute meditation every day is worth more than three days of 20-minute sessions followed by permanent abandonment.