Habit Stacking. Alright, listen up. If you re here, you”re probably sick of the same old fluffy self-help bullshit that promises you the world and delivers a half-arsed whisper. You”re likely in your mid-thirties, forties, or fifties, looking in the mirror and thinking, “Is this it? Is this all I”ve got?” Maybe you”re tired, flabby, drinking too much, or just feel like you”ve lost your fucking way. I get it. I was there. Hell, I was there for 45 bloody years of drinking, before I finally said “no more” 8 months ago. That wasn”t some magic 21-day fix, trust me. That was a brutal, grinding war of attrition against myself. And the weapon I used, the one that can help you reclaim your life, is called Habit Stacking.
Now, before you roll your eyes and think this is another one of those “five easy steps” articles, let me stop you. This isn’t easy. This isn’t for the faint of heart. This is about rewiring your brain and body, brick by fucking brick, and it takes grit. But it works. I’m living proof. I spent over 12 years in the British Army, where discipline was “t a suggestion, it was survival. And I ve applied that same no-nonsense approach to my own life, to my coaching, and to building habits that actually stick. We”re going to strip away the bullshit, ditch the myths, and get down to the brass tacks of how to build a life you actually want to live, using principles that are as old as time itself.
Ditching the “21-Day Habit” Bollocks: Why Most Self-Help Fails You
Let’s address the elephant in the room, shall we? You’ve heard it, I’ve listened to it, everyone’s heard it: “It takes 21 days to form a habit!” Absolute rubbish. Utter fantasy. This pervasive piece of pop psychology originated from Dr. Maxwell Maltz, a plastic surgeon in the 1960s, who observed that his patients required at least 21 days to adjust to their new appearance. That’s “at least,” not “exactly.” Somewhere along the line, it got twisted into this concrete, comforting lie that if you just do something for three weeks, you’re sorted. Fuck that.
I spent 45 years drinking. You think it took me 21 days to break that cycle? My arse it did. It took months of white-knuckle determination, of fighting the primal urge, of literally shaking as my body screamed for another hit. It took rewiring decades of deeply ingrained neural pathways. The truth is, how long it takes to form a habit varies wildly. It depends on the habit itself – is it a simple daily walk or quitting a lifelong addiction? It depends on you – your motivation, your environment, your mental fortitude. Some studies suggest the average is more like 66 days, but even that’s just an average. For some, it’s a week. For others, it’s a year, or a lifetime of conscious effort. Don’t let a made-up number be your excuse to quit when it feels hard.
The real lesson here is consistency, not chronology. It’s about showing up, day in and day out, even when you don’t feel like it. Especially when you don’t feel like it. That’s where the change happens. That’s where you build true resilience. The 21-day myth is a comfort blanket for those who want an easy way out. There ain’t no easy way out when you’re rebuilding your life. There’s just hard work, repeated often enough, until it becomes who you are.
The 3Rs of Habit Building: My Unfiltered Take
Okay, so the 21-day myth is busted. Now what? We need a framework, a structure to build these new, better habits. The classic model is “Cue, Routine, Reward.” I like it, but I’m going to strip it down and give it to you straight, my way. Think of it as Remind, Routine, Reinforce.
1. Remind (The Trigger, The Cue): Make It Fucking Obvious
This is where it all starts. What makes you do the thing you want to do? Or, more importantly, what will trigger the new thing you want to do? If you leave it to willpower, you’re fucked. Willpower is a finite resource. You need to engineer your environment and your schedule so that the habit is almost impossible to ignore.
In the Army, everything was a reminder. Your kit lay out perfectly. Your boots are polished. Your uniform is pressed. If you forgot something, or it was t ready, there were immediate, unpleasant consequences. That’s a powerful reminder.
For you, it might be:
- External Cue: Lay out your gym clothes before bed. Put your water bottle next to your keys. Put the book you want to read on your pillow. Move the shit food out of the house. If it’s not there, you can’t eat it.
- Internal Cue: Link it to an existing habit. This is where the magic of Habit Stacking comes in, which we’ll dig into deeper. “After I finish my morning coffee, I will meditate for 10 minutes.” The coffee becomes the reminder.
Your job is to make the desired action so damn obvious that you practically trip over it. Don’t make excuses; make it unavoidable.
2. Routine (The Action, The Doing): Just Fucking Start
This is the actual work. The doing. The showing up. The consistent effort. This is where most people fall because they try to do too much, too soon. They go from zero to hero and burn out in a week.
My advice? Start ridiculously small. So small it feels stupid. If you want to run, don’t aim for 5k. Aim to put on your trainers. If you want to write, don’t aim for a chapter. Aim for one sentence. The goal in the beginning isn’t performance; it’s consistency. It’s about building the identity of someone who runs, or someone who writes, or someone who meditates.
When I quit drinking, I did t just magically stop. My “routine” initially was just surviving each hour without a drink. Then it was each day. Then I started stacking on other routines: getting up early, moving my body, eating food that actually nourished me. It was a brutal consistency, but it started with just saying “no” one more time. The trick is to focus on the first step of the routine, and make that step so easy that you can’t say no.
3. Reinforce (The Reward): What’s In It For You?
Humans are wired for reward. If there’s no payoff, why bother? But here’s the crucial part: the reward does t always have to be immediate or external. In fact, the most powerful rewards are often internal and delayed.
When you stick to a habit, you get a hit of dopamine. That’s your brain saying, “Good job, do that again!” But beyond that, there’s the profound satisfaction of integrity, of showing up for yourself. The feeling of energy after a good workout, the clarity after meditation, the peace of mind knowing you made a healthy food choice. These are the real rewards.
For me, the ultimate reward of quitting booze was”t just physical health, although that’s massive. It was reclaiming my mind, my self-respect. It was the ability to look my kids in the eye, fully present. That feeling is worth more than any fleeting high a bottle of whisky ever gave me. When you’re building habits, explicitly acknowledge the reward, no matter how small. “After I meditated, I felt calmer.” “After I tidied the kitchen, I felt a sense of order.” This reinforces the behaviour and makes your brain crave that positive outcome again.
Ancient Wisdom for Modern Habits: What the Old Boys Knew
We think we’re so clever with our apps and our algorithms, but the fundamental truths about human behaviour have t changed in millennia. The ancient philosophers understood habits better than most modern self-help gurus. They did t call it Habit Stacking, but they lived its principles.
The Stoics: Discipline, Control, and Embracing the Suck
Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Epictetus – these blokes were “just sitting around in togas pondering the universe. They were practical philosophers, focused on living a good life through reason and virtue. And central to that was discipline and self-control, the very bedrock of habit formation.
- Focus on what you can control: You can’t control whether it rains, but you can control whether you go for that run. You can’t control your boss’s mood, but you can control your morning routine. This stoic principle is vital for habit building. Stop whining about external factors and focus on your actions.
- Embrace discomfort: The Stoics believed in voluntarily exposing themselves to discomfort – cold baths, simple food – to build mental resilience. Sound familiar? That cold shower isn’t just about the physical benefits; it’s about telling your inner whiny bitch to shut the fuck up. It’s a small win, a habit that builds mental toughness, and those small wins stack up. My Army training was essentially Stoicism in practice: embrace the suck, get on with it, control your reactions.
- Morning routines: Many Stoics had rigorous morning routines – meditation, journaling, and planning their day. This isn’t new-age fluff; it’s an ancient, powerful form of Habit Stacking. Start your day with intention, and the rest of your habits fall into place more easily.
Epicurus: Rational Pleasure, Not Hedonism
Now, don’t confuse Epicureanism with gluttony and drunken excess. That’s a common misconception. Epicurus actually advocated for a life of simple pleasures and the absence of pain. True pleasure, for him, was tranquillity, friendship, and freedom from fear. This isn’t about chasing every fleeting desire, but about finding sustainable, profound satisfaction.
How does this relate to habits? It helps us redefine the “Reward” aspect of our 3Rs. Instead of seeking the quick hit of processed food or another drink, an Epicurean approach would guide you towards the lasting pleasure of a healthy body, a clear mind, and meaningful connections. These are the real rewards that well-chosen habits bring. It’s about choosing the habits that lead to a deep sense of well-being, not just a temporary buzz.
Aristotle: Virtue Through Consistent Action
Aristotle’s virtue ethics argued that excellence isn’t an act, but a habit. You become courageous by doing courageous things. You become just by acting justly. Your character is built through your repeated actions. This is perhaps the most profound philosophical insight into habit building.
- We are what we repeatedly do: If you repeatedly eat shit food, you become someone who eats shit food. If you repeatedly skip the gym, you become someone who skips the gym. Conversely, if you repeatedly nourish your body, you become healthy. If you repeatedly challenge yourself, you become resilient. Your habits define who you are, whether you like it or not.
- Developing practical wisdom (Phronesis): Aristotle emphasised applying the right virtue, or habit, in the right situation. This means your habit-building isn’t just mindless repetition; it’s a conscious, wise choice. You develop the discernment to know which habits serve your higher purpose and which drag you down.
So, while they did t have “Habit Stacking” workshops, these ancient thinkers understood that a good life is forged in the crucible of daily, consistent, intentional actions. They understood that who you become is a direct result of what you repeatedly do.
The Real Power of Habit Stacking: Leveraging Your Existing Routine
Alright, let’s get down to the brass tacks. We’ve debunked the myths, we’ve got a solid framework in the 3Rs, and we’ve seen that the ancients were on to something. Now, how do we actually do this Habit Stacking thing? Simply put, it’s about attaching a new habit to an existing one. You’re leveraging the momentum of an established routine to kickstart a new one. It’s deceptively simple, but incredibly powerful.
The formula is: “After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].”
Why does this work so well? Your brain loves efficiency. It already has neural pathways for your existing habits. By linking a new behaviour to an old one, you’re essentially piggybacking on those established pathways. You’re not starting from scratch; you’re adding a new carriage to an existing train.
Let me give you some real-world examples from my own life, especially since I started my midlife reset and kicked the booze:
- “After I pour my morning coffee, I will do 5 minutes of mindful breathing.” For decades, coffee was the start of my day. Now, instead of just grabbing it and checking my phone, I use that existing ritual as a trigger for a short meditation. It grounds me, sets the tone, and keeps me sharp. No woo-woo, just fucking effective.
- “After I finish eating dinner, I will immediately wash my plate and clean the kitchen.” In the Army, you cleaned your mess tin straight away. No leaving it for later. This applies to life. Don’t let things pile up. This little habit, stacked onto the end of eating, saves me mental energy later and keeps my space orderly. Order in your environment, order in your mind.
- “After I finish my morning workout, I will do 10 minutes of mobility work.” I used to just finish training and collapse. Now, I use the completion of the workout as the cue to stretch, roll, and properly cool down. This has drastically improved my flexibility and reduced aches. It’s a small addition that pays massive dividends.
- “After I turn off the news, I will read 10 pages of a book.” I used to let the negativity of the news spiral into more screen time. Now, the act of switching it off is my cue to transition to something productive and calming. Reading, learning keep the mind sharp, especially as you get older.
- “After I go to the toilet, I will do 5 squats.” This sounds stupid, I know. But think how many times you go to the toilet in a day. Each time is an opportunity for a micro-habit. It’s about finding those little pockets of opportunity to stack on something beneficial, even if it’s just five extra movements.
Identifying Your Anchor Habits
To make Habit Stacking work, you need to identify your existing, reliable anchor habits. What do you do every single day, without fail? These are your hooks.
- Waking up
- Brushing your teeth
- Having a coffee/tea
- Eating a meal
- Checking your phone (yes, you can stack good habits after this one, too)
- Going to bed
These are your opportunities. Don”t try to invent entirely new blocks of time. Just append a new, small behaviour to something you already do on autopilot. The key is to start small. Ridiculously small. Don”t try to meditate for an hour after your coffee if you”ve never done it before. Start with one minute. Then two. Build momentum. This isn”t a sprint; it”s a goddamn marathon.
The Environment Matters, Too
Remember the “Remind” part of our 3Rs? Your environment is a massive player in Habit Stacking. Make it easy for your new stacked habit to happen. If you want to do five squats after going to the toilet, make sure you don’t have to walk across the house to find a clear space. If you want to read after the news, have the book open and ready.
Conversely, remove friction for bad habits. If you want to stop snacking on crisps, don’t buy the fucking crisps. It sounds simple, but people constantly underestimate the power of their environment. Engineer your world for success, and the habits will follow with far less struggle.
No More Excuses: Your Midlife Reset Starts Now
Look, I’m 57. I’ve seen a lot of shit, fucked up a lot, and learned some brutal lessons the hard way. There’s no magic pill, no instant fix, and certainly no 21-day miracle for truly transforming your life. It’s a grind. A daily decision to show up, do the work, and be better than you were yesterday.
But here’s the unfiltered truth: you can do it. If a washed-up old soldier who drank for 45 years can rewrite his own story, then you, my friend, can certainly build the habits needed to reclaim your health, your energy, and your damn purpose. It starts by ditching the bullshit myths, understanding the fundamental principles of Habit Stacking and the 3Rs, and then, most importantly, by taking action.
Stop waiting for motivation to strike. It wo t. Start with one tiny habit, stacked onto an existing one. Show up consistently. Acknowledge your wins, even the small ones. Draw strength from the ancient wisdom that proves this isn’t some new fad, but a timeless path to living a life of meaning and integrity. Your midlife reset isn’t a whisper; it’s a roar waiting to happen. Go make it happen.
Habit Stacking FAQ
Who invented habit stacking?
Habit stacking wasn’t invented by the Stoics or Aristotle, but the concept of linking behaviours goes back thousands of years. The modern phrase was popularised by authors like S.J. Scott in his book Habit Stacking and later reinforced by James Clear in Atomic Habits.
Who can benefit most from habit stacking?
Anyone who struggles to stick with new habits. Whether you want to improve your health, build better routines, or just get more organised, habit stacking works because it uses behaviours you already do as anchors. Parents can use it to build calmer mornings, students to stay consistent with study routines, and professionals to carve out focus time.
Who popularised the concept of habit stacking?
Writers like S.J. Scott and James Clear have played big roles in popularising the idea of habit stacking, bringing it into mainstream self-improvement conversations. Scott laid the foundation, while Clear gave it mass appeal and showed the science behind it.
Who should use habit stacking?
Students, professionals, parents, athletes, or anyone looking to build better daily routines. If you’ve ever struggled to stay consistent, habit stacking can make new behaviours almost automatic. If you already have strong routines, habit stacking helps you optimise them further.
Who uses habit stacking successfully?
Countless people across different walks of life. From top performers and entrepreneurs to everyday people building healthier routines, habit stacking is a universal tool for change. You’ll find CEOs, athletes, and even teachers using it to streamline their days. And you can too — it’s not limited to high achievers.
Final Thoughts on Habit Stacking
Habits aren’t glamorous, but they’re the foundation of everything you achieve. The ancients knew it. Modern science proves it. Habit stacking gives you a way to make habits easier, faster, and more automatic. Start small, attach new actions to old routines, reward yourself along the way, and watch the compound effect unfold. Your future self will thank you.
