Habit Stacking Ideas to Help You Stay On Track Financially

11.01.2022 - By: Anastasia Barbuzzi

The first time I heard about habit stacking, I was watching Skinny Confidential creator Lauryn Bosstick’s Instagram stories (they’re a lot!!). While her child played on her lap, she was getting her hair washed at a hotel, with her eyes closed under a face mask— a total diva moment.

The next day, she showed a photo of herself with a rose quartz eye mask resting on her forehead. She had her legs stretched up the wall in front of her and headphones over her ears. In her caption, she described how stacking her habits was an efficient way of getting shit done while simultaneously fitting all the things she loves doing into her day.

It made sense. We’re so busy nowadays that habit stacking seems like a pretty effective way to accomplish multiple things without sacrificing the things you love doing, like making time for self-care. Then it got me thinking… Could habit stacking be a method for staying on top of your finances? And could it also make mundane tasks like paying bills more… enjoyable?

Once I did a little research, I concluded that yes; indeed. It can be. I also noticed four words commonly associated with habit stacking: James Clear habit stacking. That name might sound familiar since Clear is the best-selling author of Atomic Habits, which has sold over 9 million copies worldwide.

Clear is a pro at helping people build better habits and master improving mental and physical performance, so I thought he might be a good person to refer to for habit stacking ideas.

Interested in learning how to habit stack your financial responsibilities? Keep reading this post! But first, let me share the meaning of habit stacking with you.

Habit Stacking Meaning

The concept of habit stacking is quite simple, although according to Clear, it’s a unique form of implementation intention. An implementation intention is a plan you make about when and where to act on something, like how you intend to implement a particular habit.

To successfully habit stack, you should try pairing a habit you’re used to doing with a new practice. For example, if you enjoy reading the news while sipping your coffee in the mornings, you might try checking your account balances at the same time. Performing a task you’d typically dread doing, like scrolling through your credit card statements, with something you take pleasure in, can make repeating a new habit much easier.

In fact, studies have shown that committing to an implementation intention can increase the odds that you’ll stick with a new habit. Sounds great, right?!

Habit Stacking Examples

I believe there’s a chance you’re already habit stacking without really thinking about it. Let’s say you make your breakfast between applying a face mask and needing to rinse it off. That’s habit stacking! Now try sitting down while your face mask is still working its magic, and track your expenses from the past week while you eat your breakfast.

In my opinion, the key to financial habit stacking is incorporating the tasks you find boring or despise the most into existing routines that put a smile on your face.

Here are some habit stacking ideas to try daily, weekly, and monthly:

***DOWNLOAD*** *this beginner’s guide to financial habit stacking so you can refer back to it anytime.*

Have you tried financial habit stacking? I’d love to know how it works for you, so please leave a comment below.

To listen to the Hone Your Habits podcast episode on this topic, tap or click HERE.

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