The idea of “habit stacking” comes from the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. This book is a #1 best seller for a reason. It’s an invaluable resource for anyone trying to build healthier habits or break away from negative habit patterns. I won’t go into a summary of his book here. But I want to briefly describe a transformative practice he describes in detail in chapter five: habit stacking.
James Clear states that “One of the best ways to build a new habit is to identify a current habit you already do each day and then stack your new behavior on top.”
Habit stacking is the simple “life hack” of tacking on a desired behavior to one you already do without thinking or planning. He breaks it down further: “The key is to tie your desired behavior into something you already do each day. Once you have mastered this basic structure, you can begin to create larger stacks by chaining small habits together. This allows you to take advantage of the natural momentum that comes from one behavior leading into the next. (74)”
To my mind, this is sheer genius and I find myself constantly looking for ways to “outsmart myself” by adding on better habits to the areas of life that come naturally to me. As a spiritual director, I am often reaching for the power of “habit stacking” when someone is just beginning to pray regularly or when someone is making a huge life transition and is struggling to fit prayer in.
Let me share with you a few powerful “spiritual add-ons” that tie in well with things you are doing already.
Before I do that though, let me offer a huge disclaimer. To have a truly rich and fruitful spiritual life, there must be times in your day, week, month and year that are not “stacked.” You will never, ever, not for a single second, regret setting aside time for God alone. Where your heart and mind are present as much as possible to Him and Him alone. In fact, setting aside that time will make your spiritual “habit stacking” more effective. It will feel more natural to incorporate time with God into your other daily habits when you have developed the habit of setting aside time just for him. Even if it’s only for 10 minutes a day alone in your room or a chapel…start there and see what happens!
Okay, now for some easy habit stacking ideas in the spiritual life. Hopefully a few of these will speak to you and you can “stack” some of the core pillars of the spiritual life into things you already do each day. I’ll share the spiritual practice, and then a few ways you can “habit stack”it. I won’t go into the details of each spiritual practice. My focus here is to give you tips on how to incorporate them as habits.
If you are looking for a truly comprehensive and easy-to-read explanation of these pillars of the spiritual life, I highly recommend the book Plan of Life by Fr. Roger Landry. He unpacks the “whys” and “how tos” behind every spiritual practice that is recommended by the Church.
