James Clear Clears A Path Through Hump Day

There’s a reason they call it ‘Hump Day’.

It’s a familiar pattern. Someone with a few kilos to lose starts a diet on a Monday full of enthusiasm. A light breakfast, small lunch, healthy dinner, and a walk in the evening. He wakes up on Tuesday with a bit less enthusiasm. By Wednesday, he’s disheartened and ready to fall back into bad habits. It takes at least three repetitions for habits to stick.

Which is why ‘Habit Stacking’ is so powerful.

Even if you’ve never heard of James Clear, or his bestseller ‘Atomic Habits’, you’ll see why ‘Habit Stacking works. James describes ‘habit stacking’ as:

“Every time I do X (the existing part of my routine), 
I will then do Y (the new thing I want to add to my routine).”

For Man Shakers this can translate to “Every time I wake up, before I have my shower, I’ll prepare up my Man Shake and put it in the fridge.” This simple act means, that by the time you’re ready for breakfast, there’s less temptation to choose an unhealthy option. You’re stacking a good habit on top of an existing habit.

And it’s not just for breakfast. James Clear lays our four steps for creating good habits:

1. Make it obvious – Use an everyday cue, something you know you already do
2. Make it attractive – If you start to crave it, you’re less likely to quit it
3. Make it easy – Your response should never be to groan 
4. Make it satisfying – Understand the reward for sticking to your new habit.

So, when you want to start a habit stack, the first step is ‘Make it obvious’. Find the right cue. So, when you think about your own routine, here’s where to start:

‘Time’ Cues

Morning habits are a great place to start: Wake up, use the bathroom, take a shower, brush your teeth, and get dressed. You also find times during the day when you have a habit: Snack times, coffee breaks, and smoko. They all tend to happen at the same time, day after day.

By habit stacking on these moments (or replacing bad habits with good), you’re far more likely to get over the hump and make it part of your new routine.

‘Location’ Cues

Have you ever walked into the kitchen, and the biscuit tin is ‘just calling you’? Then you understand the power of location. The way to habit stack here is to change elements of the location. So, put the biscuit tin on a high shelf that takes effort to reach. Or put a bowl of Man Bars close to the kitchen entrance so you see them first.

‘Event’ Cues

This is where our behaviour follows an event – it can be large or small. When you’re in public and you hear a phone buzz, you automatically look at yours. It’s a reflex. Habit stacking would be to tie a new habit to an existing event. So, if your footy team wins you go for a 2k walk. If they lose you make it 3k. The event drives the habit.

‘Other People’ Cues

It’s no surprise that the mates you surround yourself play a role in your habits. Both good and bad. In fact, one recent medical study found, that if your friend becomes obese, your risk of obesity goes up 57%. So, if you find yourself behaving badly with a particular friend or group, the key is to see them less or in other ways. Meet for coffee, not in the pub. Go to the game instead of watching it together on TV.  

As James says; “Self-experimentation is the only real answer. Play around with these cues and see what works for you.”

And remember, there’s no reason to start on a Monday. In fact, Wednesday is perfect.