10 Habit Stacking Ideas to Save You Time

The purpose of habits in our life is to perform an action nearly unconsciously as a way to save mental effort and energy.  We form habits so that we go on autopilot so to speak, like brushing your teeth.  You probably never have to consciously think about making the decision to brush your teeth every night, you just do it because it’s an unconscious habit that is built into your life, that is why forming habits are so beneficial.  With that basic principle, we can also hack this system and stack our habits to save us even more time and energy.  Habit stacking is just like it sounds; you combine one habit with another to perform two similar functions at the same time. Time is such a precious commodity and one that we can never replace, so I like to optimize it as much as I can to get more of it back and habit stacking has helped me to accomplish this.  Below are ten habit stacking ideas that I currently use and for you to try if you too are trying to save a little more time in your life.

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-Meal Planning & Creating a Grocery List

I do meal planning once a week where I sit down with my calendar and plan out what is on the menu for dinners all week.  This is also a great time to have my grocery list as well as I can create my shopping list at the same time which is also helpful in that I can use my menu as a reference as to know what items I need to get.

-Stack & Attack Outside Errands

Unless you do delivery on everything that comes into your house (and you may just be doing that), eventually you will need to leave your house to run errands like grocery shopping, household items shopping, getting your hair cut, picking up mail if you have a PO Box, going to the pharmacy, fueling up your vehicle, or stopping off at a store like Ulta for beauty items, etc. At some point you will just need to run errands and this is where a stack and attack approach comes in handy.  Instead of making small trips throughout the week, I will simply make a plan of what needs to be done, make a list of the stores I need to visit and plan my one outing.  I will plan my trip by first going to the place that is closest to me (except for grocery shopping), then I’ll also try to find places that are in the same plaza such as I have an Ulta and Trader Joe’s in the same plaza.  After knowing what trips I need to make I will plan to stop at whatever comes first unless it’s groceries (so that the food does not go bad while running other errands), and make my way to whatever task may take the longest such as getting my hair colored and cut, then I will stop at quick shops like a gas station or pharmacy, then to a store that will not have any cold items to store such as Target for household goods and then make my way to the grocery store lastly.  Running errands at the same time helps to save time and energy on having to leave your house several times throughout the week.  Just stack the places you need to visit in an order that make sense to what you are doing, make yourself a to-go coffee and attack the errands.

-Schedule Bills While Creating a Budget

We get paid bi-weekly so once every two weeks the husband and I will sit down together to do a budget for the upcoming paycheck where we will decide where our money goes.  At the same time, once we decide what to put where, we will at the same time schedule the bills to come out.  This not only saves us time, but also saves us form forgetting to pay a bill.  We get all of our budgets and bill scheduling completed in one go and do not need to spend any more time scheduling bills throughout the week.

-Create Goals While Scheduling Your Week

On Sundays I take some time to sit down and plan out my week ahead.  In my planner I schedule things like meals, workouts, leisure activities, self-care, etc.  Since I am already taking the time to plan my week, I will also do a goal planning/goal check-in at the same time.  I will plan goals at the beginning of every month, quarter and beginning of the year.  This has been a great way to create goals for myself as I am already in a planning mindset which sparks creative ideas for what I would like to accomplish as well for the next month, etc.

 

-Do A Foot Exfoliation While Showering

I used to soak my feet and do a foot exfoliation and pedicure once a week, but instead of carving out time separately for this I just do the exfoliation while I am in the shower once a week.  I do the exfoliation near the end of my shower when my feet have already been soaking for several minutes, and then I use a foot exfoliator that I got off of Amazon and then after I step out of the shower with my freshly exfoliated feet, I immediately put some foot lotion and socks on. Now I no longer have to make time during the week to do this task saving me an evening to do something else with.

-Listen to an Audiobook/Podcast While Taking a Walk

If you’re like me and like to take walks around your neighborhood too, then this is also a great time to listen to any podcasts or audiobooks that you want to listen to.  They can keep you company as you do a leisurely walk around and keeps you up to date with the latest episodes of podcasts.  I love music for sure, but when it comes to walking, I love to listen to a podcast episode or an audiobook at the same time. You can also do this if you are out walking anywhere too such if you’re shopping, grocery shopping, etc.

-Read A Book While Waiting

I have a kindle and whenever I go somewhere where there may be a wait, I always pack it with me.  Places such as the doctor’s/dentist’s office, car mechanics, DMV, banks, etc. always have the potential of a long wait time depending on their current workload.  Waiting for an appointment is a part of life, so why not catch up on a good book while you’re at it?

-Meditate While Using a Sauna or Doing a Face Mask

I know not everyone uses a sauna, but you may do something else like a face mask once a week or paint your own nails at home.  When sitting in a sauna or doing a face mask, etc. you have to sit still for 5-20 minutes and while you are doing so, why not take a little time to sit quietly and just meditate? No screens or distractions, just a comfortable spot to sit in silence, to close your eyes and just be.  I know a lot of people say that they would love to start a meditation practice, so try this next time you do a face mask, etc. so that you don’t have carve out more time to do it separately.

-Deep Clean the Shower Before You Take a Shower

I take an “everything” shower either on Saturday or Sunday and before I do, I will spray the shower several hours before with a cleaner and let it sit.  I will reapply a few times as well to pre-treat if you will.  Then, when it’s time to take a shower all I have to simply do is give it a quick scrub which then cleans off very easily, and then I will simply turn the water on for myself and rinse it off and then do my own shower.  Cleaning a shower can be tricky in and of itself with its slippery surface, enclosed space and trying not to get yourself drenched, but this way allows me to clean the shower easily, rinse it easily and get a chore done at the same time.

-Do A Quick Tidy in the Morning While Your Coffee is Brewing

I love my morning coffee and know every coffee drinker does too.  There’s nothing like brewing that cup first thing in the morning, but the process is still going to take a few minutes to complete.  So, while my coffee is brewing, I will do a quick tidy of something.  It can be anything really, a quick clean out of the pantry to remove items like 90% empty boxes or bags, refill the coffee pod station, clean the interior of the sink, wash a few dishes, empty some of the dishwasher, you get the idea.  Imagine you started doing this as a habit 5-7 days a week? You will cut your dedicated cleaning and organizing time down significantly over the week as a few of the chores will already be done.