Habit stacking? Yes, habit stacking. A while back I wrote about being thankful for habit stacking – the practice of intentionally using one habit to create another desired habit. When used correctly it’s a wonderful way to change behavior for the better. On the flip side, it’s also how negative habits can build more and more negative habits over time.

Today I’m thankful for my latest intentional habit stacking adventure. When I get into a TV series I really get into it. So much so that I could consume the entire series in a very short period of time. Spending that much time watching TV does not align with my purpose or the goals I would like to accomplish in life. As such I need to keep that habit minimized, but I still like different series to help round out life experience and provide entertainment.

What I needed to do was take something that comes very easy (watching TV) and combine it with something that I would normally have to push myself to do. For a while I was sleeping in on Tuesday and Thursday mornings instead of getting up to get an early sweat going. I wanted to get back into the habit of early morning exercise on those two days, specifically biking on my indoor bike trainer.

The habits I’m now stacking are watching TV while I ride my bike on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. I’ve just finished up watching World’s Toughest Race and this morning moved on to the documentary of the the New Zealand All Blacks 2017 season (no spoilers please, I’m already fighting the urge to hop on Google and find all the results!). The weather is too crappy to bike outside but I still like getting my miles in. There are TV shows I want to watch, but I don’t want to take time away from other activities to watch them. Put the two together for 60-75 minutes on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and we’ve got a wonderful habit stack!

Thanks!!!