How is a Toothbrush like a Blog Post?

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You get up in the morning and go through your morning routine. This means doing a bunch of activities more or less every day in more or less the same order.

The morning routine is usually in a certain order; you do one thing after another. This way, you don't forget anything significant - like brushing your teeth, shaving, comb your hair, get your car keys, etc.

Doing one thing after another makes it more difficult to forget to do something, but it also makes it easier to do something. Let's face it, brushing your teeth is boring, but the consequences of not brushing your teeth can be really bad.

Another term for this morning routine is "habit batching." This is a work efficiency term for batching together different activities together in a series of steps so that you do not forget to do any of them because one step reminds you to do the next.

It also makes it easier to one thing after another because you do them hardly without thinking. One, two, three; one activity follows another.

Habit Stacking

So what does this have to do with efficiency with your work?

Everything.

We all need to stack certain habits together so that we do the same set of things day after day; you don't forget any part of that set of activities.

It is like building a tower - one story at a time. This way, you won't forget a story in your tower and have the whole thing fall over.

Example of My Friend's Work Habit Stack

One of my friends has the following "habit stack" they do every morning - first thing in the morning - so as not to miss an important email or important contact.

  1. go through every email account and "single handle" each message. You delete anything that is not important and respond to anything that is. When done, the email is empty.
  2. schedule any task or appointment created by an email message
  3. respond to any comment on a blog post
  4. check (quickly) for anything important on any social media account
  5. check Elance and see if any response to an outsourcing project is needed
  6. start writing a blog post for his website (he will always finish that blog post at the end of the day. The content of that post may be driven by an email, social media contact, or message to him - that is why the blog post is done last

This is his "habit stack" that seems to work the best for him. This keeps him organized so that no important contact gets overlooked and he gets his blog at least started - all of this in two hours.

Wealthy Affiliate Habit Stack

I have a Wealthy Affiliate "habit stack" that keeps me focused on WA when I do every activity every day. This consistency of activity brings results because nothing gets left out.

  1. check comments on my profile page
  2. welcome new members to WA Premium
  3. review the new blogs and comment on at least five that interest me
  4. congratulate five people for work accomplished (like getting their site indexed, etc)
  5. go to the website section and write a comment on four blog posts on members WordPress sites
  6. ask for comments on two of my posts with the credits I get from putting comments on other sites
  7. I usually get an idea for a WA blog from the previous activity - start a WA blog post (like this one!)
  8. write on my business WordPress site for about an hour (two 25 minute periods with five minute breaks in-between
  9. go for a brisk 1.5-mile walk to clear my head before settling down for the rest of the evening.
  10. get some kind of an award like watch a 10-minute YouTube video or eat a snack.

This has become my WA habit stack. I go through this one after another.

I have a similar stack for reviewing sleep medicine (my specialty) and working on Google and Excel scripts (my hobby).

All of this is after a day of working at the hospital. Unfortunately, my day at the hospital is more random because I do not have control over my schedule there!

So what do you think about habit stacking? One task leading to the neck leading to the next in a mindless repetition until something big gets accomplished.

Dave.

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Recent Comments

12

Yes Doc , ONE FOR THE VAULT ,
an excellent plan of action , the most detailed one I ever see , it's can be achieved once you have enough time, available , if one do not have the time , this principle can still fit in the allotted time
Nice one Doc
Keep it up

I like the idea of stacking. I should try it if only to stop sitting at my computer hour after hour. It is a very bad habit I need to break!

Thanks for your post, Dave.

My morning and evening routines follow the same order as yours. The only difference is I do not call it ' habit stacking.' They are repetitive and if I leave out one of them, I instinctively know something is missing.
The order is ingrained in my memory, I guess.

I love the idea of having a routine to start my day. It keeps me focused.

Having an organised strategy is important for our business as it give you structure.

Do you specialise or are you a general practitioner?

That sounds like something which might be worth looking into, Dave!

Jeff

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