Let’s be honest — most of us have a love-hate relationship with habits.
We know we should wake up earlier, drink more water, or finally crack open that nonfiction book gathering dust on the shelf… but life gets in the way.
That’s exactly why we recently hosted a workshop on developing positive habits as a pathway to reinventing yourself — and let me tell you, it was a game-changer.
The Secret Life of Habits
We kicked off by unpacking what habits really are. Spoiler alert: they’re not just those things you try to do better in January.
Habits are automatic behaviors triggered by specific cues.
Whether it’s grabbing your phone the second your alarm rings or reaching for a snack during your favorite Netflix show, your brain loves to run on autopilot.
And here’s the cool part — every habit follows a simple pattern known as the habit loop:
Cue (the trigger)
Routine (the behavior)
Reward (the payoff)
Understand this loop, and you’ve basically hacked the operating system of your daily life.
Stack ‘Em Up!
Enter one of my favorite techniques: habit stacking.
This clever little trick involves piggybacking a new habit onto an existing one. Want to start stretching every morning? Do it right after you brush your teeth. Want to practice gratitude? Stack it onto your morning coffee routine.
During the workshop, everyone identified a personal habit they wanted to work on — and we got stacking.
My New Habit Hack
Since I always tell my clients that accountability is everything, I’ll share mine too.
I’ve been meaning to read more nonfiction (hello, growing book pile 👋🏼) but never seemed to find the time.
So I’m now committing to one hour of nonfiction reading every week during a co-working session.
Same cue (co-working), new routine (reading), same reward (that “look at me being productive” feeling).
And because I shared it out loud in the workshop, guess what? People are going to ask me about it.
That’s the magic of accountability.
The Big Takeaway
Reinventing yourself doesn’t always mean big, dramatic changes.
It starts with one small habit at a time.
Master the habit loop. Stack new habits onto old ones. Hold yourself accountable.
Before you know it, you’ll look back and realize you’ve upgraded your life one tiny tweak at a time.
So — what habit are you stacking next?
