The magic of linking new routines to old

7 January 2011

On New Year’s Eve day, the weather was unseasonably warm here in St. Louis (so warm we had a tornado!). At the risk of being indelicate, I’ll share that I spent some pre-storm time picking up the dog poop in our back yard. The snow had melted, revealing many piles.

As I performed this unsavory task, I vowed not to let so much time elapse between clean-up sessions. This is truly the kind of task made worse by volume. My problem was that I would be reminded to do it when I was walking to the garage to get in the car. I never seemed to think of doing it when I actually had time for the task.

But then inspiration hit. I thought about the other tasks I do daily that have made my life easier. I empty the dishwasher each morning as I’m making coffee. I wipe down the fixtures in the bathroom after I finish flossing daily. Maybe I could link poop scooping with another daily task. Then I wouldn’t forget to do it.

I came up with a brilliant plan (if I do say so myself). I walk my dog, Kirby, every morning. And I take poop bags with me. So I decided to link the daily walk with the yard clean up. Now, we come home from a walk and while I still have my coat on, I go right to the back yard and scoop. It’s just one days worth of waste so it takes almost no time. I go out the back gate to the dumpster in the alley, throw away the bag, and I’m done.

I upped the ante a little by adding scooping the litter box to the mix. On my way through the house to the back yard, I stop at the Joe’s litter box and empty the compartment into a poop bag (we have a Littermaid litter box that automatically rakes itself into a compartment that should be emptied daily). I proceed with the cat waste to the back yard, add dog waste and throw it away.

It takes less than five minutes. Today is Day Six and I haven’t forgotten yet. If I keep it up I’ll never have to face the nasty task I faced on December 31.

I think this technique of linking a new routine to something you’re already doing daily can be really effective. Add accountability (I created a habitforge chain for this task, for extra satisfaction), and it can be very powerful.

If you have a New Year’s Resolution that involves daily activity, perhaps you can see if you can link it something you do every day anyway. Let me know if it works!

Tagged with: ,

Comments

Brilliant! Now I want to think of small tasks I can group together!

Janet Barclay January 10, 2011 10:24 AM

Let me know if you come up with something great, Janet!

Janine Adams January 17, 2011 06:22 AM

Thanks Janine! I totally agree with this philosophy and many of my clients have attested to this. On the way home, a client always stops at the gym since it is on the road there. Swish with mouthwash and make the bed. Create a 2 step sequence and it works! Love this post!

Ellen Delap January 17, 2011 03:00 PM

Oh dear, I just saw our previous conversation and either I forgot to work on this, or the new routine has become so ingrained that I forgot about it. Let’s go with that! :)

Janet Barclay August 6, 2013 04:22 AM

Great post! I’m recently trying to be more active on Twitter – and linking may be exactly the missing piece. I’m going to link interacting on Twitter to meal times. This way, I’m connecting at least 3 times each day.

Lisa Mallis August 16, 2013 09:06 AM

Add your comment

  

Your email address will not be displayed or distributed.

You may use Textile formatting including:

  • _italics_ = italics
  • *bold* = bold
  • "text":url = text

About Janine

Hello! I’m Janine Adams — a certified professional organizer based in St. Louis, and the creator of Peace of Mind Organizing®.

I love order, harmony + beauty, but I believe that the way that you feel about yourself and your home is what truly matters.

If you’re ready to de­clutter with a purpose and add more ease to your life, you’ve found the right blog — and you’ve found the right company.

read more »

Recommended *

  • Getting to Good Enough podcast