The Cameo Show
The Cameo Show is a podcast about sharing our life experiences and learning from each other. Through solo stories and inspiring conversations with a wide variety of guests, we explore the secrets and strategies for feeling confident, empowered and equipped to live the life we want to lead. Tune in to learn how to find joy and fulfillment in your life and to gain valuable insights from the amazing stories and lessons of our guests.
The Cameo Show
The Power of Habit Stacking & Systems
Explore the transformative power of habit stacking as it relates to creating new routines and enhancing lifestyle changes. Through personal anecdotes and insights from James Clear's "Atomic Habits," discover how tying new habits to existing ones - OR - creating a personal system can lead to lasting change.
We're sharing:
• Habit stacking and its benefits
• Personal experiences and motivations
• The significance of fluid routines in daily life
• Strategies for creating your own habit loops
• The importance of integrating enjoyable activities into new habits
• How habit stacking relates to goal-setting practices
• Encouragement to implement small, consistent changes for improvement
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Hello and welcome to the Cameo Show. I'm your host, cameo, and we are joined by my husband and co-host, mr Greg Braun.
Speaker 2:I'm so happy to be here today.
Speaker 1:I'm happy you're here too.
Speaker 2:I've got a killer dad joke.
Speaker 1:Good, let's hear it.
Speaker 2:I've got a great one. So what did the baby computer call his father?
Speaker 1:Data D-A-T-A computer. Call his father data data data. Very nice, come on, very nice. Yeah, yes, dad jokes. Today we are talking about habit stacking. Habit stacking is doing one thing that produces the result that you want and then stacking it with the next thing that will produce the result that you want, in an effort to hopefully stack some good habits and make it more of like a process for you, like just a natural thing that happens.
Speaker 2:Yeah, recently I've noticed I enjoy when I work out, like when I get on the step mill, which is torture, but it's good for me so I do it. It's good for the old ticker.
Speaker 1:It is torture.
Speaker 2:But when I do that, I have to watch a YouTube video of like a tutorial of how to do like some mixing with music, or something that takes my mind away from what's happening. But I'm also it's not just nonsense, I'm actually learning something that I'm interested in. So I use that as an opportunity like even if I'm lifting weights or something too, I'll put on a podcast about something educational. So it's kind of like that time for me is more than just what I'm doing for my physical body, it's also for my mindset and emotional health, and so it's kind of like it creates this window of time when it's like a really big injection of good stuff for Greg.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and that's exactly what habit stacking is. I have this book in my lap. It's Atomic Habits by James Clear. If you haven't read it, you definitely should. He talks about habit stacking is. I have this book in my lap. It's Atomic Habits by James Clear. If you haven't read it, you definitely should. He talks about habit stacking.
Speaker 2:It literally is a game-changing book.
Speaker 1:Game-changing book I mean good doesn't even describe how.
Speaker 2:And he's a Columbus Ohio.
Speaker 1:Columbus, ohio, dude.
Speaker 2:Columbus, ohio, dude, and he's an enormous figure in the thought leadership space.
Speaker 1:Yeah, this book is phenomenal. We bought like 50 copies of this book and gave them as gifts one year and we still have like maybe four copies and I need to give them away, but they're like. I didn't have trouble finding this book to reference because they're everywhere in our house. It's that good. In his book he talks about habit stacking being a special form of an implementation intention. So rather than pairing your habit with a particular time and location, you pair it with a current habit. So your current habit is well, whichever one came first chicken or the egg I watch YouTube videos to help me learn about music production, and I also am now doing the step mill or treadmill or whatever the case may be. Well, I'm going to stack those two things together. Or maybe I'm going to watch my YouTube video and add a new habit to that. That's good for me, like step mill, and do them together so that they're stickier. He has this little chart. The graph is that it's a Q, a craving, a response and a reward habit number one.
Speaker 1:Then that leads to habit number two which leads to habit number three, when you're implementing new habits in your life. If you say, okay, in the morning I drink a cup of coffee, well, I'm going to do that already. Anyway, I'm going to pour my cup of coffee and then one thing that I'd like to start doing in the morning as well is reading for 10 minutes or meditating. So after I pour my cup of coffee, then I'm going to read for 10 minutes and it creates this habit loop, construct this habit stacking which is really powerful, because then you get into this habit.
Speaker 2:If I may, we can't say habits one more time on this episode you get into. Don't say the h word normal process.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because you tie your desired behavior to something that you're already doing yeah so it's not brand new, it's not cold yeah yeah, when it's cold it's hard, because then you're like, oh, I gotta do this, I really want to make this happen. But when it's warm, because it's already happening next to something that you do and you enjoy and that gives you a reward, already, you're more apt to do it.
Speaker 2:And I'm not too proud to admit this that sometimes I don't want to work out. A lot of times, you know I'm always coming up with these excuses like this that I've tricked myself into working out more is I always listen to a podcast when I work out, usually like a Huberman Labs or something about health, or because I'm just really into into that kind of stuff now.
Speaker 1:So because we're getting older, we have to be trying to do everything I can. Yeah, you said the other day, like when we were younger, working out was like number one priority vanity.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Now that's like last on the list, because as you get older you're like I need to keep moving. Motion is lotion and I've got to keep this body fluid so that I can continue to live a healthy life.
Speaker 2:So it's now like life or death you know taking care of my ticker. I wear this, this ring that monitors my. What do you laugh about? Just our rings that tell us what we do right and wrong every day and it's it's monitors where your heart health is and I think that's so fascinating that I'm scared when it's right at my age and and it coincides with my, with my activity level, so been doing more stepper lately and it's making my equivalent heart age age lower and it's like, oh my gosh, this is exciting because I'm seeing actual results from my my glutes burning up, you know, but.
Speaker 2:but I mean I'm not too proud to admit I don't like up, you know, but but I mean I'm not too proud to admit I don't like to. You know, I try to talk myself out of it sometimes, but step one for me is getting that podcast up on my phone and then, once I start listening to it, I just kind of mindlessly move to the gym and start my workout.
Speaker 2:It's hard to just cold go in there. You know what I mean. Like I'm just that's a habit for me. It's like get what I'm going to listen to first, then just go in there and start get to it, you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, see, and I work a little differently, like, I love to listen to podcasts, and sometimes I do it while I'm working out for the same reason that you do, but I also like to listen to like hype music to keep me going and like on the step mill, for example, it makes me go faster, like I kind of end up going with the rhythm of the music and I don't always have trouble getting in there.
Speaker 1:How do I describe this? In a way of like stacking. I know, okay, I know how it, how it works for me.
Speaker 1:I know that I want a sauna every day that's the treat, that's the dessert at the end, yeah like I want a sauna cold plunge whenever I can, usually toward the end of the day, before I get in the sauna, I may as well work out, because I'm definitely not going to work out after the sauna because I'm going to be soaking wet. So that's kind of like a habit stack that's subconsciously happening for me right now is that like okay, well, I want a sauna.
Speaker 1:that's subconsciously happening for me, right now is that like, okay, well, I want a sauna, so I'll go in and lift, then I'll jump on the stepper which gets me just as sweaty as the sauna and then hop in the sauna, cold plunge done, and it's like this whole process, it's this one, two, three, four that happens for me, and usually it's driven by my desire to sit in the sauna and maybe listen to a podcast or read a book or whatever the case may be.
Speaker 1:Sometimes I, on that same note, like I'm not even maybe thinking that far ahead, but I think like I should go work out, and then I just make myself get up and go do it. And that's not about stacking habits, it's just a pro tip of like if you think it and you can just start, because I told you the other day like I'm thinking I should go work out. If I go in and start, I'm not going to stop If I get started, I'm going to just keep going. And then that whole one, two, three, four step process of lifting step mills on a cold plunge, like that's all going to happen as a result of me just going okay, well, I thought it, so I'm going to get up and go do it, even if I don't want to.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:The hardest part is deciding to do it.
Speaker 2:Another thing is having you know habits stacking in kind of a routine of like stretching. So something that I don't really ever talk about or hear people talk about much, but I feel like it's really been beneficial for me is stretching almost every day.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You know, whenever I have an opportunity, sometimes a couple of times a day.
Speaker 1:I think the other day he stretched like four or five times. I'm like, what are you doing? He's like stretching, but a few hours later. What are you doing? Stretching I'm not flexible.
Speaker 2:I'm not flexible and I've you know, maybe I'm not doing it right or something, but it just feels good when I'm done. Yeah, I'm not.
Speaker 1:Adrian has taught you, right over the last 10 years, yoga with Adrian on YouTube. If you haven't tried yoga or you don't want to try yoga, do it anyway, because she makes it just don't be scared of it.
Speaker 1:Don't be scared of it, it's just stretching. But if she's taught you anything, it's not about doing it right. It's not about being flexible, it's about finding what feels good. And it's so true because at the end of the day you can sit down and he stretches every night before bed. I get in bed and just scroll on my phone. We call it have a cigarette because it's as addictive as cigarettes but you stretch every night and it's like you know you're going to get in bed. Yeah, it's part of your habit stack it's what you do.
Speaker 1:It's like you know you're going to get in bed. Yeah, it's part of your habit stack, it's what you do. It's like a routine, a ritual that you have every night before bed, and women, we have them when we do our skincare right, and it leads to a desired result. So, if you're going to do your skincare anyway, what's something else that you can tie to that routine? Is it a guided meditation or some type of podcast that you can listen to while you're doing your skincare routine? That's habit stacking. I want to implement this new habit. I'm going to tie it to something that I'm already doing that's giving me the pleasure or the result that I want, and this will only compound that. It's a beautiful thing and it's not just related to physical things, or it could be related to anything.
Speaker 2:This time of year, the beginning of the year, everyone's talking about, you know, New Year's resolutions and new goals and things like that. That's a lot to do with the systems and the habits that you have. Not necessarily, maybe, like your goal might be to be to do this one thing or to have a six pack or whatever you know tangible thing, but it's all about the systems that you're going to use to get there, and I mean that's where you have to really investigate and see you know, to do these things successfully they have to be kind of attached and grouped together.
Speaker 1:That's right.
Speaker 2:To remain, like you said, sticky and sustainable. That's right To remain, like you said, sticky and sustainable.
Speaker 1:That's right.
Speaker 2:Because I don't know what it's called now. When I go into the gym and work out, because it's like a workout for my mind, a workout for my body, and I get to relax in the sauna, it's like what?
Speaker 1:am I really doing?
Speaker 2:It's health and wellness and we joke about it all the time. But before bed I do, I do stretch every night. I've got a roller.
Speaker 1:I've got a thing. We joke because he has a whole ass health and wellness section in his bedside table. All the things, everything Tupping bands, oils and ointments, rollers, thumpers, what's it called the Theragun blocks, bricks, mats, you name it. This one has it and he uses them all. And it's part of his. Thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean it's just part of the bedtime process, you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you're right, you get really granular and this is kind of dipping into that goal setting conversation. But when you have a big goal, start with a ridiculously big goal and back it up and decide, like, what are the things that I need to do on a really granular level to compound that, to get to that really big goal? And those small habits are easier to make part of your daily routine or make part of your life in a successful way when they're grouped together. But usually achieving that big goal comes down to the consistency then of the systems or the habits or the stack or ritual or whatever you want to call it that you put in place on a regular basis. People aren't successful because they are extra great at something. Usually they're successful because they've just become extra great at being consistent.
Speaker 2:And they just don't quit in the practice. Yeah, they pivot, but they just don't quit.
Speaker 1:That's right. So, as you're exploring what new habits you want to bring with you into this new year because we're still kind of in that first month of the year transitional period where we're getting back into the groove of things think about what you can pair with what you already do to make it easier on you to remember to do it, to make sure that you do it, to show up for yourself, to be consistent in achieving whatever that larger goal is. What your why is, at the end of the day, that you want to implement these habits in the first place? I know it works because James Clear said it does. There's evidence that it does, there's all kinds of reading and I know it's worked for us as well, so it probably will work for you too.
Speaker 2:Just a quick thought here too, you've got the book too. Just a quick thought here too, you've got the book. If you're not a big reader, check it out on audiobooks, and you can make that part of your habit when you're driving in the car.
Speaker 1:Were you going to say that no, but I like that, great job.
Speaker 2:I mean a great takeaway if you don't learn, take anything else from this episode. That's a great takeaway is use that time in your car on purpose, because if you think about if you drive a half hour to work and from that's an hour a day instead of listening to music, you might as well take in some good teachings from from great minds and do the math on it, zoom out over the year. If you do that, all year long.
Speaker 1:How many books would you listen to? How much information, what kind of university education would you have right in the within the confines of your drive time?
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Tiny Change's Remarkable Results Atomic Habits by James Clear. Tiny Change listening to this on audiobook Look at us pumping his book. No affiliation, just big fans.
Speaker 2:Just big fans.
Speaker 1:So Tiny Change. Listen to it while you're driving. Remarkable results, I would almost guarantee. Build good habits, break bad ones. Another habit you can implement while you're driving is to listen to the Cameo Show. We have new episodes every Wednesday. Shameless plug.
Speaker 2:We'd love to hear from you too, if there's any ideas for new episodes or any feedback on old episodes.
Speaker 1:Or any habit stacking that's worked for you, that maybe you know is outside of the norm, that might help someone else. That's what this is all about Sharing experiences, the human emotion, the human experience, because we're all just going through it, we're all just trying to figure out what are ways that I can show up better in my life so I can show up better in the people I love's life. And at the end of the day, it comes down to seeing what works for others. And you don't know. You don't know. So if you know better, you do better.
Speaker 2:And if you know better, you do better. You're right. You know where I learned to listen to books? In your car. Your mom, mom, your mom gave me a zig ziglar books on tape, on sales, and before that I had never done anything like that yeah, I remember that yeah way back in the day it's game changing stuff. I mean, these little habits change it all that's right habit stacking y'all.
Speaker 1:If you're new here, we hope you'll join us again. If you join us every week, thanks so much. It means the world to us. We'll see you next time.
