Maybe you’ve heard of habit stacking, where you link several new habits together—almost as if you’re creating an alternative timeline of your life. If you love big, rapid change, then this will appeal to you. There’s a caveat, though. Miss this and it all falls apart.

First, let’s look at this whole thing like you’re jumping through parallel dimensions into a more inspiring version of yourself.

The old morning

Get up - go to the bathroom - start coffeemaker - check phone - drink coffee and read news

The new morning (with habit stacking)

Get up - go to the bathroom - start coffeemaker - * take at least two slow, mindful breaths - do a light stretch - write down the top three priorities for the day - and so on and so on … *

Exciting, right!? It’s like one of those millionaire morning routines that we’ve all learned to ignore. There’s a problem, though.

In over 15 years of helping people integrate healthy habits, I can tell you that there is nothing as productive—or rewarding—as continued success. On the other hand, the more dramatic the aspiration is, the more disappointing it becomes when we fail. Failure, however, is part of the process, so we’ve got to get used to it. The best way is to keep (most) things undramatic.