And Happiness (Most are Five Minutes or Less) - 127 Small Changes to Improve Your Health

I highly recommend “Habit Stacking, 127 Small Changes to Improve Your health, Wealth, and Happiness,” by S. J. Scott. What I particularly like is the author’s explanation of how a chain reaction of habits creates positive results. For me, the chain-reaction concept became a painless, automatic technique, once I got started. Conscious “effort” became automatic “endeavor.”

The author gives an excellent example of what he calls “keystone habits” (book excerpt noted below):
“EXAMPLE
For instance, I only focus on five keystone habits each day:
1. Completing a habit stacking routine
2. Writing for at least thirty minutes
3. Finishing three work-related tasks
4. Exercising for at least thirty minutes
5. Reading at least two pages of a nonfiction book”

I particularly enjoyed (and profited from) the section in the book on motivation (a concept I desperately needed to embrace!).

The author does not abandon us to a mere discussion of the philosophy of habit-stacking techniques; he gives us specific tools to work with as we apply his excellent ideas to our sometimes (hopefully, formerly) lackadaisical lives.

There is so much more that I could say about this book, but I don’t want to write a “book” about a book!
I am very glad I read “Habit Stacking,” and I’ll definitely be constantly referring to it as I reinforce what I learned.

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for a review and, truth be told, I was prepared to be brutal. It was a pleasant surprise to realize that I not only needed this book, but that I also enjoyed reading it!

Wow, this book surprised me. All in good ways. I hesitated at first to get this book because I didn't want to be disappointed with the same-ole-same old. I wasn't disappointed. Now, the difficulty I face is how to put into some many words how much I liked this book. I guess, the first thing to say, is that I liked the friendly way the author wrote, there was an ease to his writing that I enjoyed. Oh, he had facts and backed them up with links but I didn't feel like I was drowning in them.
I liked that later he broke things own into categories of life and things in life that most of us want to improve.
There is no way I can touch on everything of course, so I'll just add a few things that got my attention.
Early on in the book he mentioned, the myth of anything or anyone being an overnight success. I was in total agreement with him and was glad to see that mentioned. He presented the idea that small actions done every day causes a compound effect. I liked the way he put it and it reminded me how easy that was to understand when it came to money (compound interest). Another damaging though process was the "I'll get around to it / I'll remember to do it (later) Paradox. A statement that opened my eyes was that small habits are super easy but get overlooked because there isn't an immediate negative consequence for not completing them. What a great point!! It wasn't long before some of my thinking began to change by reading this book. Something that also got my attention was the information about using our willpower. It was enlightening and totally different from what we normally hear.
This book has great references to resources and great links to other helpful sites.
There is no way to point out all the great stuff in this book. I consider it a keeper. Something to begin using, keep using and to use as a refresher too. I think just a short time ago I began to use just a tiny bit of this system. Of course I didn't exactly know that's what it was called or had it explained this well. Now I can go deeper in it with someone who knows what they are doing. I'm not finished in any way yet with this book, this is a road map, a process and I appreciate it. Maybe other people know about these things, but I'll be honest and say most of it was new to me.

"I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for a review".

The first part of the book is marginally motivational, and talks about the benefits of doing all of your habits at once in the morning. However, the catalog of habits, which is most of the book, made me feel terribly scammed. There is no substance here. People please don't buy this. I literally just ripped up the book up before throwing it out, I'm that mad at this author for writing such a worthless book. And I have never done that before.

Who knows what image of intelligence the Rubik's Cube on the front cover is meant to produce in you, but it certainly never transferred to the writer's creative process and writing. There is nothing but extremely basic advise here.

I was typing out examples when I realized I might as well attach pictures. See attached pictures for a sample of the groundbreaking life advise S.J. Scott offers. This is only a few random shots from the small portion of the ripped book that was closest to the top of my trash can. The rest of the book is no less invigorating.

PS S. J. Scott square up, I don't like being ripped off.

Steve has nailed the concept in this interesting and comprehensive book about improving your life experience with the acquisition of some very beneficial habits, easily incorporated with his methods. He explains very clearly, and has a real enthusiasm for life skills. The power of small...that's a strong and encouraging line! Small new habits are cleverly linked to some you already have, in manageable "stacks". He explains the psychology behind lack of motivation, or lack of remembering, and then exactly how to make effective habit stacks for yourself. Initially it takes a bit of thought and sorting out to do this, but with a little time, some of his 127 stackable habits could be permanently making a difference in your life.
I realised I already do this to some extent, as many of us may do. And a lot of the suggestions are common sense - we know, but do we always do? Steve can help with that. I loved the "done" list, and the habit categories are separated, so going back to read again was easy. I would highly recommend this book as a useful, life enhancing read. Thanks, Steve.

Developing better habits can be tricky, since old habits keep us locked in patterns that feel hard to break. But what if there was a way to make this easier? What if we could group several habits together, making it more likely that we complete them all every day?

Habit Stacking shows us how to add good habits to our day by “stacking” them into manageable thirty minute time slots. If it makes sense to do them at the beginning of the day, we can stack them in the morning. Or maybe we’d be better off doing them in the middle or end of the day. That’s fine, too. Just schedule the stack, make a list of new habits we’d like to develop, and get ready to see positive changes.

S.J. Scott provides suggestions for 127 new habits that could improve our lives. These are grouped into categories: Career, Finance, Health, Leisure, Organizing, Relationship, and Spirituality. Habits are also categorized as Keystone, Support, and Elephant, based on how they are developed and used. Scott also shares some of the tools he finds useful, such as websites and apps that help in developing these new habits. And he tackles any resistance we might feel at adding new habits to an already overcrowded lifestyle.

Habit Stacking shares a unique and helpful approach to new habit formation. I highly recommend it.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

This book is extremely helpful. I discovered that on my own I have been doing own habit stacking but I didn't realize that was what I was doing. Through this book I also learned much much more. I really appreciate the authors honesty and his examples are very helpful. I read The slight edge and this was a great book to include with my ongoing desire to become the best I can be. I have always strived to grow and improve myself and this book helps me with that goal. Thank you Mr. Scott for writing this book.

This book is very detailed and thorough in presenting how to make good habits habitual in one's life. The writer bases his theory and practice and how-tos according to his personal experience, readings, and observations. He is also very generous in providing links and references to motivate readers to go beyond his suggestions and conduct their own research to help them implement what they have learned from the book. I highly recommend this to anyone who seeks to improve and enhance his or her lifestyle. There is no need to follow everything to the letter. The book provides a solid framework for each individual to find his or her path to better himself/herself.
I received this book free in exchange for my honest review.

Two major parts of this book:
1. Presentation of habit stacking - The primary argument Scott makes for stacking goals is a great one. It is that small, seemingly inconsequential, actions, when done habitually, eventually make up the essence of your character. This is true. It's even a principle mentioned in scripture.
2. A compilation of habit ideas - I found the finance section enlightening. Overall, there is a wide range of habits to either choose from verbatim or inspire your own habits.

The premise here is that small things, done consistently, can make a huge difference in your life. That's the premise of other books too, but what S. J. Scott improves on is the idea of stacking these small things together in a collective routine. The book isn't exceptional for its wit or wisdom, but it is exactly what about 90 percent of Americans need. I'm a highly driven person, but I frequently get off track on things like going to bed on time and other self-care. I could tell in the first couple of chapters that I needed this book as a good reminder to restore balance. In essence, this book is about living life with purpose and intention. If you're already doing that very well, maybe you don't need this book. But I think most of us could benefit from reading this, tucking it away, and re-reading it every few years.

First, let me say, there are several great tips on creating habits that help a person to make life changes. In that way, the book is very helpful. What I thought was a bit overdone was distinguishing habits (e.g., Keystone, Supportive, etc.). I also found myself getting tripped up by the actual stacks. Why one activity could be part of a habit forming stack, but another, if it took longer (I.e., 30 minutes), it could not be part of a habit forming stack. I read what S.J. Scott said about the “why” but still didn’t really agree with it. For example, if soaking in a bath at the end of the day with essential oils as a way to de-stress, is a great wind down habit, why shouldn’t that be a part of the habit stack? Anyway, I thought those complexities may actually make a person feel overwhelmed with habit stacking. I am going to try to habit stack my morning and evening routines and a couple of my goals (blogging and developing my Aha! Goals products). I’ll start first with morning and get that going, followed by the evening habit stack. Over the next 2-3 months, I hope to have 4 habit stacks that are a part of my day. Then, I will be able to tell whether the book really is a great guide to personal change (for me).
Lastly, what I think is excellent is that Scott added links to all the tools and resources, including a Facebook community. I commend him on his work and mission to help others realize their goals and master personal change. I read his other book, From Novice to Expert. That too is chock full of helpful advice and links to resources.

I read the original Habit Stacking book, and then I read this new and improved version. Man, oh man! I'm so glad I did. I loved the original book, but this one just blew me away.

Whereas the first book was like a cookbook that offers you a bunch of recipes, this book is the Theory of Cooking. It shows you how and why to create your own recipes, citing all of the science behind it.

I've already implemented a lot of the advice in Habit Stacking, and every week, I add a bit more.

I read and enjoyed the first edition of Habit Stacking, so when I heard he was writing a new version of the book (with a lot more detail), I was excited to get my hands on it.

Let's just say this book delivers on the promise of expanding on the first, as it not only offers A LOT more, but takes what appears in the first edition to the next level.

If you're looking to take control of your habits, this is the book for you. A great read. Great advice on offer. A great investment of both time and money. Love it.

There's invaluable advise here on how to develop habits and improve in many different areas of your life, including Health, Relationships, Career, Finances and a few more. S.J. Scott defines 3 types of habits and how to stack them (or group them) for exponential effect. He provides examples of 127 habits that are segmented according to the 3 types of habits.
The author provides insight into the psychology of habit stacking and why that is an effective way to go through your day, week and month.
This book will be very helpful for those who struggle to develop positive habits as Scott shows how to craft a habit and it's so simple to follow. It will give some ideas to those who are disciplined habit freaks too.

I was given a free copy of the book in exchange for a review.

Well written and clear. I like the ideas given. I also like his writing style. He not only gives you ideas to include in your habit stacks, he explains why he includes each habit. It is easy to ignore those that are irrelevant to you and find the ones which are meaningful.

I have enjoyed this book tremendously and would recommend it to anyone looking to organize their life better and find tips and tricks to make it easy.

Excellent book! Still depends on me to implement (ugh) but his ideas and suggestions really work. I'm currently wading through his potential new habits chapters but I already initiated a morning Habit Stack, typed it up as a checklist , printed it with some affirmations, laminated it, and am following it. Buy this book! You will not be disappointed!

As a Millennial, I understand how important habits are to success. For example, I was a college student at Indiana University Bloomington for four years and during that time I heavily invested myself into extracurricular leadership activities. This would not have worked well had it not been for my optimized daily schedule largely run on habit stacking. So, I can tell you as a practitioner of habit stacking that it does wonders for your life whether that be at work, school, and or home. Are you ready to let habit stacking into your life? If so, I highly recommend acquiring, reading, and acting on the content within this book by S.J. Scott because he practices habit stacking daily. Do you?

This book not only provides you with awareness of 127 (plus) ways to improve your life, but also brief details and references for how to rapidly execute on each habit AND robust examples of habit stacking. The only negative is that if you're self aware and focused pm self improvement, you've already got half the book nailed. Still, a worthy read that will inspire you to do even better!

This book had me highlighting things left and right, and the topics are all very useful and have explanations on how to make these things stick. Great read that is sure to add at least a few new permanent good changes if you follow it's instruction!

This book provides the reader with a great amount of insight regarding how to maximize their output by forming and then "stacking" habitual behaviors. I recommend this book to anyone looking to become more efficient in terms of how they approach their daily and long term tasks.

This book is written in a conversational tone and is an enjoyable read. Scott has done a great job!

Mr. Scott has provided a detailed template for making changes in any area of your life that you wish to improve. An easy to implement technique called "Habit Stacking" where one starts with a very obtainable task that improves your life and builds until you have a full routine of "tasks" that are smoothly integrated into your life style. None of the changes he suggests are hard to implement but the idea is to build slowly a series of tasks until they become habitual and make accomplishing major changes possible by stacking these habits. I especially appreciated the section on improving relationships and although my relationship with my spouse is solid and secure, it has brought a whole other level to the intimacy and closeness we share in our day to day lives. Simple tasks reap strong rewards. Thank you Steve!

Great book. The changes suggested represented some reminders as well as new insights. I like the simple, 'just start' mentality of the book. This is a quick read with good tips on creating good habits.

That's what I thought at first. But, like opening a treasure chest, one after one, the points had me doing sets of "eyebrow deadlifts" - @Mrphilosophy

This book will peak your game & your interest.

I found that each volume of Steve is very usefull.
Particularly this manual is efficient because it is a sum of tips we need to afford all aspects of our life.
So following this method we can save time and improve our relationships ( all wealth, health and happiness sides)..
We can use day by day and what i appreciate the most is the series of questions which clear our goals and steps.
Thanks Steve waiting the next.

This common sense approach to building better habits into everyday life is well written, easily implemented, and motivating. Scott provides a good jump start to a less cluttered life; more, these small steps can lead to greater strides toward less stress and greater productivity. The best habit may be: START TODAY!

Habit Stacking is super informative, easy to understand, and inspirational. I came across this book randomly and am so grateful!

I am very much looking forward to using habit stacking to transform my life.

Thoroughly enjoyed this easy-to-read approach to getting more accomplished in my busy day. I have been a "habit stacker" for decades, but never had a catchy name for what I was doing.

This is an EXTREMELY effective method to increase your productivity and SJ Scott clearly lays out how not only WHAT habit stacking is, but also WHY it is so powerful and HOW to create your own habit stacks. I will be encouraging my current and future students to purchase this book as a guide to increasing their personal productivity. I can give them examples from my own life on how it works, but now I don't have to write the book on the topic. Score! Another win for productivity!

The author provides details on 127 small habits (broken into 7 categories) that readers can start to incorporate into their daily lives. I had mixed thoughts on the scope and number of suggestions. They added a lot of bulk to the book, but I merely glossed over them. However, someone who is just starting out on a self-improvement journey might welcome the many suggestions. Other readers might feel overwhelmed by the number of things they could improve upon. Having written that, I did like the way he broke down each of these habits to explain the type of habit it was, the value of doing it, the time required, and more.

The real value, I think, lies in the first four parts of the book where the reader learns the theory behind habit stacking and why it is so powerful. Reading through a handful of the 127 habits will help readers see how they are implemented--then readers can scan to find the habits that will be beneficial for them to add to their own daily routine.

As a decades long, productive habit stacker myself, I strongly encourage you to give this book a read and let habit stacking work its magic in your life.

Disclaimer: I received a promotional copy of this book and was invited to write an honest review on it.

Simple but effective solutions, sometimes you just need someone to give you that nudge in the right direction, and this book does that. Plus you get some awesome extra freebies and follow up emails if you follow the links. Definitely worth the purchase price

This is the best self-improvement book I have read in a long time. Packed with excellent tips for identifying your life priorities and taking small, manageable steps to support them. Can’t wait to create my habit stacks!

Substantive advice for a more organized, productive--and yes, even happy--life, complete with tried-and-tested app and website recommendations. You can't really expect a book to change you, but this one has gotten further with me than any of the "life changers" I've read so far. Well done.

If your looking for a quick easy approach to habits and productivity this is a good resource. The work section focuses mostly on desk based jobs, so you'll have to get a little creative if your job doesn't focus on desk work.

Choose to read this book because it was recommended to recent college grads. It did not disappoint it was fast to read and straightforward with information. It gave a lot of insights on how to be more productive in many areas of life. I highly recommend this book.

SJ Scott takes a common sense approach to combining & building like habits into a simple but scaleable way to actually achieve them. Great read for any busy businessman that wants to improve his own goals & productivity.

This is an excellent book, with lots of information about habits and how to stick to them in the long term. What I liked most is that there are many habits suggestions related to the most important areas of our lives. Of course you do not need to implement all of them, but as the author says, just adding one or two to your personal routine would might be a massive improvement in your life and in the life or yours. For instance, I am already making a few exercises while sitting on my desk and I am craving to add some more to my daily habits.
Of course if you exercise 10 minutes in your office just once it won't have any impact in your life but what about if you do it daily everyday during the next years? I am sure it will be a great improvement in my life in the long term.
Other chapter that I loved was about what to do if you skip some days and how to restart again. Because, after all, we are all humans and even if we try our best we have to plan for when we fail, that is the best way to make sure to overcome the hard days, when we are tempted to quit forever.
In conclusion, I loved the book and am sure it will make a great impact in their readers quality of live.
If you want to be one of them do not hesitate to get it!

If your looking for a quick easy approach to habits and productivity this is a good resource. The work section focuses mostly on desk based jobs, so you'll have to get a little creative if your job doesn't focus on desk work.

Choose to read this book because it was recommended to recent college grads. It did not disappoint it was fast to read and straightforward with information. It gave a lot of insights on how to be more productive in many areas of life. I highly recommend this book.

SJ Scott takes a common sense approach to combining & building like habits into a simple but scaleable way to actually achieve them. Great read for any busy businessman that wants to improve his own goals & productivity.

This is an excellent book, with lots of information about habits and how to stick to them in the long term. What I liked most is that there are many habits suggestions related to the most important areas of our lives. Of course you do not need to implement all of them, but as the author says, just adding one or two to your personal routine would might be a massive improvement in your life and in the life or yours. For instance, I am already making a few exercises while sitting on my desk and I am craving to add some more to my daily habits.
Of course if you exercise 10 minutes in your office just once it won't have any impact in your life but what about if you do it daily everyday during the next years? I am sure it will be a great improvement in my life in the long term.
Other chapter that I loved was about what to do if you skip some days and how to restart again. Because, after all, we are all humans and even if we try our best we have to plan for when we fail, that is the best way to make sure to overcome the hard days, when we are tempted to quit forever.
In conclusion, I loved the book and am sure it will make a great impact in their readers quality of live.
If you want to be one of them do not hesitate to get it!

I've been using and teaching habit stacking ever since I came across Steve's first book on the subject. That was a great book but this one is even better. With crystal clear writing, hard hitting strategies, and tons of useful habit examples, this is a must-read for anyone who wants to create lasting change in their life.