Habit Stacking to Upgrade Your Practice Routine!
Happy Fall, ya’ll! It's Zoe here 
As many of us are settling into the semester and concert season, it’s a great time to take a look at the habits we’ve gotten into — good and bad 
For me, the hardest part of my practice routine is putting my clarinet together and getting over that motivational hurdle to start. Then, once I’m in the practice room comes the question of what should I practice??
But a practice routine should be just that — a routine. Not in the sense that we should mindlessly be completing the same steps every time we step into the practice room, but that we can build a practice flow by implementing the powerful technique of habit stacking.
Habit stacking is pretty straightforward: like the name suggests, take a habit you already do consistently and stack a new habit on top of it. And, chances are, habit stacking isn’t new to you! We’re all doing it in some area of our lives — maybe it’s your morning coffee ritual (mine sure runs like clockwork!)
So, if you’re looking to make your practice more effective and consistent, look no further!
How to Habit Stack:
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Identify your current habits: What are those consistent parts of your schedule or current practice routine off of which you can build new habits?
As a busy masters student, I like to plan my practice sessions around the times when I’m already going to campus. Before or after class is the perfect time to practice!
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Choose a new habit: Whether it’s starting the practice session itself or including some new element into your practice routine, think about what you’d like to add.
Let’s say you’ve been meaning to add scales to your practice (I know you
need ‘em)
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Create a stacking formula: Something like “After I (habit one), I will (habit two).”
So, for a warmup habit stack: After I play long tones, I will practice scale patterns.
Some other stacking tips:
Start small! Don’t try to add in a million things all at once. Focus on consistently adding one element to your practice at a time.
Track your progress. Practice planner anyone? Our four-month practice planner might just be the goal setting buddy you need to implement these new habits.
Celebrate the little wins and be patient with yourself. It’s tough stuff, so give yourself a pat on the back every once in a while!
Happy practicing!
