50 Life-Changing Habit Stacking Examples for Busy Moms

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As a busy mom, you can create calm from chaos by implementing some of these life-changing habit stacking examples. Odds are that you may have heard of the term “habit stacking” before, whether that person was raving about it throughout a health journey or a career advancement. However, habit stacking is truly for everyone. Overwhelmed moms can especially benefit from this practice.

First, if you’re new here — Hi, Kirsten. Before becoming a sahm, I worked in the corporate world as a Program Manager. Time and budget management was my specialty, along with goal and expectation setting. This skillset has translated well into my role as a sahm, so I’ve created this blog to share my knowledge and my love for cooking and baking. So glad you’re here!

Before we cover the list of 50 habit stacking examples, let’s cover the basics.

What is habit stacking?

Habit stacking is the practice of starting new habits by taking advantage of our existing habits. I loved James Clear’s book Atomic Habits. He covers habit stacking so well and I found his book extremely helpful.

He also has an excellent post that dives into the details of habit stacking that really helps paint a clear picture.

Who should use habit stacking?

Habit stacking is beneficial for everyone. However, fellow mamas have a special spot in my heart and that is who I am here to serve. As moms, we have SO much on our plates, whether we work out of the home or as a sahm. We juggle many tasks and responsibilities and for many people. If there are simple ways to make better use of our time, we should try implementing! Whether you are a mom to three small children under four or if you are the President of the United States, we all have the same 24 hours in a day. Let’s put our time to good use!

Now that we’ve briefly covered the what and the who of habit stacking, let’s go over these 50 habit stacking examples organized by category!

Cleaning Habit Stacking Examples for Busy Moms

1. After brushing your teeth, wipe down the bathroom sink.
2. While waiting for your coffee to brew, empty the dishwasher.
3. When you’re running a bath for the kids, quickly clean the toilet or bathroom counters. When my older two are playing in the bath, I’ll often do a quick wipe down of everything.
4. After putting a load of clothes in the washer, tidy the laundry room for 1-2 minutes.
5. After you put the baby down for a nap, set a timer and do a 10-minute tidy.
6. While your food is cooking, wipe down the kitchen counters.
7. When you bring in the mail, immediately toss junk mail and organize the rest. This has been so helpful for me. If I don’t do this, my kitchen table quickly becomes a disaster. Once you lay one thing down, you have turn that flat surface into a clutter magnet!
8. As soon as you walk in the door, hang up your jacket and put your purse and shoes away — and teach kids to do the same. Make sure you have a specific place for these things, so everyone knows where they belong.
9. While your kids are brushing their teeth at night, tidy up the hallway or their bedroom.
10. Before bed, set a 10-minute timer to pick up toys around the house.

Miscellaneous Household Tasks Habit Stacking Ideas

1. After putting the kids down for naps, set a 10-minute “admin time” to answer emails, texts, or to pay a bill.
2. After making your bed, tidy your nightstand and dresser.
3. While waiting on hold or during a phone call, declutter a drawer or nearby flat surface.
4. After loading the dishwasher, wipe down kitchen appliances or wipe out the microwave.
5. After finishing a set of tasks in a space, take one minute to reset the current space before moving on.

Meal Planning Habit Stacking Inspiration

1. While making your morning coffee, glance at the fridge and plan dinner. Make sure you’ve set out any needed ingredients that may need thawing throughout the day.
2. When you make your meal plan, check your inventory in the fridge, freezer, and pantry first. This saves you so much money and prevents waste. You can read more tips for saving money on groceries here.
3. As you’re making your grocery list, add in two “leftover” nights automatically. I’ve been doing this for years and it makes eating 99% of our meals at home a breeze!
4. When prepping veggies for one meal, prep extra for tomorrow’s meal.
5. When unloading groceries, immediately start prepping your produce. Wash, cut and properly store produce to make it last significantly longer. The Cross Legacy has great resources and tips for storing fruits and veggies that last for weeks!
6. When you sit down to plan your week, be sure to write down what you’re having for dinner each night. I always write this down in my planner.
7. After finishing dinner, pack up leftovers into lunch containers for quick and ready lunches.
8. While watching a show or listening to a podcast, make a quick meal plan and grocery list on your phone.

Parenting Habit Stacking Examples for Busy Moms

1. After buckling your child in the car seat, ask a conversation question or sing a song.
2. After diaper changes, read one board book.
3. After brushing their hair or teeth, speak an encouraging affirmation over them.
4. While helping with homework, play quiet music or light a calming candle.
5. After bath time, cuddle for 5 minutes and share a high/low of the day.
6. After serving a snack, have them sit while you read aloud a chapter of a book.
7. After serving breakfast, send a quick encouraging text to your spouse or another mom.

Finance Management Habit Stacking Ideas

1. After paying a bill, quickly review your weekly budget.
2. When planning your upcoming week in your planner or calendar, schedule a 20-30 min slot to balance your budget. If you need a budget tracker and financial planner, you can download mine for free.
3. After buying something online, immediately update your expense tracker or app.
4. After weekly grocery shopping, immediately write down the cost in your budget tracker so that you stay updated on your remaining grocery budget for the remainder of the month. Keep this updated so you avoid overspending. Food is the most expensive bill after the mortgage for most families! As I mentioned above, I have another post that covers frugal grocery shopping tips that help you save money on groceries without coupons that you may find helpful.
5. While waiting in the pickup line at school, check your bank account to check your recent transactions to ensure they’re legitimate. There have been a few times where I had very small transactions that could have easily been overlooked that needed to be reported and a new card printed at the bank.

Spiritual Habit Stacking Options

1. After starting your coffee maker in the morning, practice scripture memorization or read a daily devotional.
2. After buckling your kids in the car, say a short prayer before driving off.
3. While folding laundry, listen to worship music or a spiritual podcast. I personally love listening to M is for Mama and enjoy watching her podcast on YouTube.
4. After putting the kids down at night, spend 5 minutes journaling a prayer or gratitude list.
5. After brushing your teeth at night, recite a memory verse or affirmation.
6. After turning off your alarm, read a short daily devotional on an app like YouVersion instead of going straight to social media, texts, emails, etc.

Health & Wellness Habit Stacking Ideas for Busy Moms

1. After using the bathroom, drink a glass of water.
2. After getting dressed, stretch for 5 minutes.
3. After starting a load of laundry or moving a load from the washer to the dryer, take five deep breaths and say one thing you’re grateful for. Gratitudes reminders throughout the day can be so helpful in keeping our minds clear and hearts full.
4. After putting kids to bed, lay out your workout clothes and shoes for the next day.
5. Before scrolling social media, check off one healthy habit, such as taking your vitamins vitamins, drinking some electrolytes (I’ve been enjoying these electrolytes lately), or a short movement sessions. The wellness habit is your “entry fee” to screen time reward.
6. As you close the kitchen down for the night, take your vitamins or supplements with a glass of water.

Encouragement & Next Steps

I hope these habit stacking examples for busy moms leave you feeling inspired and empowered to make small, sustainable changes, leading to a big impact in your daily rhythms. This list isn’t intended to be used as checklist of “must-dos,” but a collection of ideas to plant seeds of inspiration and help you build routines that work for your unique life and family.

Please don’t feel pressure to implement everything at once. Just choose one or two that resonate with you—and build from there. Progress over perfection, always.

How do you already use habit stacking in your day-to-day life? I’d love to hear your go-to examples in the comments! Your insights could be the encouragement another mama needs to read today.

And if you’re still feeling a little frazzled, be sure to grab my free SAHM Daily Schedule Toolkit—it’s designed to help you create a rhythm specific to you that brings more peace and purpose to your days.

Pin these habit stacking ideas for later.

Pin these habit stacking ideas for later in case you need a refresher!