Creating Habits That Stick
Change out the bad habits for good ones. It is the simple expression that is believed to prompt change. Creating habits often requires a little more than a clever statement to prompt lasting change.
People are the product of what they do day-in and day-out. Habits are not always daily. They may be as much about hourly as they are about weekly.
Hanging out the holiday lights in November or December probably isn’t a habit, it is an event.
Running the vacuum a couple of times a week may be more about a habit.
Good Habits
When we want to learn more, it may be about our habits. Certainly, an open mind is part of it, but always seeking to discover more and asking yourself, “What did I learn?” may create a habit.
It is also true for drinking a couple of glasses of water each day, walking the dog, or answering all email messages within 24-hours.
Habits can become etiquette too. We sometimes refer to them as manners, yet manners are about our habits. Practice long enough and when in doubt, your habits will take over.
It is the, “when in doubt,” part that makes your habits so valuable. A change in habits means a change in you.
Creating Habits
Consider when you want to strike out with a rebuttal in the meeting. When a team member speaks and you choose not to listen. Perhaps, it is when you delay an email response because responding too soon implies, “I’m not busy.”
These are largely about bad habits. They are changeable situations. The positive change develops with practice.
You can do better work when you feel the threat of being passed over for a new opportunity, or you can adjust your habits to do something better each day.
Then make it stick.
-DEG
Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.
