It’s estimated that almost everything we do – we do because of habit. That little fact may be hard to swallow but the reality is – life is about choices – and our choices create habits. Most of what we do, personally or professionally, we do because we choose to.
Habits come in two general categories, good and bad. Examples? A good habit would be daily exercise, or doing the most important things first. A bad habit would be procrastination. Since our life today represents a culmination of the choices (habits) we’ve made to this point, why not start making better choices, thus creating habits that will improve the way we live?
Here are a few ways to create positive, productive work habits. Do these for thirty days and you’ll be amazed at the increase in performance, productivity and energy.
1. Plan your work
Set aside 10 to 15 minutes at the beginning of each day to plan for important activities. I’m not suggesting a “to do” list. Put together a list of two or three things you can commit to do that will move an important project forward. Then, with the list in front of you, schedule time in your calendar to get those important few things done.
Action Item: Start your day with 10 to 15 minutes of planning time, right after that first cup of coffee and BEFORE you start checking email or checking out your favorite news site.
2. Use time efficiently.
You have more control of your time than you give yourself credit for. Be productive every hour of the day. Don’t just start the day and let whatever happens happen. You have 1440 minutes every day to use or to squander. Hint: surfing the Internet and watching TV is squandering!
Action Item: Keep your plan in front of you and eliminate as many useless tasks as possible. Use time to your advantage. Keep a reading folder with you all the time. When you’re waiting for an appointment, catch up on material you need to read. Keep an audio book in the CD player in your car and listen to that, instead of the same old talk radio show host making the same points he/she made yesterday.
3. Use your most productive hours for your most important tasks.
The important is seldom urgent – that’s why the important doesn’t get done. The two or three items on your “to do” list do not have to be the things you work on first. We all have times during the day when we’re most productive. Determine when your energy and creativity are at their highest and schedule the important tasks for those times.
Action Item: Focus on the quality of the task, not on the number of things you can get done. Spend 90 minutes each day working on those two or three important activities. It doesn’t have to be 90 continuous minutes either – break the 90 minutes into two or three segments. Just choose high energy times.
4. Start now.
Important projects often seem daunting. They’re not usually something you can do in a short period of time, so you’ll have to break the project into “chunks.” Start, for example, by outlining the project. Once that’s complete, put together the list of resources you’ll need to get the project done.
Action Item: Once your outline is complete, commit time to taking that first step, and take the action you need to take to get it done. Take small, manageable steps to complete large tasks and keep moving forward.
Remember, knowledge is NOT power. Knowledge APPLIED is power. If most of what you do is habitual, and you control your behavior, start creating those power habits that will literally transform your life.
Tags: choices, goals, habit, personal, plan, professional, time
