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How to Start a Good Habit

August 9, 2010 by Cathy Stucker

good-habitLots of people throw around numbers about how long it takes to establish a new habit. Twenty-one days? Twenty-eight days? A month? Three months? In one study on habit formation it was determined that the time required varies a lot from person to person, from just 18 days to 254 days, with an average of 66 days.

Of course, one factor that can influence how long it takes to acquire a new habit is the difficulty of a habit. The harder the task, the longer it may take to become a habit.

That means that making a good behavior a habit takes commitment. You need to consciously repeat an action again and again until it becomes nearly automatic. Although missing a day won’t completely derail your new habit, consistency is important.

With that in mind, my question for you is: How to you maintain your dedication and keep working toward your goal of establishing a new habit? How do you motivate yourself to keep doing something, day after day, until it becomes a habit?

I find that doing something around the same time every day works. One habit I have been working on is walking my dog every day. It hasn’t always been easy, especially in the hot and humid Houston summer, but I have been doing it. Because of the heat, we walk in the evening. Some days we may only walk for 15 minutes, but we walk (nearly) every day. This new habit has helped me to lose some weight and keep it off, a nice reward for a good habit.

An alternative to doing something at the same time every day is to make an appointment with yourself and keep it. For example, if you want to get in the habit of writing every day, but can’t always do it at the same time, block out time in your schedule to write and treat that appointment as something you must do.

Add your answer in the comments and let us know what works for you!

Filed Under: Getting Things Done

How to Listen to Teleseminars and Still Get Your Work Done

July 4, 2010 by Dan Janal

This is a guest post from Dan Janal.

If you’re a coach or consultant, you probably have an endless supply of free teleseminars hogging space on your computer, just waiting to be played one day. But that day never comes because you feel overwhelmed by all the files you’ve attracted.

Here’s how to make the most of listening to teleseminars and still getting your work done.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Getting Things Done, Guest Posts Tagged With: multi-tasking, teleseminars

How to Declutter Your Mind

May 4, 2010 by Cathy Stucker

There are thousands of books, courses and consultants who promise to help you organize your stuff and be more productive. However, organizing things is not enough. You need to get rid of the clutter in your mind as well.

Here are some tips to help you clear the gunk out of your mind, be more focused and get more done.

Write it down. The more things you try to remember, the harder it becomes to remember any of them. And you may always have the nagging feeling that you are forgetting something—even if you are not. Set up a system where you write down anything that needs to be done: appointments, errands, phone calls, projects, etc. It could be a paper notebook, a file on your computer, or text messages to yourself. Use whatever works best for you, but write it all down.

Have a routine. Routines allow you to get things done without spending a lot of time thinking about what to do or in what order. If you know that every morning you get up, work out, shower, have breakfast, then check your email, you will just do it without having to agonize over it. The same thing goes for your workday. Have a routine for the things you must do every day, then follow the routine.

Set priorities. Know what is most important in your life right now, and deal with that. The rest of it can wait.

Do not attempt to multitask. You may think you can, but you can’t. Your brain can do one thing at a time, and trying to shift from one thing to another ends up taking more time than if you just did one thing at a time. Focus on what is in front of you now, do it, then move on to the next thing.

Learn to say no. You can not do everything everyone wants you to do. There are only 24 hours in the day, and you need at least a few of them for things such as eating and sleeping. This does not mean that you should never help anyone, or that you should always say no, but that you should not take on more than you can do. Too often we say yes because we do not want to be seen as selfish or uncaring. It is not selfish to say no to requests when you are already overloaded. Just say no.

Do not worry about things you can not control. Take any action you can to avoid an undesirable outcome, or to minimize the effects, then put it out of your mind. It may rain on the day of your child’s birthday party. Make a Plan B in case that happens, then forget about it. You may not get that new client. Do your best proposal, follow up appropriately, then let things take their course. Losing sleep and making yourself crazy will not make anything come out better.

Put things in logical places. Keep your briefcase, keys and other items you often carry with you in one place, together. When there is something else you need to take (e.g., a package to drop off at the post office) put it with your keys. You won’t have to hunt for what you need and you won’t forget anything.

Take time to recharge. Just like your cell phone, you lose power when you do not recharge now and then. Make time during the day to meditate, listen to music, read, have a cup of tea or whatever relaxes you. A few minutes spent recharging can make you more effective all day.

Filed Under: Getting Things Done, Making Changes Tagged With: Getting Things Done, how to declutter, Productivity

Revitalizing Your Home Office

January 4, 2010 by Cathy Stucker

Home officeIn order to be creative and work at your peak energy level, you need an office environment that energizes and inspires you. Tired of looking at the same four walls and the same old clutter? It’s time to make changes and revitalize your office and yourself! Here are several ideas on simple changes that make a big difference.

Brighten it up with light. Working in a dark dungeon isn’t good for your energy levels, mood or productivity. Let in the sunshine for an immediate pick-up. If you don’t have a lot of natural light in your home office, add some. You can add lamps and light fixtures in key locations. Instead of harsh light, use natural spectrum light bulbs that simulate sunlight.

Add plants. Now that you have some light, add plants to your workspace. Plants help to naturally clean the air around you and they are nice to look at. Keep a pot of blooming flowers in your office. Not only are they beautiful, the blooms last much longer than cut flowers.

Get organized. Not only will you be more productive, you will feel less stress. Just looking at a desk piled with papers, or a work table that is buried under multiple projects, can make you feel anxious and unhappy. Pick up a few fun, brightly colored organizing accessories to help you organize and add color at the same time.

Do something about those cords! Do you have computer cables and power cords running all over the place? Take out any unnecessary cords (What does that go to, anyway?), and hide any others that you can. Use ties to keep cables together so they don’t get tangled. Label them so you know what the other end of each cable is connected to.

Put on a fresh coat of paint. Painting is one of the most cost-effective decorating changes you can make to any room, including your home office. Choose a color that you will enjoy looking at all day. Make it bold and bright, or soft and subdued, but changing the color of a room changes the mood. Even if you don’t make much of a change to the color, a fresh coat of paint brightens the room, just find commercial painting company and start renovation!

Put your personality into your office. Hang pictures or your family and friends, your favorite places or paintings you like to look at. Make a vision board that represents your goals and hang it where it will inspire you throughout the day.

Update your office for comfort. How many hours a day do you spend in your chair? If you are still using that $15 chair you got on sale, maybe it is time to treat yourself to a new, ergonomic chair. Your back will thank you and you will be more productive when you are comfortable (and not in pain).

Do you like to listen to music during the workday?
Get a dock or speakers for your iPod, or put a small CD or MP3 player near your desk.

Make your home office a welcoming space where you can do your best work in comfort and peace.

Filed Under: Getting Things Done, Motivation and Inspiration Tagged With: home office, home office decorating, home office organization

Eliminating Annoyances

September 3, 2009 by Cathy Stucker

I spent the other day swatting flies. At least, in a manner of speaking. You know those pesky tasks that keep hanging around your to-do list? The ones that aren’t big enough to seem important, but they keep buzzing around, getting in your face and annoying you?
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Getting Things Done Tagged With: annoyances, to do list

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