“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” Aristotle.

In last week’s blog, I talked about how many people abandon their New Year resolutions in a matter of days. I suggested that a step-by-step approach to changing your lifestyle can be effective. This includes mastering behavioural change before you move onto another. This helps with focus and means that you do not have to seek to make a whole lot of changes all at once.

Habits play a major role in our results in life. We truly are creatures of habit as research suggests that 90% of what we do each day is habit. Every day from the time you get up to the time that you retire to bed; there are hundreds of things that you do the same. This will include the way you shower, dress, eat breakfast, brush your teeth, drive to work etc.

If you want to achieve new things and get different results, you need to develop new habits.

The positive aspect of habits is that they free up your mind while your body is on automatic pilot. For example, you can plan your day whilst you are in the shower or driving to work. The negative aspect of habits is that they get locked into our sub-conscious mind and create self-defeating patterns that can inhibit our growth, limit our performance and prevent us from fulfilling our potential.

It was Einstein who said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result. If you want a different set of results, you must adopt a different approach. Your established habits are producing your current level of results.

If you would like to create improved results, better relationships or greater happiness, it is important that you create great healthy habits that help you to maximise your opportunities and fulfil your potential.

Habits can hinder rather than help you and limit your results in life. These include overcommitting your time and spreading yourself too thin, an inability to say no to unreasonable demands, not effectively managing distractions and interruptions, procrastinating and not following through on plans.

Some healthy habits that will allow you to be the best you can be include:

  • Creating a list of key priorities and plans each day.
  • Establishing a regular sleep pattern.
  • Returning calls and replying to e-mails within 24 hours.
  • Spending time with positive people.
  • Exercising for 30 minutes and drinking 2 litres of water each day.
  • Limiting the amount of time that you watch TV.
  • Increasing the amount that you read and learn new things.
  • Keeping the promises that you make to yourself and others.
  • Being assertive and effectively managing interruptions.

 
Changing and creating habits takes time. As a result of comments made by Dr Maxwell Maltz in his book Psycho-Cybernetics published in 1960, it has been believed that it takes a minimum of 21 days to break and change a habit.

Research by University College London in 2010 stated that it may take as much as 66 days for a new habit to fully form. They suggest that the duration of habit formation is likely to differ depending on who you are and what you are trying to do.

This week, why not pause for a few moments to reflect. Consider what healthy habits you need to develop this year to help you achieve your resolutions and goals.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk