Work
Habits v System
Reading James Clear’s book ‘Atomic Habits’ (again) has prompted me to reconsider my work habits.
James’ good habit-forming principles are simple:
Make the habit opportunity obvious.
Make the habit opportunity attractive.
Make the habit opportunity easy to access and execute.
Make the habit execution satisfying.
However, what has proven more effective for me is to create a system. A process of activities that form a groove in my day. Stuff always comes up to disrupt the system, but I get more good things done if my daily, weekly and monthly systems are set up. Once a system is in place it sets your movement in a certain direction. Presumably, if the system is a positive one, then the movement and related actions contribute to what needs to be achieved.
And that’s how good habits occur for me. By setting in place my system all those around me know what the system is and either create their own system respectful of mine, or at least acknowledge my system by allowing it to run.
PERSONAL IMPROVEMENT
How to Quit Caffeine without Becoming Miserable
Ease into it on vacation. The fastest way to become miserable is to quit your caffeine addiction at work. The ideal time to lay off caffeine is during vacation. Sleeping in or lying on the beach doesn’t require much concentration. After a week of no caffeine, your body will find it easier to adjust to abstinence.
Keep a running list of all the ways giving up caffeine is improving your life. “Behavior change is often supported by connecting to the bigger values—the things that are important to you—that drive your life,” says Washington-based nutritionist Meghan Cichy. “When our perspective is more positive and connected to our values, it can actually help us to feel less crappy about going through it.”
Find a productive substitute. Maybe not Diet Coke but finding something that will make you feel less deprived as you give up caffeine will help make the transition easier.
PERSONAL IMPROVEMENT
Time for Rest
Taking a break in this ‘always-on’ work-life we seemed to have signed up to is often considered just a type of negative space.
This is unhealthy.
Some tips on how to make rest healthy:
Take the opportunity to rest seriously.
Establish boundaries.
Treat rest as a skill - learn how to do it well.
Timetable a daily schedule of work and rest.
Practise deep play, ie engage with something completely different.
Don’t neglect sleep and naps.
Encourage rest in others.
LIFE HACKS
New Year Resolutions to Try for 30 Days
Give up TV. Tape all your favourite shows and save them until the end of the trial. My whole family did this once, and it was very enlightening.
Give up online forums, especially if you feel you’re becoming forum addicted. This will help break the addiction and give you a clearer sense of how participation actually benefits you (if at all). You can always catch up at the end of 30 days.
Meet someone new every day. Start up a conversation with a stranger.
Go out every evening. Go somewhere different each time, and do something fun — this will be a memorable month.
Spend 30 minutes cleaning up and organising your home or office every day. That’s 15 hours total.
List something new to sell on eBay every day. Purge some of that clutter.
Give up cigarettes, soda, junk food, coffee, or other unhealthy addictions.
Become an early riser.
Write in your journal every day.
Call a different family member, friend, or business contact every day.
Make 25 sales calls every day to solicit new business. Professional speaker Mike Ferry did this five days a week for two years, even on days when he was giving seminars. He credits this habit with helping build his business to over $10 million in annual sales. If you make 1300 sales calls a year, you’re going to get some decent business no matter how bad your sales skills are. You can generalise this habit to any kind of marketing work, like building new links to your website.
Write a new blog entry every day.
Read for an hour a day on a subject that interests you.
Meditate every day.
Learn a new vocabulary word every day.
Go for a long walk every day.
LINKS
Random
How the Ancient Greeks beat distraction
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