Many of our habits are small, repetitive actions that become almost automatic for many of us; but if we really want to advance and grow in our careers, we need to be aware of all of our habits — good and bad, apparent and not so apparent. When we don’t pay close-enough attention to the habits we form, we’re not fully in control of our time — and while some of our habits may seem small and insignificant, the cumulative effect they have can be consequential. The new year is a perfect time to take an inventory of our habits to determine if they’re helping us get where we want to go. Here are some things to consider:
Think ‘Big Picture’
Whether you’re setting a resolution for the year ahead or simply have goals that you’re working on more generally, you want to keep the ‘big picture’ in mind when you think about your habits. You might have specific goals you can point to or even a more general vision of the life you want to create for yourself. Even though you’re thinking more long term here, whether it’s just the next quarter or the next few years, it’s good to be as specific as you can, so that you’re clear on exactly what it is you’re working toward.
Evaluate Your Current Habits
With your goals clearly defined, you’ll have an easier time gauging the impact and effectiveness of your current habits. Are they helping you move closer to the things you want to achieve? Are they helping you create the life you envision for yourself? Or are they limiting your progress? Take some time to reflect and identify your habits. Start with your morning routine, and then pay attention all day long including your evening before-bed routine. This will give you a good overview of the habits you have currently. Then, begin evaluating their qualities. The habits that help should, of course, be kept as part of your routine (and maybe even strengthened); while the habits that are diminishing your potential should get your immediate attention to be changed or eradicated entirely. I wrote last week about common distraction to look out for, and that article fits well with this one.
Identify New Habits
As I covered earlier, even small habits have the potential to be impactful. So, how can we use that to our advantage? Instead of just letting our habits develop organically without much thought, we can create new ones to support our specific goals. Which habits do you want to incorporate in the year ahead?
Develop a Strategy
Finally, you want to develop a strategy for yourself. Which habits will you work to eliminate? Will any of these be especially challenging to change? If so, see if there are some systems you can put in place to support your success. It’s also great if you can replace a bad habit with a good one to fill the gap. When it comes to new habits, if there’s many you’d like to incorporate, consider adding them in slowly, one at a time. New actions take time to become true habits, and when we try to create too many new ones at once, we might not get any of them to really stick.
This is the season of reflection, and shedding habits that don’t help us reach our potential while adding new habits that do will ensure that we make real progress in the year ahead.
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