Break a Bad Habit, Replace it with a Good Habit
Many people make New Year's Resolutions about habits. They want to eat less, exercise more, read more books, watch less tv...the list goes on.
By this time, many have already broken those promises to themselves. Others will lose interest before Valentine's Day.
Some will succeed. What makes the difference?
Often, it's a matter of determination and planning.
If you want to eat less junk food and lose weight, you probably shouldn't be buying bags of chips and cookies. Oh, and forgo those trips to the coffee shop for the double latte with a side of brownie.
Instead, stock your fridge with the foods you are promising yourself you will eat more of.
Similarly, if you resolve to publish more posts, study more of the WA training, or perhaps spend more time building your social media, you might need to consider the steps involved.
If you find yourself off on rabbit trails (yes, one of my habits that I'm always working on) you might consider the approach I've been taking. I make a note of the trail I want to follow, then get back to my work at hand. While it might stifle some of my creativity, it has allowed me to accomplish much more in my daily tasks.
Some find the TV pulls them away from their writing. Or perhaps it's social media. Reserve time aside for those things you don't want to give up entirely. Then make a block of time (or several blocks, depending on your lifestyle) to write or study.
Of course, life still happens. If your little one comes running in crying after a bad fall, certainly you can break away from that lesson you are working on. And when the dog barks to signal someone is at the door, you should probably check on that, too.
But it's important to set aside the extras that can wait. You might really want to read about the meteor headed for Earth in 50 years, but bookmark it and come back later. The article will still be there.
One important point to your planning and resolutions should also be noted. You need to make actual plans and goals. Write them down so they become real. For instance, you might choose to study one WA lesson each day and write 500 words on a post. Or maybe you are focusing on one segment of your website for one hour each evening.
Find a goal that works for you. It needs to be one that you can manage. Then implement it. Resolve to make it happen.
Most people are surprised how easy it is to reach their writing and business goals if they plan to make it happen. Success will be your reward!
Recent Comments
48
Well said Diane! You've got a great mindset here and I love the advice of setting goals and working toward them. Everyone has what it takes to build thriving businesses by blogging and getting traffic to their websites. Each article that is published adds to the foundation of your business - one article at a time you build a skyscraper!
Thank you, Carson! You and Kyle have certainly given us the platform and training to use toward our goals. I truly appreciate all you do!
Hey Diane,
I love it, good food, making you feel better is vital for all of our success. Without Health, what do you have?
It all starts with a balanced equation of health, exercise and meditation.
Each element provides a portion we need to embed into our daily lives.
It sounds pretty simple; try it, it really is. Once you can have this type of control, you are free.
Feels great; what could you possibly say?
Joseph
Hello, Diane. My thoughts have been about learning better habits and leaving some old ones behind. Thanks for the notes. Sounded like it was directed at me!
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Hi Diane
Thank you for raising this.
Setting goals, planning and taking action are my forté.
I find that getting family members to respect my priorities is a challenge.
I think the problem is they relate computers (or tapping away on mobile phones) as being mostly leisure activity.
If anyone has solved this challenge I’d love to hear from them ...
:-)
Richard
I find it helps to explain ahead of time that I need some time to focus on what I'm doing. It doesn't work 100%, but it does seem to help.
Occasionally, I've resorted to taking my laptop to my room and closing the door. I don't usually do that, so when I do, everyone knows I'm in serious need of focus time! 😊
Hi Diane
Thanks for those useful thoughts. Appreciated.
I have tried them both over a long period. I find that like willpower, the effect needs to be reinforced regularly :-).
Richard
Yes, that's true.