Habits are funny things. When we are out of routine, as is want of a habit, we can become unsure, worried and anxious. But forming new habits is tough.
Trying to work something new into our lives seems so very difficult, especially when we think we should being doing something or it is a habit that is better for us that another one. Like eating healthy food and giving something up, like alcohol.
With 2017 in its infancy, we often think of trying new things, resolving that by the year end we will have been going to the gym three times a week and so on.
What things should you make a habit in 2017 when it comes to business and how do does something new become second nature?
Forming habits in three steps
Firstly, your brain needs a trigger to go from automatic mode into letting the behavior happen. A habit forms when it becomes routine, which is the behavior step of the loop and the finally, there is the reward of the habit – better business, increase profits and so on.
What needs to change?
There are many things we all need to change but there are some that do prevent us from achieving. This year, if you do nothing else, make the following four behaviors into habits that will bring reward.
Focus your energy
Do you focus your energy on the most rewarding tasks in a day? Or do you choose tasks that you know you can complete that don’t take too much time or effort?
We do, by habit, focus on low-value tasks but here’s the rub: they don’t bring the rewards we need. Shift your focus onto the tasks and activities that matter. Pay attention to low-value tasks – are they sucking energy for very little return?
Prioritize
Many people struggle to prioritize the things they must do in the day, week or month. By not prioritizing, productivity slips and again, focus shifts to low-value tasks that drain energy. There are many ways to learn to prioritize and one is to understand that prioritizes shift, as they are dependent on several factors.
Project and complete tasks
Do you start something and finish it? Or do projects and work seem to drift on, merging into one another? This is a habit you need to break and replace with a new one: visualize projects being started and finished. And then do it!
Have a Positive Mental Attitude
A Positive Mental Attitude or PMA is advantageous in many settings. If you are always expecting the worst, the worst will always happen. If you have a more positive approach to life and business, then good stuff happens.
No matter who you are or what you do, there is always something to reach for. What stops us from succeeding is us – the habits and routines we have fallen into. Breaking those and replacing with new ones takes effort.
Are you up for the challenge?