When you hear good habits. You have all probably heard of the book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey?
This is an alternative that I am proposing. Similar concept but hopefully an easier read.
What I have done here is to suggest Good Habits.
You can adopt them on a daily basis and become more effective.
Not a Rule Book
This is not a rule book by any stretch of the imagination. But rather something that you can mull over and decide if they would be of benefit to you?
If it Rings a Bell for you…
Should something resonate for you then take it on. Will it resonate with someone you know. Then please do share it with that individual. Ultimately that’s how The Lemonade Kart works. We all look out for each other. If we learn something new and interesting and benefit from it. Then we share it with our circle or team. That keeps the wheels of improvement going. All learning from one another’s experiences and learnings.
So here we go…..
Manage Your Time
See your time as being very precious and do your best not to waste it. Get up earlier, create a to do list that has set deadlines and stick to the plan. When you have a plan or program in place. You can consult it whenever you feel a little bit lost. You will quickly know where to jump back in and work on from there.
“Stick to the Plan not the Feeling”
Focus on Doing One Thing at a Time
There is a bit of maths in this one. It’s better to get 100% of one thing done rather than 20% of five different things. I hope that calculation makes sense? Later I talk about concentration and focusing on serious work time. If you use these two suggestions in tandem then you in theory get more serious work done.
Make Gradual Improvements
Looking to achieve your goals too quickly can lead to failure. Consistency is the key to achieving your goals. Give yourself time to gradually work towards a goal. When you set yourself a goal, make sure that you time it properly. Have a deadline and have the goal as something measurable so you can monitor your progress. All too often I see people jump into a project, going hell for leather only to get burned out after a short time and then giving up on the project. If you plan out your goals with smaller sub goals. Then you get the good feelings when you accomplish the smaller goals. This should keep you motivated towards achieving the bigger goal.
Adopt a Problem Solving Mindset
This element might be one of the most difficult pieces to adopt. A while back I deleted the word “TRY” from the vocabulary I use. I did this as it was once explained to me that we either do or do not – there is no try. What does that remind you of??
Something else that I have heard a few times but really was drilled into me by a former boss was this….
“There are no problems only challenges”
If I ever started a sentence with “the problem is….” my boss would quickly interrupt and correct me to say “our challenge is….”
His logic was that when you said it was a challenge then we already were setting ourselves the challenge to find the solution. The word problem was seen as having a closed mindset. Using the word challenge was having the Open Mindset or Growth Mindset. Maybe we just needed to look harder or do some more research and learning.
Build Your Network
This is one of the biggest ideas The Lemonade Kart is built upon. You need to surround yourself with positive people. People who are good for us and our Mental Health. I heard two terms to describe people. One is either be a radiator or a drain. A radiator being someone who “radiates good energy” brings out the best in you. A drain is someone who is always down and sucks all he good out of your relationship. You will quickly spot a drain. You would normally get that feeling “oh no there’s……”. Build on the radiators but avoid the drains like the plague!!
There are a few different networks (teams) that you can build on:
- Professional – LinkedIn etc
- Family
- Friends
- Sports Clubs
- Hobby Clubs
Work Mode On
Put those concrete blocks of work time into your program. You will achieve a lot more if you have effective “work time” dedicated. Lose the distractions while you concentrate on serious work.
I recently read that even when we are working from home that we should have a defined area for work. Then in effect we are travelling to our work place. Even when it only into the spare room of the house. I find that I can concentrate better when I have music on in the background. Having good lighting a fresh air are another big plus when concentrating.
Find Your Purpose
As part of your overall plan. Sit down and work out what your Purpose in Life actually is. After you work this out you will find it easier to work out whats next once you have clarity of your purpose. I have spoken about this previously in relation to working out what your values are.
As an example I have very recently have had to take a long hard look at what my values are and in turn figure out my purpose in life. Up to that point I was very business focused. I wanted to work towards being top of the pile. After a crash and burn I had to go back to basics and figure what made me, me. I took a look at my values might be. It was surprising to find that they were more people focused than business or process focused. I didn’t need to be Top Dog. Happiness and fulfilment could come from being a strong Number 2 or 3. So now I am all set to embark on a totally new work path.
The moral of that story is that sometimes a change is a good as a rest. Maybe I could have done without having the burn out or breakdown. Put some time aside to check out your own values and purpose in life. One can plan that change and achieve it.
Rest & Relax
One of the most important suggestions. And possibly the best thing you can do for yourself. Is to plan your rest and relaxation time too. This is where you allow your body, mind and soul to reset and get ready for the next challenge you are going to take on. Think of it like going to the gym. You need to have rest days built into your program. So your muscles can rest and repair. Make that rest & relaxation part of your daily program.
Self Care
Be sure to do some “nice” things that make you feel good. We call this – Self Care. When you hear that expression first it can sound a little daunting and self indulgent. But it’s quite the opposite – Self Care is something that we all need. Take a read of the article that I recently shared on Self Care, just click the hyperlink.
If you have managed to read through this whole article I thank you. It’s knowing that someone out there might find something of benefit within an article that I write that keeps me going.
#weareteam
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