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Using systems and habits to improve your life is a proven method to succeed. It requires seeing the work as a system and then adjusting your thoughts and behaviors to be able to take advantage of your opportunities in life.
There are systems and habits ingrained in all of us that determine how we respond to situations, how we handle adversity and how we establish routine from repeated behaviors.
These systems and habits evolve over time and usually get more and more rigid as we gain experience. The experience tends to validate and solidify these systems even if the systems aren’t leading us in the right direction.
Read MoreWhenever we want to achieve something, we will find that there are things in our path. Obstacles are always present and we have to learn to overcome obstacles in order to succeed.
Read MorePatience isn’t something that comes from inaction. It actually comes from action, but specific action. It comes from preparation.
Read MoreHelping others is something that is ingrained in most of us. The positive feelings we receive from helping somebody else is natural, but sometimes helping can actually be destructive.
Read MoreThe discipline to stay on track when we set a new goal is important. Most people have a hard time sticking with a new exercise routine, diet, budget, strategic plan etc. yet they never really stop to think “How can I make this easier on myself and how can I make sure I am making the right decision?"
Read MoreOne area of my life that has seen significant improvement from relying on systems and habits techniques is money. When I was in college I, like most college students, didn’t have a lot of money and quickly found out how easy it was to get a credit card. In fact the credit card companies would have tables set up at the student center and would stop students and try to convince them to apply for their credit card to get a free gift such as a shirt, coffee mug or other item.
Read MoreYears ago I attended a seminar on personal development. The speaker explained that the little things are important. From time management to sales, the speaker gave example after example of what not to do.
He would reference a person he knows or a character from a famous TV show and explain their faults. He would always say, “We all know someone like that, right?”
Read MoreRory Vaden is one of my favorite authors. I heard him speak a few years ago at a convention and have referenced his work many times. His first book, Take the Stairs, is a great book that shows that we can be more self disciplined by making better choices and being willing to do the work that most people don’t want to do.
In his second book, Procrastinate on Purpose, he goes a little further into the system and habit development aspects of behavior. At one point Rory is talking about the various processes of his business and says, “But now, looking back, we developed clarity around a critical lesson: Anything you create a process for today saves you time tomorrow.”
Read Moresing systems and habits to reach goals isn’t new. The roots trace back through Dr. W. Edward Demming. After WWII, Dr. Demming went to Japan to teach the fundamentals of manufacturing. Companies like Toyota utilized his insight to become incredible companies and created their own processes of improvement such as Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, and Kaizen.
It is very interesting to see just how similar these business process improvement techniques are to systems and habits improvement. Much of the principles are the same and they all focus on small, incremental improvements that produce great results over the long term.
Read MoreWhen working on systems and habits improvement, one area that can be damaging is the little voice inside our heads. This voice seems to always be talking and, for me, it wasn’t always the most positive self-talk.
Read MoreThe idea of using systems and habits to reach goals may give the impression that it is about turning the work associated with reaching a goal into something automatic so that you don’t have to think while you are doing it. But it is much more than that.
Read Moreecently I was having a conversation with someone about her experience working at a retail store. She talked about interaction with customers and how much she learned from this interaction.
I started to think about my own experience working in retail environments. I started to realize that a portion of my systems and habits knowledge came from this experience.
Read MoreAchieving a goal means that you do the things necessary to improve. As you form new habits and develop effective systems, you will start to see patterns emerge.
Read MoreJimmy Dean said, “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”
Read MoreThere was a saying that I had while teaching that seemed to help them understand the need for the information and instruction first, before taking control of the equipment. I used to advise the students that they had to “know the rules before you break them.” I explained that there are rules (standards, norms, etc.) and that these were there for a reason. Breaking them was only ok if you understood why you were breaking them.
Read MoreIf you are using systems and habits to set process goals to ultimately become the person you wish to become, you will certainly find that the journey isn’t always smooth. Anytime we go after goals there are obstacles and no amount of contingency planning can account for everything. But how can we better prepare and better face the challenges on the road to improvement?
Read MorePeople are not open to change. As humans, we evolved and survived, in part, because we understood what worked, and we stuck with it. But there were always those who seemed to defy that logic and would set out to explore new lands and take new chances.
Read MoreIn my day job I work as an adviser to small business owners. I often come across a startup business owner who is incredibly ambitious but lacks clarity and focus in their goals. They usually take feedback from those around them and incorporate everything. Their main motivation is to make sure they thought of and included EVERYTHING.
Read MoreThere is a popular saying that asserts that “no storm lasts forever.” It is used to provide comfort during times of tribulation and remind us that no matter how difficult things seem, they will not stay this difficult forever. The Tao Te Ching was written 2500 years ago and echoes this understanding when it states “Fierce winds do not blow all morning; a downpour of rain does not last all day.”
Read MoreWhenever we make the decision to change something about ourselves that is ingrained in our thoughts and behaviors, we will likely face resistance. This additional challenge can become very difficult to navigate through.
Our bodies and minds are used to their routines and making changes will always mean difficulties and hesitation. By relying on the principles of systems and habits we can slowly start to make change. We start with easy and turn something small into a habit. Then we move on and grow the new habit until we are reaching our goals.
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