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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.
The world is complex. And with each passing day it seems to be more and more complex.
With all of this complexity it might seem that we have to always be looking for complex solutions to problems in order to match the world around us.
Read MoreWhen it comes to reaching new levels of success in our lives, we tend to think the things that we don’t know restrict us. We think that there must be something that we are missing or some piece of information that will unlock the ability to reach the next goal.
I have always been an advocate of education. I have gone to school for advanced degrees and taken classes just to learn. I feel that knowledge is power and we should all remain on a quest for new information.
Read MoreSo you set a goal that meets all of the SMART criteria and you are now on your way to achieving your goal, right? Wrong. Setting a goal has gotten tons of credit for being the most important step to improvement but it isn’t.
For decades authors have explained that the reason we aren’t successful is because we didn’t set goals. Or we set goals but they weren’t specific enough, measurable enough etc. Or we set goals but didn’t do enough to envision what it would be like to reach the goal.
Read MoreRecently I went with some coworkers to an escape room. The exercise was to help us bond as a team so we can be more effective working together.
We didn’t know what to really expect but we learned a lot from our experience. We learned tips and tricks to beating escape rooms, we learned how to solve problems collectively and we learned how to better communicate.
Read MoreThere is an interesting phenomenon that occurs when two opposing forces try to stay ahead of the other. It is a sort-of systematic escalation that takes place.
Understanding systems we can start to see situations differently. This is one where looking at things systematically, we gain a new perspective on what is happening.
Read MoreThe biggest benefit that I have found from using the systems and habits approach to improvement is that everything starts to align. Prior to using these techniques it seemed like some areas were improving while others were deteriorating.
This is the norm for most of us. I would start exercising but then would eat more than normal and after a few days I would quit exercising but keep eating the larger quantity!
Read MoreIn previous articles (How to Achieve Any Goal, Content not Complacent, and Entitlement) I have talked about the different between contentment and complacency. Contentment is a confident move towards improvement without feeling as though you need more to be happy. Complacency is a hopeless mindset that leaves you feeling as though there isn’t any benefit to working towards improvement.
But understanding the difference between the two isn’t enough to truly be content. You also have to work hard and put in place the right systems and habits.
Read MoreStaying hungry for more success and staying happy in life seem conflicting. On one hand we feel we need more and that drives us to keep going after our goals. On the other we feel perfectly fine with what we have so why keep working hard for more?
To me the answer can be found by exploring the difference between being content and being complacent.
Read MoreOne of the great systems thinkers, W. Edwards Deming once said, “A system is a network of interdependent components that work together to accomplish the aim of the system. A system must have an aim.”
The aim is very important and without it we just stumble through without improving. We have to set a direction to move.
Read MoreThere is a quote by Peter Senge that says, “How do you know what people value? Well, you watch what they buy.”
The truth is that what we value we spend money on. Whether it is to upgrade our TV package or when to buy a new computer, we are looking at the value we would receive from spending the money.
Read MoreEverything around us is made up of systems. There are systems that drive everything in life. From naturally occurring systems such as weather systems to the systematic way we drive our car, there are underlying systems that are the cause for life as we know it.
The systems are powerful. Many times they have existed for a long time and can seem indestructible. On a smaller scale the personal systems in our lives drive most of our habits, which determine our behavior and influence our decisions.
Read Moretudying the systems and habits approach to improvement, I have learned quite a bit about the importance of muscle memory.
I have been reading a book by a Marine who was leading his men into battle. In the book he details the task and talks at length about how he worked with his men to prepare them for life and death situations.
Read MoreWillpower is finite. It is not infinite. We all rely on willpower every day. Sometimes this gets us to avoid that donut at work or stops us from lashing out at our boss. Sometimes it is to keep studying for a test or deciding to go to the gym.
Willpower doesn’t last. We use it up and our ability to use it diminishes. Throughout the day, as we use it, we deplete it. This happens all the time and we don’t notice because it gets replenished from time to time when we sleep or relax.
Read MoreThere is a lot written about systematic improvement. Most of the time this references some complex computer system, business process or environmental factor. But taking a systematic improvement mindset is also helpful when we are trying to reach our personal goals.
Most people take a haphazard approach to improvement in their lives. They just want to coast along and only work on improving after something motivates them.
Read MoreI’ve spent my whole career working on projects at many different organizations. From Fortune 1000 companies to working with local artists, I’ve seen how projects can take many different paths.
One of the most important things that I have found is that progress is crucial. But instead of focusing on making progress, most people get stuck trying for perfection.
Read MoreThe world is becoming increasingly complex. Every year tax code expands, the rules around business change, and governments come up with new regulations. With all of the complexity it is easy to see why we often turn to linear thinking when faced with problems.
Linear thinking cuts through most of the information and focuses on 2 factors. It looks at cause and effect, or right and wrong, and tries to fit the situation into those factors and ignores everything else.
Read MoreWe all have too much to do. We have competing priorities and people around us seem to want more and more from us.
Life gets complicated and the natural reaction for us is to try and do more. As things get added we keep adding to our to do lists.
Read MoreSetting goals can be a great way to take control and reach new levels of success. Setting a goal can put focus on an area and give a clear vision of where you want to end up.
But I have found that in some situations setting specific goals is an exercise in futility. Instead I needed to focus on the direction I want to go, not on setting a specific target to hit.
Read MoreHaving a vision for the future is important. It is important in business to have a vision for a product, initiative or company and it is important for us to have a future state that we are working for.
But vision by itself is meaningless. Many people want things in life. They want to have more or be more or do more but they aren’t doing the things they need to do in order to reach that level.
Read MoreRecently my wife and I took our daughters to breakfast. After breakfast my 3-year-old decided that she wanted pie. We tried to explain to her that she couldn’t have pie right after eating breakfast.
But she had it in her head that she wanted pie. So she threw a temper tantrum to try and convince us to give her some pie.
Read More