When was the last time you did a Habit Assessment? If you are like me and many others, then it is likely NEVER! We rarely think about our world of habits. It is a very personal thing, right?
Our habits shape what we do every day. Some habits are good. Some are not.
Personal Habit Assessment
Here is my challenge for you. Take a blank piece of paper or blank electronic page. Create three columns.
Habit Good or Bad Time for a Change
As you begin to think through your current personal habits, start with the morning and end with the evening. Mentally go through your day, hour by hour, and write down the keywords of your habits for Column 1. This part of the exercise should take you no more than 15 minutes.
An important reminder is that this is NOT a judging exercise on how this habit came into being or trigger negative self-talk. Rather, it is a matter-of-fact listing of all your current habits. Think of yourself as a reporter looking at your life, creating a page of “Habits-At-A-Glance”.
Example:
Sharing my column 1 as an example:
- Wake up between 5 and 6 am
- Check phone to look at Sleep App
- Get 32 ounce water poured into glass – finish before leave the house
- Read for 5-15 minutes – uplifting information
- Look at calendar for the day to begin thinking about appointments, meetings, and preparation needed
- Decide on clothes to wear
- Prepare Green Smoothies for the day
- Refill water to take with me in the car
- Stop at Starbucks to get coffee.
Capture your routine actions that you do every day.
Once you have your list, go back and look at columns 2 and 3 for each one.
Determine if this habit is good or bad for your life. Only you know this. Write a “G” or a “B” in that column.
Next, decide if this habit still serves you or if it is time for a change. If so, put a STAR for YES.
Why this works
Here’s why this 30-minute exercise works.
First, it makes you reflect on how you go about your day. Many of the habits (routines) we do, we added a long time ago and now rarely think about them. It is the power of taking time to THINK. Self-awareness is always powerful.
Second, it allows you to “see” at a glance what you are doing, what’s working for you and what might be of interest to you to make a change.
Finally, pick one or two that had a STAR in the row. Think about how you could change up that habit. Be willing to disrupt your routine. Accept that it will be uncomfortable as you transition away from the habit. You can do this.
If you are BOLD
Share this exercise with one or two people you feel very comfortable with. Suggest they do the same exercise. Share the results with each other. Notice what feelings and emotions come up as you do the exercise and as you share it.
Changing our habits that no longer serve is not easy. Adding better habits is not easy.
But, who said life would be easy?
Well thought out routines that serve our life help our life to become easier.
Lauren Midgley, business strategist, time behaviorist, speaker and author, based in Dallas-Ft. Worth area works with business owners to master productivity and profits in their business. She knows that with focus, there can be greater profits, less stress, and a better way of life. www.LaurenMidgley.coom