How Often Do You Think About Your Habits?

Habits are a powerful part of our life. Without habits, we likely couldn’t cope with the complexity of our lives, yet, not all of our habits serve us.

Today’s Powerquote gives us some food for thought.

“A bad habit is something you do without thinking – which is why most of us have so many of them.”

– Frank A. Clark

Questions to Ponder

• What do I consider to be my bad habits?
• How often have I thought about this question?

Actions to Consider

1. Make a list of your habits.  give yourself a couple of days to do so.
2. Reflect on the list then mark those you consider positive, those you consider negative and those you consider neutral.
3. Determine which of the negative habits is most in the way of you reaching your goals.
4. Take actions to replace that habit with a more positive, helpful one.

As a leader the need for us to think about our habits is even greater than for everyone else.  Why?  Because our habits may impact others in subtle (or not-so-subtle) ways.  Taking the time to do this mental exercise, then taking action, is a powerful way to improve our personal and organizational results.

But there is something more here too.

Teams and organizations have habits too.  We might call them something else, like culture or processes or the like.  Taking time with your team to do this exercise  can be a powerful way to build the team, and empower people to consciously think about ways to improve their results.