Autopilot is Your Enemy

I am not talking about the airplane systems that help pilots fly us safely to our destinations or self-driving smart cars. Rather, I am talking about our habits. Those things we do without thinking about them, you know, on autopilot. Don’t get me wrong – habits can be very helpful. But many of the unconscious ones – the ones we don’t think about – are a hindrance. Some of our automatic habits keep us from reaching our goals, leading effectively, having great relationships, and more. Setting aside the benefits of healthy habits, today I want to talk about when autopilot is your enemy.

When is Autopilot Your Enemy?

In short, when the auto-programming isn’t serving us. Sometimes we do things automatically and don’t notice the unintended consequences. This is the general risk of our habits. And there are some specific situations in which your autopilot habits could be especially dangerous and detrimental. They can become our enemy when …

• We want to innovate. Innovation won’t happen on autopilot.
• We want to improve. Our autopilot is set for keeping things the same, not improving.
• We want to listen better. Most of us are too distracted too much of the time. Our habits likely need to change if we want to listen better.
• We are trying to change … anything. Our autopilot is really good at the status quo and works hard to keep us there.
• Things are going fine. Our autopilot stays engaged because things are going ok. But of course, “ok” isn’t awesome.

This short but powerful list likely leads you to think of several specific situations in your life. The question is, now what?

The Simple Solution

Much research has been done and documented in the last decade about our habits. This article won’t replace the details or depth of that work. But here are three points to help you use your autopilot for good as it relates to your results.

• Awareness is the starting point. Realizing that autopilot is your enemy in some situations keeps you open to making changes or adjustments as necessary.
• Determine your situation. It might be something from the list above, or something entirely different. When you realize that your habits aren’t serving you in a situation, you know where to start making changes.
• Be more intentional. When you make decisions and take actions with intention, you override your autopilot. When you do it consistently, you can – and will – reprogram your autopilot.

Autopilot helps us every day. But if we rely on it too much, it can turn from friend to foe.