Our columnist Steve Lenagh of Helping Entrepreneurs Win (HEW) looks at how small changes in your day-to-day routines can have a huge impact in all areas of your life.
In this article, I explore how making small changes to your day-to-day life can have a huge impact in all areas, from personal wellbeing right through to sustainable business growth.
I feel sustainable is a keyword here. I will use the example of the gyms in January following all those news year’s resolutions.
All these good intentions, going five times a week… until February!
Many people are under the false impression that all habitual changes have to be some dramatic shift in behaviour and actions, but I’m here to tell you that’s not the case. It is in fact the tiny, seemingly insignificant changes, which over time, (and when applied consistently) will see the greatest benefit.
So, what is a habit? They are essentially, very ingrained personal behaviours that we do automatically, without little if any thought. They are the social norms and invisible rules which guide you every day! Some may go back as far as childhood, so it stands to reason that it may require effort to first acknowledge what our habits are, and then secondly a real commitment to implement new ones.
So, what are your habits, and how are they serving you?
When your alarm goes off in the morning, do you immediately scroll through social media until you roll out of bed feeling sluggish from the content you have immediately absorbed? Or do you press the snooze button 5 times, finally get up, rush to the office, having not packed any food to fuel your body, and then take your mood out on other team members? Maybe before bed, you are again on your phone, or watch ‘just one more’ episode of your favourite Netflix show, resulting in a less than adequate sleep.
As with all positive change, awareness is key, so that is where we need to start!
So, what are you waiting for?
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TOP TIP
Do an honest audit of your day-to-day actions. Write a list as if you were planning your day, and include morning, and bedtime routines. At the side of each habit, put a +/- to indicate whether the habit is either a positive or negative one.
From here you can start to get a picture of what is working for you and what may be holding you back. It’s hard to ignore what is written in front of you!
You can then start to make the small changes, that will have a BIG impact!
What will you replace the negative habits with, and how could new habits, based on your wants and needs, benefit YOU?
A word of caution (and encouragement!). There is no quick fix, and implementation of new habits takes discipline and daily action in order to avoid slipping back into old ways. However, the results that this will bring for YOU are nothing short of life-changing.
