We are creatures of habit – from the time we get up in the morning until we go to bed at night we engage in countless daily routines such as brushing our teeth or turning on our computer. Research shows that we make upwards of 11,000 decisions every day–thankfully most are unconscious and involuntary – meaning… we don’t really have to think about them, we just do it!

A habit is defined as a settled or regular tendency or practice especially one that is hard to give up. Over the past few months I established a habit of reading the news feeds morning and night or watching news on TV. I recently came to the conclusion that I was devoting too much time to hearing the same events played out over and over again and the stories were mostly negative and often horrible. I’ve made a conscious decision to catch up on news only once a day, and not at night so as not to disturb my sleep. I recognized that in order to change this habit I needed to replace it with a new habit that was more satisfying. I have decided to use this 30 minute daily pocket of time to connect with business colleagues on social media – to  read informative and motivational articles, respond to posts and submit material such as this blog. I hope to ‘see’ you more regularly online!

If you’ve recognized that one or more of your habits are no longer serving you well, ask yourself this question:  What are the costs of sticking with this habit?  Or conversely –What are the benefits of changing this practice? What new practice would you like to develop? It’s important to identify the benefits or WIFM (What’s in it For Me) in order to build momentum towards your new goal.

Remember it takes a minimum of 21 days to develop a new practice into a habit and then you must continue with it to ensure it sticks?

What new habit would you like to develop? Share it below if you feel so inclined. Going public with your goals gives it a boost.

I hope you are enjoying the summer.

Rebecca