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During busy times, it’s easy to fall victim to some forgotten good habits at work. These are things you liked doing but no longer perform.
Recently, I reconnected over Zoom with my friend and colleague, Pat Heydlauff. We talked about an upcoming video project that will highlight her expertise with Feng Shui in the workplace and especially the work from home environment.
As we talked, Pat mentioned some of the problems people can have with clutter, in their home office. At one point, she stopped and said, “I see you’re looking around.”
She was right, as I was looking, off camera, at piles of paper or other temporary storage areas that have become increasingly permanent. I realized I had a forgotten good habit.
While the disruption of some home renovation provides me with a good excuse for the clutter, I also knew I’ve fallen out of practice with some of my cleaning rituals. I find clutter very distracting and I had gotten good at making sure it didn’t build up.
Unfortunately, I let go of those rituals, even though I know they help me. Do you ever fall into the same trap, where a busy schedule might distract you from good habits, you know you need to perform?
The good news is that a discarded habit can be picked up again. Consider these tips to help you get back on track:
Remember the Benefit
Spend some time, thinking about the good things that came from your past habit. For me, less clutter makes me feel less stress. I also spent less time looking for random things.
These are logical and emotional hooks that can help me make the practice a habit once again. Find your benefits and you’ll have an easier time committing to your old habit.
Create Your Ritual
To prevent forgotten good habits, make sure you have an easy and actionable way to resume them. Don’t make this a big commitment you can’t keep over time.
In my battle against clutter, I can dedicate at least ten minutes a day to the project. In order to make it not feel like lost time, I’ll also watch a webinar or videos, where I’m interested in the information but don’t have to give 100% of my focus to it.
This way, my cleaning is associated with something else I enjoy. Before long, I’ll associate one with the other.
Understand the Barriers to Success
Look back and consider what takes your personal best practices and turns them into forgotten good habits. Does a busy time at work cause you to have to triage your activities and drop some off your to-do list?
If you can identify what blocks you from your good habit, then you can try to prevent the scenario from happening again.
For instance, during your busy season, you may not have time for your good habit but put it on your calendar for when you expect things to be less busy. This tiny commitment moves you closer to continuing the thing you know you need to do.
Let’s Create a Memorable Meeting
