Category: Habits

Not Good or Bad

After yesterday’s blog, you’re probably scratching your head and wondering, “What type of systems do I need,” and, “What kind of habits do I need to run them”

The answer is easy and one way or another you’re making and using habits right now, for systems that hopefully work for you. Some people run systems and habits that are bad for them also. Look at a couple of these, and we’re not saying that you have good habits or bad habits, good systems or bad systems. It’s up to you to take a look at what you have to use, and figure out what you need to do. I can help you to look and help you with the how.

Do you have to be at work in the morning? Do you have to do things before you go to work? Showing up at work in pajamas and bed hair does make a statement, probably just not the one you want to make. I bet you use an alarm clock. Making sure the alarm clock is set at night and getting up when it goes off in the morning or good habits. They feed the habit of being ready and going to work on time.

Do others count on you? If you have two children, spouse, maybe a pet needs to be walked, shower to take, need to get dressed. And you need to ensure children are dressed and fed before catching the school bus or walking to school, you truly need some pretty good systems. And, everyone has to have the habits to do what is needed in a timely order.

Do you have habits when you bake a cake? Do you put used items in the sink and throw away discards in the trash as needed? You pile everything up and clean up the kitchen when everything is done or while the cake is baking? Do you leave everything where it is with the idea of you baked the cake, and somebody else can clean the kitchen? They are all habits that feed the system of working in the kitchen.

I didn’t say all habits were good. I only said they are habits. If after work you go with everyone to a local pub, as part of a going away party for a working member, it is a one-time thing. If you go to the pub every day after work, it is a habit. One-time actions and habits in themselves are not good or bad. How you use actions and habits can have a positive or negative effect on you.

One of my habits, which is not good for me, is to recline on the couch nightly and watch other people pretend to do things for entertainment. You got it, I watch far too much TV.

Here’s how you know what you need, what you do, and whether it’s good for you. Make a list of those things you must do. Do you have to cut grass? Do you have to get up in the morning? Are you required to ensure that members of your family make it to where they are supposed to be on time, school, appointments, etc.? Do you have to cook? Do you have to go to the grocery store to get things to cook? Do you have to sleep? Do you have to relax? Do you need to be entertained? These are items we require or are required to do as humans. The way we normally handle what we do soon become habits due to repetition. The overall concept of these things and how we handle them are systems.

Tomorrow, we will look at a couple of systems that many people use. On Friday, we will look at ways to develop systems unique to us that work better than leaving things to chance.

How Are Your Systems and Habits?

Systems are important, and the habits that keep us using the systems are vital.

Did you know that glass is not a solid? I saw that this week on the Internet when I was looking up the various unique characteristics of glass. Glass is considered a fourth element. Glass is never found as a solid or gas. Glasses are always in a liquid state. It is just that the way glass is made. The molecules are super-cooled, and the electrons move very slow.

I am not sure that our habits or the systems we use should ever be in a solid or gaseous state either. A gaseous state would mean there would be no coherence there would be nothing to grab onto. If our habits and systems are rock solid, there is no room for error which is good. And yet, there is no room to take care of an anomaly. And there is always an anomaly somewhere that in life or in business you must take care of.

My ideas and systems need to have good habits that can bend to higher needs when the occasion arises. I also believe in systems that are well understood and have the capacity to work well on situations which fall well outside of the norm.

Am I asking for miracles? No. I remember who I work for. I work for my family. And as I have said before, I work for the man upstairs, and he has me working for you. That makes everyone involved very important. I want to make sure I am doing those things that are important to everyone involved.

How are you with the systems you use to get things done and the habits that keep you using the systems? Think of your habits and systems overnight and make a list. And we will talk about this again in the morning.

Thanks for being here with us, I look forward to tomorrow.

 

Systems and Habits

The more I work in my chosen field of my business, the more I know that I need good systems. I also know that if I don’t have the habit to use the systems, they will fall by the wayside. That does neither my consumers nor me any good.

I was born into a military family. Dad was a staff Sgt. the Army and just as everything was shipshape at work, so would things be ship shape at home. I still remember having to answer the phone with my expected saying,” Balof quarters, Mike speaking.” After a while, as I grew, I stepped away from all the rigmarole. I believed in spontaneity, and I had a belief that everything would be done in time, just that maybe the time wasn’t now.

When I went into the Air Force, everything came back. I was used to the various systems of doing things and the habits that were trying to be instilled. And I understood them in a new light. When I had my kids, I remembered what I went through with my dad, and did not want to inflict that upon them. Try as I might a little always seeps through. Yet, I did my best to instill in them their free agency.

After being out of the service for over 20 years, I have decided to go into my own business. I write these blogs that you get to read for free, and I love to make them. I write books which are a lot of fun. And I’m still developing courses as I have done for the last 15 years. Only this time, I am making the majority rather than the minority of them for online presentation. And the one thing I know for sure, for everyone who uses my offerings, I need to have good systems in place, and good habits to serve you better.

With your permission, this week I am going to spend our five days together looking into habits and systems and similar items we can all use to be better at what we do.

If you would like to share, please add to the comments below and let us know about your favorite habits and the type of systems you use to stay on track. When we learn from each other, we learn great things, and everyone does better because of new knowledge.

We look forward to being with you again tomorrow. In the meantime, have a great day.

 

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