“Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become your character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”
– Anonymous

Would you love to just get up in the morning and be able to do whatever you want whenever you wanted to do it?

If you are retired I bet you can live like that. If you are running a business and or running a household I know you can’t live like that without major consequences.

What I have learned in all my years as a professional time management/productivity expert is that habits and I mean good habits produce the best results.

As humans we thrive best on routine.

Routines are a series of good habits and willpower

Cultivating consistent good habits will help lower overwhelm.

For example, if you have the habit of going to the gym each morning or doing some form of physical activity each day you will reduce your stress which will reduce your overwhelm.

If you consistently cultivate the good habit of preparing healthy well balanced meals you will not feel rushed at meal times.

Let me explain, because habits are really not that hard to keep if the outcome is far greater than not having a habit.

Most habits require a little thinking and yes a little planning.

When you are preparing your evening meal think and plan ahead as to what you will be taking to lunch the next day.

For those of you who have been reading my blog for a while you know that one of my tips is to wash all of your produce when you bring it home from the store before putting it in the fridge. This is a great habit because it then allows you to prepare your evening meal and lunch for the next day with ease not with overwhelm.

Habits are best kept when they are non negotiable.

As one of my very smart clients said to me “it is all about discipline “that is hitting the nail right on the head. So how do we capture discipline? When the pain of remaining the same is far greater than the pain of change. You know the people that have a heart attack and then their discipline to change and make new habits is so great there is no stopping them.

Check out this short video on How To Create New Habits and then read on to get all the tips.

How do we go about sticking to our habits? Follow these Top 3 compelling Getting It Together Tips.img_2529

Tip # 1 Desire. You have to have the desire to want to stick with your habit. For an example, I have some challenges with my neck so my desire to have a healthy pain free neck has made me cultivate the habit of going to the gym each morning and stretching out my body and strengthening my muscles. Or the desire to have a happy dog means you walk them daily.

Tip # 2 Determination. Our mind is a very strong muscle. We can strengthen it to become so determined that there is no stopping us. Look at how we were all so determined to walk and to talk as toddlers. How determined are you to get things done before going on a vacation? How determined were you to fit into your wedding dress? Use this same determination to create your habits.

img_2538Tip#3 Discipline. Why is it that some people have more discipline then others? Is it in our DNA? Can we learn it? If the payoff is great and we want something bad enough we will cultivate the discipline. (For example: taking vitamins) This does not mean we will be perfect all the time. We will fall off the rails sometimes however we know that with strong desire and determination we will get back on track.

If it takes less than a minute to do something, get in the habit of doing it right away,

Not all habits are good ones. For example biting your nails, smoking or over drinking. To break a bad habit you need desire, determination and discipline as well as replace it with a good habit. Try 10 deep breaths every time you go to bite your nails. It will change your thought process and hopefully get you on track with having well manicured fingernails.