Monday, November 14, 2011

A Habit a Month


There have been studies that have shown it takes about 25 days of repitition to learn a new habit. So whether its trying to exercise on a regular basis or take time every day to keep up on advances in your field, it will take about a month to turn it into a regular habit. 

So here's a thought. At the start of each month, identify a habit you want to build up.  Work on it every day for the month. Next month, start on something else new. Or it doesn't even have to be new; it could be something you used to be better at that has become less of a habit recently.   

So keep it simple. Make this new habit the first thing you do every day, before checking email or your Twitter feed. It doesn't have to be a lot of time, keep it as short as practical. Prepare the night before, whether its laying out your workout clothes or finding the article you want to read. Just keep doing it for the whole month. When next month comes around, pick something new to work on.

3 comments:

Scott said...

It could be said that certain project management disciplines can be implemented in the same way; by developing them as habits deliberately.

Dora said...

I agree with Scott! This month, I'm hoping that my new habit will be using my online project management software from Clarizen properly. Hopefully, once I have formed this habit my working life will be simpler and more streamlined. After all, practice makes perfect!

Tarah said...
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