CHANGING HABITS SUCCESSFULLY

Everything is related to everything else. Events do not stand as isolated instances in our lives: they are related to other times, places, and things. A change in one part of our life, therefore, has a direct impact on other parts of our life as well.

Habits are difficult to change because they too are interconnected. A single action becomes a cue for some of our action, which in turn maybe a cue for still another behavior. In this way, we develop habit sequences that form a vigorous mode of patterned behavior. An important example of patterned behavior is the early morning rituals. What activities take place during the first 60 minutes and how valuable are they? 

 Take a look at this scenario: Andrew's typical morning. He enters his office at 8:00 A.M. The first thing he does is get a cup of coffee; then he visits his colleagues. As he finishes the coffee, he picks up the morning newspaper and browses through it for 10-15 minutes. It is now 8:45 A.M. Andrew has been in the office for nearly an hour, yet he hasn't started to work.

This pattern is probably repeated in half the offices in the country every morning. "But wait a minute!" you may say, "There's nothing wrong with coffee, is there? Besides, talking with colleagues develops good interpersonal relations." This may be true, but let's examine the above scenario in more detail.

People do not drink coffee for its nutritive value. It is a habitual behavior often cued by morning entrance to the office. What do they talk about? Early morning conversations usually center on sports, weather, family activities, and current events. These coffee conversations seldom concern work.

There is an old proverb that says, "As the first hour of the day goes, so goes the day." This is vitally important to everyone concerned with time management. Many people waste their first hour, accomplishing little or nothing and establishing a poor pattern for the balance of the day. Furthermore, they don't even realize what they're doing to themselves.