From time to time it is easy to get caught up in the daily routine of life. Each day is the same as the last. Same commute. Same work. Same coffee breaks. Same lunch. Over and over. Habits and routines can be great for achieving great things. However, they can also be destructive to your enjoyment of life and to your health. Good habits and bad habits are just habits. And, if we allow habits to dominate our lives, we can miss out so much. Habit is a tool that is very easily misused.
Success is a habit. It seems that there are people who routinely win at whatever they set out to do. They have a habit of envisioning their goals, taking steps to achieve them, and reducing their risk of failure.
Is the opposite of that lack of success? Or, is it failure? Lack of success to me implies that the person does not have the habits in place to succeed. Failure, on the other hand, gives me a sense that a person was on the road to success when something went catastrophically wrong, like a rocket launch, for example. Or, perhaps, successful people make a habit of failing and improving with each iteration. These are interesting ideas.
Lately, I have not felt in control. Much of my day has been spent in repetition of the last. Much of this is my fault. It is difficult for me to undertake new and better projects because I have not made a habit of thinking ahead. For fans of David Allen's book, Getting Things Done, my days have lacked the Weekly Review. Consequently, I spend a great deal of time reacting to things rather than directing them.
I recognize that in order for me to level up, I need to set up processes to help me manage my day. Of course, there's the doing part too. Lately, I have been failing to plan ahead. I am great at making lists and keeping track of information. However, I have been terrible at scheduing time to do specific work. For example, I should check the week ahead for scheduled events to ensure we have necessary staffing to support the events. Failing to do this results in surprises and harried staff.
In order for me to reach the next level of performance, it is necessary to master some of the success habits I have been neglecting to master my current level of performance. If I can't perform with excellence on smaller matters, I would not be able to perform with excellence on larger matters. Not being in control of my days is like a fog that keeps me from seeing what is headed my way so that I can better prepare.
Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay
Originally posted on Shaine Mata. Hive blog powered by ENGRAVE.