Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Better Life
By S.J. Scott
http://www.HabitBooks.com
Are you eager to improve your productivity, and gain more satisfaction from
everyday tasks? Do you want to reach goals, realize dreams and live out
aspirations?
This book will help you acquire daily habits that will help you do these things and
more.
Your habits also relate to why youll put up with unpleasant tasks at work (youre
in the habit of just saying yes and it would take more effort to negotiate) or settle
for boring instead of seeking adventure.
Were creatures of habit, and the many daily habits we have become accustomed
to are the very fabric of our lives.
Work
Success
Sleep
Learning
Health
Each of the habits presented in this book is completely doable. Establishing the
new habit will not be difficult. Your goal is to focus on the new practice until it
replaces your old habits.
Thats the beauty of daily habits: They are small enough to be easy, yet the end
result of establishing a new habit is exponential in scope.
For optimal results, I suggest you read this entire book through once, and then
re-tackle it in one of the following ways:
Choose one habit at a time until youve got that one habit down, and then
add a new habit to your repertoire after that.
Choose your favorite habits out of the 77 habits suggested, and tackle them
one by one until youve established all your favorite new habits.
Whatever way you choose to approach this challenge, I encourage you to take the
time to enjoy the process. Improving your life is fun. It involves dreaming and
assessing, growing and changing.
How do I know?
Im certainly not perfect.
In fact, Im still working on establishing some of the habits listed here in this
book.
But I do know this: Every positive habit I establish is one more step in the right
direction, and I can feel the positive impact on my life overall. My wish for you is
a similar experience as you enrich your life through the development of positive
habits.
Perhaps youre one of those rare birds who performs well under stress, but most
of us flounder.
Coming to work late or barely on time puts you at risk for:
If you always arrive early, you will build in a cushion that will protect you from
undue stress. Its the best way to arrive at work calm, positive, relaxed and guiltfree.
To establish this habit, you will need to actually leave your house 15
minutes earlier than you usually do. By doing this, youll improve your
performance and protect your mental health, all the while bolstering your
reputation around the office.
Its close to impossible to know what your work situation will be five years from
now, even if youre in a stable field, and knowing someone who knows someone is
the best way to get a new job or line up a new client.
A recent CNN report tells us that only 1520 percent of available jobs are
advertised. That means somewhere between 8085 percent of jobs are being
filled by personal relationships.
How do you establish a habit of networking?
First off, always bring business cards with you wherever you go, and hand them
out freely. Be sure to keep up with contacts from time to time, connecting on
social networks like LinkedIn so you have a way to get back in touch later on.
your desk and enjoy a meal where youre not engaged in work
activities.
Better yet, walk to a nearby lunch destination. Even if you just walk two blocks to
a local restaurant and walk back again, this will help you manage work stress.
Moving your body, getting outside in the sun, and getting out of the office all
works together to relieve stress and rejuvenate your spirit.
Put a drop of peppermint essential oil under your nose (you will feel more
mentally alert).
Drink a cup of yerba mat tea (this tea contains a mellow stimulant that
acts like caffeine but will not make you jittery or interfere with sleep).
Stretch for three minutes (sun salutations are perfect, but any stretch will
do).
Your company may not be ready to hold laughter yoga sessions, but you can
lighten the mood during meetings and improve overall morale by getting in touch
with your internal stand-up comedian. Crack a joke when appropriate, and let it
rip with a couple close coworkers over lunch. A good laugh will help you work
better and live better.
Those who work best as a group should schedule important tasks to be tackled
with coworkers.
That may mean you have to alter your schedule or talk to your manager. Maybe
you want to come into work an hour early or stay after everyone else leaves at
night. Maybe youll want to ask if you can work from home one day a week or
collaborate with coworkers on specific projects.
Find your sweet spot, and then make sure youre tackling the most important
tasks in the best way and time.
What is your first reaction when you realize youve made a minor mistake?
If its to laugh at yourself, youre on the right track.
If you take yourself too seriously, you will be more likely to get discouraged and
give up. Its important to let mistakes and failures roll off your back so you can
get back on the proverbial horse.
Make it a habit to laugheven if its forced laughterat yourself when
you blow it.
By refusing to get down, youll find the strength to persevere until youve met
your goal.
you are.
Once you get your support system set up, establish a habit of checking in with
your accountability system daily. That may mean posting a quick report online as
to whether or not you took a scheduled step towards your goal or talking to your
support friend.
Daily accountability will help you succeed.
I will write 500 words every day (if you want to write a book).
I will exercise five days a week (if you want to get into shape).
I will pack my own lunch of healthy foods every day (if you want to
improve your health).
Make a chart or spreadsheet of these mini-goals and then mark off how well you
fulfill your commitments each day. If you get into the habit of tracking your
progress, you will find success is that much easier to achieve.
Once youve determined what your goal is, you need to find someone or
something to follow. That someone could be an expert in the field, an excellent
Going public with your commitment (blog, pool with coworkers, support
group)
Signing up for a commitment that will require you have achieved at least
some success (signing up for a race)
Ask yourself what would really matter to you, and then use that as motivation to
force you to meet your goal.
committing.
You can use the line, Let me check my calendar and get back to you. Then make
yourself wait at least 24 hours before responding to requests.
You may find that your sister finds someone else to watch her kids and a bunch of
your coworkers decline the happy hour invitation, making it more acceptable for
you to also say no. Your workout buddy may be fine doing the race with or
without you, and your daughter might get invited to someone elses house
freeing you up even more.
Why?
Making a psychological separation between your bedroom (where you sleep) and
activity rooms (kitchen, TV room, office) will help you associate your bedroom
with sleeping. This will help you leave your anxieties from work and bill-related
worries in the office, electronic stimulation in the TV room and stress of
household chores in the kitchen.
Many people find that making this distinction frees them up for much sounder
sleep.
Looking for the best sleepy time beverages? Valerian or chamomile tea work
wonders, as does the infamous warm milk. Some people can handle caffeine even
right before bed, but most people need to stop drinking caffeine around four in
the afternoon if they want to sleep soundly.
That means you need to avoid coffee, hot chocolate, and even decaffeinated green
or black teathey still contain traces of caffeine. Go for herbal teas instead.
Talk to a friend.
Write in a journal.
Write your concerns on Post-it notes and then put them into a drawer.
Plan out your next day to avoid surprises and help yourself feel in control.
After youve dumped out your concerns, youll want to relax for that last
remaining hour, doing something that distracts you from anxiety and helps you
settle into a content feeling of everything will be okay.
Set a timer, shut your eyes, sit in a comfortable position and surrender your
worries to a higher being.
Even if youre not religious, 10 minutes of meditation (repeating a mantra or
focusing on your breathing) will help you relax enough to sleep soundly.
The combination of cool room temperature and snuggly, heavy blankets on you
will make you feel warm, cozy and securethe perfect combination for a perfect
night of sleep.
If youve tried all of the habits mentioned above and still cant sleep, youll want
to try taking melatonin, a natural supplement that your body already
produces. Melatonin works in conjunction with light exposure. Our body
produces melatonin each night after the sun sets, signaling to our body that its
time to rest.
Many over-the-counter sleep aids are simply decongestants repackaged, and
most of them leave you groggy the next morning. You can take three to five
milligrams of melatonin right before bed and still feel great in the morning.
Melatonin is non-habit-forming, but its a fine habit to establish if you need help
falling asleep but dont want to be foggy-headed the next morning.
We learn best when we teach others. Thats why study groups can be so effective,
if used correctly. Instead of using your study group just to get assignments done,
ask a study partner to quiz you on material, forcing you to verbally summarize
what youve learned. Find a person who is doing poorly in the class and
become an informal tutor.
If you cant find someone to instruct, tell your partner or roommate all about
things youve learned in class. Dont just repeat the stuff you already know well.
Choose information youre having trouble digesting and make yourself explain it
to someone while eating dinner or walking the dog. This will ensure youve really
made sense of the material youve been learning.
information.
and focused.
Similarly, it may help you to look for links between dates or individual
items that you need to memorize in order, in a list.
When I was younger, I had trouble memorizing dates or orders of items in a list
because the numbers or order didnt seem important to me. That made
assignments like memorizing a list of American presidents (by date or in order)
almost impossible for me.
However, by linking the names together or linking dates and presidents names
together using imagery, I overcame this problem.
For example, lets take this list of presidents:
George Washington
John Adams
Thomas Jefferson
James Madison
Now create images that link these four presidents.
I created the following images:
Atoms being washed in a washing machine (Washington, Adams)
A chef and his son cooking up the atoms (Adams, Jefferson)
An angry (mad) sun looking up out of the stove the chef is using (Jefferson,
Madison)
You can do the same thing with dates. Find a way to link the date and name in
significance, using a play on numbers or sounds. You have probably already done
something like this when you needed to memorize a password or phone number.
Find a way to associate the numbers with the name in a catchy way that makes
sense to you.
Habit #60: Take Study Breaks
If you try to study for long periods of time, youll find your productivity falls after
youve been studying for a while. Studies show that you should take a 10minute break every hour to maximize your productivity.
What should that break consist of?
Be sure to stand up, use the restroom and get a drink or snack. Its best if you can
leave the room you are in entirely and can move to get your blood flowing. If
possible, do some jumping jacks or stretches to get your heart pumping and to
wake yourself up. Then dive back in.
Find a quiet spot, set a timer, close your eyes and then focus on nothing but your
breathing. Breath in as deeply as is comfortable, hold your breath until you feel
slight discomfort and then exhale slowly until you feel complete release.
Repeat this until your timer goes off, refusing to worry about anything, but
instead focusing on how good it feels to simply breathe.
Then youll want to familiarize yourself with spices and remove cream sauces and
butter from your recipes.
We use butter and cream in recipes because of the fabulous flavor, right?
Spices add a great deal of flavor without clogging your arteries or making you
gain weight. In fact, several different spices will help you keep your blood sugar
stable (cinnamon), improve your digestion (ginger) and improve your immunity
(turmeric).
Instead of making your favorite cream-based or butter-based dish, look up a
spicy dish instead. Learn how to combine spices to create flavors you
love. When out at a restaurant, look for meals seasoned with spice rubs and then
grilled or baked and avoid any dish that uses cream or butter.
If you schedule in your workouts, bring your exercise equipment with you (gym
bag, towel, gym clothes, running shoes) and ask a friend to join you, youll be far
less likely to skip exercise.
Better yet, set a goal (for example, sign up for a triathlon or a running race) and
then find a training program that will get you ready for the event.
You can easily find couch-to-5K apps for your smart phone, or training programs
online. Use these guides to help you plan out what you should be doing each day,
and then schedule your exercise into your weekly plan. Youll be more likely to
exercise and meet your fitness goals.
A bear claw donut, eat two squares of super good dark chocolate
An order of French fries, make your own homemade fries using Pam in the
broiler
If you struggle with cravings often, you may wish to read up on the
physiology of cravings to learn what specific nutrients your body is
craving when you want specific foods.
This can help you make healthy choices.
A great way to fit more movement into your life is to invite a friend to exercise
with you.
Instead of meeting a friend for drinks, meet to play tennis or go for a
walk.
If you love the mall, the two of you can window shop while chatting. If you like
the great outdoors, walk in the neighborhood or go hiking. If youre both athletic,
meet to jog or bike while you catch up.
When you replace sedentary social activities (especially parties or meeting out for
coffee or lunch) with exercise (even mild exercise), youll expend calories instead
of racking them up.
Your time exercising will pass quickly because youll be focused on talking to your
friend instead of just getting through the fitness class or workout routine.
Walking is one of the healthiest habits you can cultivate. While strenuous
exercise is beneficial, you will avoid injury and recover better from intense
exercise if you warm up, cool down and make time for recovery all through
walking sessions.
You can even accomplish things while walking. Talk into a dictation machine,
catch up with a friend (on the phone or in person), visit with neighbors, plan out
your week, work through emotional duress, etc. Walking is gentle enough that
you can do more than just exercise.
Sources Quoted
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http://www.livestrong.com/article/523716-how-soon-after-waking-up-shouldyou-eat/
http://www.livestrong.com/article/400676-is-there-an-herbal-tea-to-help-yousleep/
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