More weight loss.
More energy.
More productivity.
More happiness.
More success.
More of the things you want.
Minor adjustments for major changes.
Small Is The New Big
Making big changes to any aspect of your life isn’t the answer to successful and productive change.
It isn’t a one time purchase of expensive gym equipment or a membership. It’s isn’t an all-nighter spent working, one weekend staying in, or that one big trip.
It’s the 20 push-ups done every day, the daily writing, reading, and studying, constant awareness of what and where you’re spending your time, money, and effort, the little things you do regularly for those who mean the most to you.
It’s small adjustments to your daily habits that makes the difference.
If only I had a dollar for every time I saw an “Under New Management” sign draped across an existing business and still, months later, no success. Why is that?
It isn’t the one big change (under new management) that’ll make the business successful – it’s all the small habits, the actions that are completed daily and consistently over a period of time that begins the successful change all new undertakings seek.
My entire 7-Step Process For Creating Health & Happiness Action Plan is based completely on the idea of taking small steps.
Same Better Way
Adjusting your habits to increase productivity and success doesn’t mean changing them completely.
Making adjustments to a nutrition plan doesn’t mean you stop eating the foods you like.
Limiting your alcohol intake doesn’t mean no more Happy Hours.
Having a budget doesn’t mean you can’t spend money.
Modifying your communication style doesn’t mean you can’t express yourself.
Adjusting your habits simply means making minor changes that overtime yield you major results.
Small Steps
The key to successfully adjusting your habits, is to make the adjustments small enough at the beginning so that 1) they aren’t overwhelming, and 2) you’re getting them done.
It’s not how big the adjustment is that matters but rather, the fact that you commit to the adjustment you’ve made and following though with it on a daily basis.
Start with these 4 habit adjustments below and you’ll quickly notice a positive change to your productivity and success.
4 Habit Adjustments To Increase Your Productivity & Success
Planning
Having a daily, weekly, or monthly plan that exists only in your mind needs an adjustment.
Plans that are not written down aren’t plans, they’re just thoughts. Write it down.
Next, prioritize your plan with the most important things you need to get done that day at the top of your list. Do not move onto other items until your top listed items are completed.
This step alone has dramatically increased my productivity and I know it will increase yours as well.
If you need help identifying what your priorities are, this post I wrote will help you:
How To Identify Your Priorities & Take Immediate Action So That You’re Successful Everyday.
Television
Watching hours of television per day is another area for adjustment.
You don’t have to eliminate watching television altogether, just limit the time you watch it for. Start by decreasing your television watching time by 30 minutes and apply that time to other areas in your life that are important to you such as exercise, reading, writing, more quality time with family and friends.
You may also use watching television as a reward. Allow yourself to watch whatever it is you want, but only once you’ve successfully completed all of your daily priority items that are on your plan you have written down.
Sleep
Not only is oversleeping unproductive, it’s also been linked to a host of medical problems. An adjustment area for sure.
While there is no magic number for how many hours of sleep per night you should get, it’s safe to say that getting up 30 minutes earlier and committing that time to areas of your life, such as exercise, that are important to you, will help and not hurt you.
Proper rest is essential for productivity although too much rest is counterproductive. It’s about balance.
Over Committed
Having too much on your plate to the point where you’re stretched thin most certainly needs an adjustment.
Be selective to what you commit to. If it’s not aligned with your daily plan or is taking away from it, kindly decline.
Get comfortable saying no to offers and requests so that you don’t find yourself biting off more than you can chew.
Overtime, it’s these minor adjustments that will lead to major changes.
It’s never that one big change you make that does it, but instead, the small minor daily changes, done consistently, that make all the difference.
Pick one or several of the adjustments mentioned above and begin implementing them immediately.
Start today, start now.
Hey Mike,
awesome post! One thing that I’d like to add is to only work on one habit at a time and really nail it.
That’s something Leo Babauta from Zenhabits has mastered. He’s working on one habit per month and I try to keep up with that principle as good as possible. Apps like Lift.do and the upcoming Pavlok wristband will be very helpful in that process.
This process allowed me to establish the Getting Things Done project management method, start to work out regularly, upskill myself in WordPress development and security, and overall be happier.
Hope your readers take action on your post!
Best,
Jan
Thanks for your comments Jan, always appreciated. Working on one habit at a time is certainly another great approach to take. Leo definitely has it mastered. Thanks for the Apps suggestion as well. It sounds like you have a nice flow going for yourself at the moment… awesome! Thanks for being here… Cheers!
Not getting enough sleep is a much more common problem than getting too much. Most people need eight hours but don’t get it. Research shows that even two hours short of this can have a significant effect on performance. But compounding the problem is that people don’t usually experience themselves as impaired on this lack, so they are under-performing, but they don’t know it.
Thanks for your comment David. No question that too little sleep can significantly effect us negatively in many ways, including performance. Too much sleep also has its negative consequences. Just as with most anything else, it’s a matter of balance.
I definitely agree with Jan’s comment above. I tend to make my plan and work on one goal at a time as well. Each small step will get me to the bigger goal! Thanks for sharing this info!
Thanks for your comment Kristen. Focusing on one goal at a time and getting it done will always trump having a few different goals and getting them all either half done or not done at all. Cheers! 🙂