The easy way to improve your habits at work
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Our experiences shape our mindset and in turn, impact our behaviour in any given situation, delivering us the results we see in our lives. Our perceptions; however, are just that – a perception. When viewed from a different perspective, our mindset can change and lead to improved results. Awareness is the key to making this change and improving our habits at work.
Here are three simple steps you can use to improve your habits at work:
Step 1: Awareness
In today's data-driven world, we have measures for almost every aspect of our lives. But what about our conversations? Our conversations are arguably one of the most significant activities we engage in and their outcomes can have a critical impact on our success and the success of those around us. Just like athletes review footage of their performance with coaches, it's important to review our conversations and to become aware of what impact they’re having and what could be possible for you to achieve through your interactions.
In high-performance sports, athletes are constantly reviewing vision with coaches to become aware of what is possible and make mindset shifts. The same principle applies to our conversations. By becoming aware of our strengths and areas of improvement in our conversations, we can make immediate behavioural changes that can lead to improved results.
Step 2: Make it easy
For change to stick, it needs to be easy. One proven way to make change easy is to start small. Select the smallest change that could deliver the biggest possible impact or outcome. The concept of micro-behaviours, developed by GRIST, is the smallest packet of behavioural change possible that can get you significantly closer to your goal.
The second aspect of making change easy is to design your environment. BJ Fogg's work on ‘Tiny Habits’ shows us that relying on willpower or the strength of conviction alone to make change is likely to fail. Instead, it's important to design our environment to trigger the change we want to see. For example, setting reminders to have more meaningful conversations or placing a sticky note on your computer to remind you to take regular breaks. These small cues can help trigger the desired change and make it stick.
Step 3: Evidence your wins
For change to become a habit, it's important to notice and acknowledge the little wins. This links a positive emotion to the change in behaviour and increases the likelihood of repeating it. When we feel good about the changes we are making, they become habits, sometimes very quickly.
It's important to evidence your wins and celebrate them, no matter how small. This could be as simple as writing down the positive impact a change has had or acknowledging the effort you've made to improve a certain behaviour. By evidencing and celebrating your wins, you reinforce the positive emotions associated with the change and increase the likelihood of it becoming a habit.
Improving our habits at work is not about making big, sweeping changes overnight. Instead, it's about being aware of what could change – and looking closely at our conversations, making the change easy, and evidencing your wins. By following these steps, you can create positive, lasting change and improve your habits at work.
