Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones

Everyone has bad habits they’d like to change, good habits they’d like to improve upon and aspirations to adopt habits that will positively impact their lives. It can be daunting to know where to begin and challenging to have the motivation to put them into practice! Carolyn Angelini, the Director of Resource and Supplier Relations here at PS, attended the Pennsylvania Conference for Women this past October where James Clear, author of “Atomic Habits,” spoke on this important topic. Here are some of Carolyn’s key takeaways:

• The Power of Incremental Change – We don’t necessarily need radical improvements, we just need to take the time to commit to what Clear calls the “power of tiny gains”. Incremental, small changes are the key to making lasting transformations. Daily choices compound over time into long-term change. Taking that small first step makes all the difference.
• Don’t Get in Your Own Way – Usually, we get in the way of our own intention to make changes in our lives. Setting the goal to change is easy, but getting in the right mindset to commit to that change of habit is what takes hard work. It’s critical to not let that little nagging negative voice in your head lead your steps.  
• Shoot for Identity-Based Habits – Something as simple as the way someone phrases a statement about their identity plays a large role in forming habits. For example, instead of expressing, “I want to write a book,” say, “I am a writer.” Let your behavior lead the way for forming good habits and how you express yourself as a person who is shaped by those habits.
• The “Two-Minute Rule” – Clear’s insightful “Two-Minute Rule” states that if one does something for two minutes, it will place them in the right direction towards changing a bad habit. We don’t need to change a habit all at once, just start with practicing the different behavior for two minutes, and that will put you on the right path. 

Give some of these tactics a try during this holiday season and into the new year!  We hope these insights are inspiring and helpful to you as you form (and most importantly keep!) your commitment to transformational positive habits.