A ‘Habit’ is defined by The Oxford Dictionary as ‘a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up.’
E.g., “he has an annoying habit of interrupting me”.
Habits can be good or bad. They can work for us or against us. Habits, like biting one’s nails, are difficult to give up and are not a good look. More positively, getting to bed early and waking early are habits that will work for you, helping you to always have energy. Good habits are those things we have learned to do consistently each day that help us to do well. When an activity is done regularly, it becomes a habit. You know you have made an activity a habit when you feel a bit odd or out of sorts if you are, for some reason, prevented from doing it.
Rhythms are activities you do consistently, and they have become part of your life in this season. Visiting my aging mother every Friday was a wonderful rhythm for the last 3 years of her life. I missed her and those visits very much in the months after she passed. However, it was not difficult to change the rhythm and fill my Fridays with other things. Now, my challenge is to consistently catch up with my 3 daughters and my 7 grandchildren. Their lives are busy and varied so we have to find a rhythm that works each year fitting in with parent’s work and kid’s school, friends, sports, and other activities.
As you get older, with less demands from young children, it is possible to establish very meaningful rhythms into your life. Some a daily, some weekly, some each month and some now and then. These rhythms keep us connected with friends and family, and with activities that bring meaning and enjoyment.
Good Habits and Rhythms help you create productive plans
One of the planning hacks I have developed over the past 5 years is to understand the power of the good habits and those regular daily, weekly and monthly rhythms I have established in my life. Habits relate mostly to activities and rhythms have more to do with relationships.
E.g., My Health & Fitness goal/desire is to ‘stay strong’. (This is not measurable so should be called a desire more than a goal). My goal and plan to achieve that desire involves daily disciplines which over time have become habitual. Each day I walk 10,000 steps (easy with a dog who likes 2 walks a day and measured by a fitbit). I also do my 30x30x30x30 plan (30 push ups, 30 squats, 30 sit ups and 30 glut stretches). Takes me 5 minutes in morning in summer and before bed in winter. I also have a scheduled PT session once a week to work on my upper and lower body strength.
My health & fitness plan has been taken over by my good habits. In my Quarterly Planning Workbook and in my schedule, I simply write (in shorthand) 30×4, 10K steps, PT weekly.
Good rhythms have become established in my relationship with my wife – we have weekly coffee connect date each Sat or Sunday, we work in our garden for a couple of hours most weekends, and we enjoy a movie or dinner out about every 2 weeks.
As mentioned above, the rhythms around catching up with my daughters and grandchildren mean I make sure it is not 3 months between connecting with them. AS the new school year commences this week, I am looking forward to finding the new rhythms that will enable me to see them each month and that work well most of the time.
What good habits and rhythms do you have in your life?
In what areas could start to establish some?
Do you need help with establishing good habits and rhythms in your life?
One of the keys to effectively planning your life is to find those good habits and rhythms that will work for you. Once your good habits and rhythms start to work for you, it makes life much easier to plan. It also makes you more organised and productive.
My online quarterly planning workshop is on Thursday March 23 from 8:30am to 12:00pm. In those 3.5 hours I will help you to plan Q2 of 2023. The main things you want to achieve in your business and across your life will be written down and scheduled in your planner.
If you would like to join us, please click here This link will provide you with more information and access to book your place in the workshop.
If you would like to talk more about helping you create a strategic plan for your business please book a call with me here.
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Over the years I’ve written many articles about habits, planning and productivity! Here are a few of my favourites to help you integrate your work into all other parts of your life.
