How, then, do we then create and maintain our good habits while avoiding the bad ones?

1. Know your motivations well

The first step to changing one’s habits is to understand why you’re doing it. Since you’ll be going against your default behavior, you’ll need extra motivation to make the change.

Recent research shows that when we go against the default choice, the part of the brain involved in decision-making (the prefrontal cortex) and the part that’s significant for motivation (subthalamic nucleus) showed increased activity. According to a post on Psychology Today, “These brain analyses suggest that going against the default in difficult decisions requires some kind of extra motivation or confidence.”

It might also help to dig deeper into your motivations. It’s probably not enough to say something like, “I need to stop compulsive email checking so I can focus on work.” Know why you need to focus. Is it to improve your work output? And why would you want to do that? Are you hoping for a promotion?

By getting to the root of why you want to create a new habit, you can see how it is related to the goals you want to accomplish. Once you make the connections or, even better, get them on paper, you’ll have something positive in mind during the most challenging days of habit formation.

2. Start small

How much self control do you have? That’s a tricky but necessary question. After all, your sense of control will allow you to negotiate how you’ll form your new habit — how much time you’ll spend, how often you’ll do it, etc. Then again, estimating control is tricky since we all suffer from restraint bias — our tendency to overestimate self-control. The more self-control you think you have, the more you expose yourself to temptations that will allow you to break it.

If your bad habit is impulse-based, such as digital fiddling or compulsive email checking, the more you have to be aware of your own restraint bias. The way out of this seems to be to underestimate your own self-control and start with baby steps.

For example, instead of promising yourself to avoid Facebook or video games until the end of your workday, why not set a smaller goal? Aim to completely focus on your work for 15 minutes. Then reward yourself with a short break and start another 15-minute set of focused work. Keep going until you’ve reached the bigger goal of separating work and leisure.

By starting with easier goals, the limitations we impose on ourselves will feel less threatening. This prevents us from falling off the wagon and undoing any progress we’ve made.

3. Do it daily

When habit formation is discussed, the “21-Day Rule” is often brought up, which says that you need to be able to do something daily for at least 21 days before it becomes a habit. That sounds easy, right?

Sorry to disappoint you, but the real number varies. Researchers from University College London found that the number lies between 18 to 254 days, with 66 days being the average (via PsyBlog). Though you have to work on the habit daily, it’s not worth it to worry about skipping a day or two as long as you get back on track. The goal here is to get to the point where a task or process feels automated — you no longer feel forced to exercise before your workday, wake up earlier, or work standing up. It just becomes part of you.

4. Use cues to your advantage

Even with your initial hard work, it’s easy to fall back on bad habits when something triggers them. Once that happens, you may have to start from scratch. According to research from MIT, some cues can be used to undermine newer habits in favor of older ones. Lead researcher Ann Graybiel says, “This situation is familiar to anyone who is trying to lose weight or to control a well ingrained habit. Just the sight of a piece of chocolate cake can reset all those good intentions.” For us web workers, this may mean disconnecting the Internet for a while to avoid digital fiddling, or hiding your laptop in a cabinet after working.

This idea is also applicable to creating new habits. You can use cues such as music, a closed door, or specific clothes to signal that it’s the start of your workday. Other cues can be in the form of a reward after successfully completing a task.

5. Track your progress

You’re likely to stay motivated when you see how far you’ve gone. Coupled with the motivations you’ve established in the first step, you’ll feel even more encouraged to keep going because you can see how your effort is paying off. After that, your bad habits, or even the simple laziness of maintaining the status quo, won’t seem attractive anymore.

What habits have you tried changing and creating? Which techniques worked for you?

Photo by flickr user liz_noise

After I stopped reeling, it was time to start dealing. And deal I did — by taking these actions.

Accept the situation. It does no one good to scream and worry about it. Of course, I still worry about the situation, but I don’t let it paralyze me or prevent me from moving forward. It’s OK to scream when you hear the news, just know when to stop and move on.

Stick to the schedule. Despite the bad news, you need to try to stick to the schedule and make your deadlines.

Respond to emails at the right time. Sometimes you may not be in the best frame of mind to reply to a difficult email. Address problems and more challenging emails when you know you can respond logically and not emotionally.

Take care of your physical self. Exercise eases some of the pent up stress and symptoms that come with it. I also make sure I get my seven to eight hours of sleep, drink plenty of water and follow a balanced diet.

Help with the job search. This gives you a feeling of some control. Plus, you might be able to contact some people that your spouse doesn’t know.

Reach out to friends and colleagues. Letting others know about the situation ensures others understand why you may not act like everything is hunky dory. They might also help by contacting their connections who may have jobs or know people who do. If your friend is laid off, wouldn’t you want to know?

Write about the situation and your feelings. For some people, writing down their thoughts and emotions can ease the frustration and anger.

I know we’re no different from the many families with at least one person out of a job. My sister, my friends and others have all had loved ones out of work for months. All we can do is talk and support each other while pushing forward to find the right job where employee and employer can benefit from the partnership.

How do you handle a life-affecting situation like a layoff?

Photo credit: Tree Faerie

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1. Turn off automatic email check: Do you have your email app pop up or ping whenever a new message comes in? Turn it off. Most of us can’t resist checking email.
2. Close or minimize your email app: Whether you use Gmail or Outlook, close or minimize the app so you stop looking at it. I use Thunderbird and Gmail. As I write this, my browser sits in the task bar so I don’t keep looking at the second monitor to check for new messages. That little step of kicking the email app to the task bar works for me.
3. Close or minimize your browser: You may not use a web-based email app or keep it open all the time. But having the browser open when you don’t need it can turn it into a distraction. Seeing the browser, your eyes can’t help but look at whatever web site the browser has open for you. Again, send it off to the task bar or close it. A blank page can still act like a temptress.
4. Download a different browser: If you use Firefox for all your browsing needs, download Opera, Google Chrome or other browser to use as a “research browser”. Using a secondary browser will cut the temptation to visit your favorite sites since you won’t have bookmarks or saved passwords. Avoid using bookmarks and saved passwords in the secondary browser.
5. Install fun apps on a different computer: Most of us have more than one computer. Since I do game reviews, I install all games on my laptop rather than my desktop. Even though playing games is part of my job, it can take over my other work. With the laptop in another room, I’m not tempted to play even the most addicting ones.
6. Use a timer: If you can’t work for 10 minutes free of distractions, set the timer for 10 minutes and work on the task until it dings. Up it to 15 next time around and work your way to 25 minutes, the recommended time from the Pomodoro Technique.
7. Shut out noise: Way back in the day when I worked in a corporate environment, I had a neighbor who used his speaker phone every day. When this happened, I turned off my hearing aid to resort to my inborn silence. Few people can do that. Instead, try noise-canceling headphones, ear plugs or listening to music (Dawn outlines some of the strategies she uses here). If you’re a web worker, then you probably have a laptop. Take it and go somewhere quiet.
8. Set up a phone system: You may have people (family and specific colleagues, perhaps) that you must be available for at all times. Brainstorm how you can set up your phone to be open for those important calls, while shutting out the run of the mill calls. See the next tip for one idea.
9. Unleash the cell phone: If you need zero interruptions, then turn off the phone. Don’t just put it on vibrate, as you can hear that. If you must stay leashed to the phone for emergencies, how about modifying your cell phone’s profile? Set it up so that calls from emergency numbers have a specific ring tone, while silencing all other incoming calls.
10. Turn off the landline ringer: Home office workers may have a landline phone to contend with on top of their cell phones. Turn those off. Let the calls go to voicemail.
11. Leave the cell phone in another room: I had to stop bringing my phone with me to workouts because I’d keep check it. If something came in, I’d stop exercising and deal with it. Unless I’m expecting something, I leave my phone in a different room. Out of sight, out of mind.
12. Post instructions on the door: Do you frequently receive packages as part of your work? The doorbell ringing or door knocking can disrupt your work. Leave a note for the delivery services to not ring the bell or knock on the door. Make it a habit to check for packages at set times of the day, if you worry about theft.
13. Schedule social media time: Many of us struggle to limit the number of times we check on our favorite social media sites. If you have a bunch of tweets or notes you want to post, use an automated service to spread them out and keep you away from the site. Or, create a schedule for check-ins.
14. Go offline: C’mon, you must have some tasks you can complete without the Internet. Disconnect your computer or laptop from the network to force the issue, if you must.
15. Create habits: Because I never play games on my desktop in my home office, I never feel the urge to play the addicting ones. It takes 21 days to form a new habit. So pick one habit and stick with it for at least three weeks. Routines do make a difference.
16. Educate family: The school day doesn’t go on long enough for a full day’s work or a partner works in the home with you. Set up visuals that tell your family when they must not interrupt you. It could be closed doors or a sign on the door. Kids have different definitions of emergencies, so discuss what you consider an emergency.
17. Schedule household chores: Taking a short break from the computer is a must. This could be a good time to do brief chores such as loading laundry, marinate dinner or vacuuming one room. Save the longer chores for longer breaks, or when the family is around.

Many web workers rely on technology to get our jobs done. These tips help you draw the line so you use the technology for completing tasks without any sidetracking.

What other distractions do you face? How do you handle them?

Photo credit: Rajesh Sundaram

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Successful musicians, athletes, writers and entrepreneurs all have one thing in common: They practice their craft, and then they practice some more. They dedicate time for practice by creating structure in their daily lives. By establishing their own unique routines, they ensure progress is made in the most important areas of their lives on a regular basis. Success is about consistency, and there’s no better way to establish consistency than through daily routine and habit.

I’m still trying to figure out a good routine for me, but I’m fairly confident it will follow a few basic principles.

Less is More
I’m learning that elimination is becoming more and more important for my productivity. I’m subtracting things from my life and my days rather than adding more to them. Of course, this brings up one glaring fact, which is that something has to give. I cannot be everything. I cannot do all things. I’m having to reevaluate my life, my business, and my priorities and accept that, if I hope to be successful at the most important few things, I must be willing to let go of the least important lot of things. I’m having to ask the tough questions and really get down to what matters and then, most importantly of all, eliminate those things I cannot give my whole self to right now.

Slow Down
In the movie “Curly Sue,” attorney and workaholic Grey’s co-worker says, “You keep going 190 miles an hour, you’re going to hit something.” I often try to push myself to the breaking point, and when I do, I always think of that quote. The natural rhythm of life involves relatively equal amounts of activity and rest. Trying to fight that reality results in loss of balance, so I’m trying to intentionally create more space in my days by reducing my work hours, adding buffers around major time blocks, and setting hours that are realistic for my life and its demands.

Be Real
I would love to say that outside influence does not impact my life and schedule, but that would be a lie. It does, and so far I’ve been unable to find a way to successfully prevent it from happening. My mom and “next in line” sister call me in the middle of the day. My “younger” sister calls me at 10:30 at night. Friends and family text me at all hours. My family is large (I’m the oldest of six) and many times imposing, and they drive me crazy sometimes, but I’ve thought about this a lot, and I never want there to be a day when they don’t call me because we’ve grown apart from lack of involvement in each others’ lives. We are close, and I think that’s a rarity these days, and I like that they’re all a big part of my life. That’s my reality, and I have to accommodate for it. That means people will be calling in the middle of my work day, but I try to balance it with blocks of productive time (generally two 2-hour blocks of time each day that I try to keep relatively interruption-free). Does it work all the time? No, but when it doesn’t, I make up for it with a late night or weekend work session here or there. The point is, that’s my reality, and if I ignore it, I’ll never set up a routine that works for me.

A routine is a very personal thing, but it can be a powerful tool for creating lasting success in life and business. When set up deliberately, taking into account one’s life goals, it instills discipline and consistency — both of which are necessary in order to make progress.

What principles guide your routine? Do you have any firm beliefs about what works and doesn’t work when it comes to creating an effective schedule?

Image from Flickr by koyochi

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1. E-reader

This isn’t a product placement spot, but I currently use a Sony Reader Pocket Edition. I live in Canada, and even though the Kindle (a amzn) just went international, we still got left out in the cold.

Regardless of what type of reader you’re using, whether it’s your iPhone or iPod Touch, your notebook or desktop, or a dedicated device like the Sony or the Kindle, an e-reader is a great tool for someone who works online. Especially if your job involves writing. If you write a lot for your online work, you should also be reading a lot, and not just other online content.

But wait, you say, why bother with an e-reader when I have perfectly good traditional print books? For me, it’s a question of the rate of consumption, convenience, and efficient use of space. With my reader, I can get e-books from the local library, download public domain titles from Feedbooks and other sources, and keep it all close at hand without stuffing my small apartment full of traditional paper tomes. It’s always on hand for when I’m feeling less than inspired or have some downtime.

2. Web Radio

When you have unfettered access to your entire music collection twenty-four hours a day, no matter how large your library is, you’ll eventually crave some additional variety. I need music in the background while I’m working, and when I grow tired of my own stuff, I turn to internet radio for sustenance. Luckily, these days I don’t have to venture far before I find a wealth of different stations playing an infinite variety of music.

My current favorite web radio stations to frequent are the recently relaunched CBC Radio 3 streams. You can listen to live hows and music, or choose from Pop, Rock, Hip Hop and Electronic streams, or build your own playlist by tagging songs that you hear. And it’s all commercial-free because it’s a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation product, which means it’s publicly funded.

iTunes has a lovely selection of various kinds of web radio streams, many of which are also public stations and therefore ad-free.

3. Gym Membership

Or Wii Fit, or a daily walking route, or whatever excuse to stop looking at the computer for a while and get some exercise (Dawn uses iPhone app RunKeeper, for example). For me, that means a membership at the local YMCA, which is conveniently located one short alley away from my apartment building.

Once a day during the week, at about the same time, I put all my work on hold and go out for a 25 minute session on the treadmill. If it’s nice outside, I sometimes run around a local park instead. It replenishes my energy, prevents me from going stir crazy, and has the excellent side benefit of helping to keep me healthy.

Work is work, except when it isn’t. Being successful in a chosen career has as much to do with putting yourself in the right mindset and creating a lifestyle that best complements said career as it does with having the tools and skill sets necessary for the job itself. It can be awfully hard to identify what sort of leisure activities and contextual devices and services have a positive effect on your productivity, but by paying attention to what else is contributing to your good and bad days, you should be able to identify more things like those I’ve mentioned above.

What non-web working tools are essential in your daily life?

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While the article doesn’t address this directly, the Habit of Now is one of the most important factors in how organized you are. If you want to get organized, you must develop the Habit of Now.

The other important factors in getting organized? There are three:

1. Have a place for everything. If you have an item in your hands, you should know where it belongs.
2. Put everything in its place. Instead of just tossing a paper any old place, or pasting a scrap of information in a random text file, put it where it belongs.
3. Keep your information in one place. This is related to #2 above, but if your information is in multiple places, you’ll waste time looking for it. Try to keep everything centralized, to save time and searching.

But even with those three factors, if you don’t develop the Habit of Now, things will fall apart. Instead of stacking a bunch of papers to put away where they belong later, do it now. If you don’t have a place for something, such as a folder, make one now instead of later.

The Habit of Now, of course, isn’t always that easy to develop. We tend to procrastinate. However, it’s just like any other habit: if you focus on it for long enough, it will soon become automatic and easy.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Write it down. Print out a big sign that says, “DO IT NOW”. Also list the actions you must do right away: filing, creating a place for something, putting things where they belong, the top item on your task list.

2. Log it. You don’t need to create a detailed log for each time you follow the Habit of Now … but it would be very useful to do a running tally. Just have a small piece of paper on your desk, and when you Do It Now, put a tally. You can also do a tally of the times you forget to Do It Now or procrastinate on it. The tally simply makes you aware of the activity, and reinforces the habit, and it really works.

3. Report your progress. Tell others about your habits — your spouse, your co-workers, friends. And tell them to ask you about it every day. Or put it on your blog, and let your readers hold you accountable. If you know someone else is watching, you’ll do your best.

4. Focus on this habit, and nothing else. Don’t try to change multiple habits at once. It’s very difficult, and if you diffuse your focus, you’ll be less likely to be successful. Try to focus on this habit for 3o days.

5. No exceptions. Don’t tell yourself, “Just this once won’t hurt.” That’s like a smoker who’s trying to quit saying, “Just one puff won’t hurt.” Well, that one puff will lead to two, which eventually leads to failure. Same thing with the Habit of Now: if you allow yourself to put it off even once, it will lead to the Habit of Whenever.

6. Make folders quickly. Always have a good supply of manila folders and labels, so you can make a new file folder in a jiffy. If it takes more than a few seconds to make a folder, you’ll resist doing it. When you have a documents that should be filed but doesn’t have a folder it should go in, you need to make a new folder and file it immediately.

7. File it now. Don’t let things pile up. Don’t have a “to be filed” folder. Just file it, right away. Same thing with anything else: put it away, now.

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But developing the habit of logging can be intimidating or frustrating for many people who’ve tried it for a few days and failed.

Logging anything is a habit, and just like any other new habit, it can be a challenge to develop. But it doesn’t have to be difficult, and certainly not impossible.

The Power of Logging
The simple act of writing something down has a way of reinforcing a habit or goal, and even more powerful than that is being able to see your progress over time.

Developing the habit of logging forces us to be aware of an activity, because to log it you have to know you’re doing it. And by being aware of it, we put our focus on that activity, making it more important in our minds and allowing us to concentrate on making it happen in the way we want it to happen.

Our focus is what makes a goal become reality, makes a habit stick, and logging is a great way to keep that focus on what you want to change.

Another great benefit of logging is that ability to share it with others: whether you’re sharing a project time log with a team or client, or sharing your diet and exercise log with friends and family, the knowledge that others will see this log motivates you to do your best.

Developing the Habit
Logging isn’t a habit you’ll have right away, and just like any other habit, it takes commitment, focus and motivation. But it doesn’t have to be hard.

Follow these tips to develop the habit of logging:

1. Write it down. In order for a goal to be important to you, you have to write it down. Write down what you are going to log, when you’re going to do it, and using what tool. Commit to 30 days of logging.
2. Commit to it. Tell others that you will be developing the habit of logging. Whether it’s telling a co-worker that you’ll be logging your time for a month, or telling your spouse you’ll be logging your exercise, committing to others is an extremely important step to developing any habit.
3. One goal. If you’re trying to develop the habit of logging, focus on that goal exclusively. If you have multiple goals, you will lose focus. You need to focus on developing the habit of logging only. For example, if you want to log your time, don’t try to change your online habits or productivity habits while developing the logging habit. For at least a week, but preferrably more, don’t change the activity you’re logging — just log it. And focus on the logging, not the activity. Once you’ve developed the logging habit, you can focus on the activity.
4. Maintain focus. You need a way to keep your focus on the habit of logging. Examples might include reminders posted on your wall, or email reminders sent to you, or having a friend remind you.
5. Ease of use. For the logging habit to stick, you have to make it easy. Pick a tool that’s easy to use, that doesn’t take a bunch of steps just to log a simple activity. And make it easily accessible — whether it’s a notepad right next to you, or an online tool that you can call up with a shortcut. My diet and exercise log, for example, has a two-letter keyword bookmark in Firefox. All I have to do is open a new tab and type those two letters, and my log is called up.
6. No exceptions. Don’t allow yourself to “log it in later”. Do it immediately, right after the activity. For example, if you’re logging your food, you need to log it as soon as you’re done eating, not at the end of the day. Same thing for logging your time: you have to log an activity as soon as you’re done. Don’t allow exceptions, or the habit won’t stick.
7. But don’t quit. However, if you do mess up, don’t give up. Keep trying, and stick with it, and the habit will develop eventually. Learn from your mistakes.

Some Tools for Logging
In reality, there are many tools you can use for logging, and what tool you use depends on what’s easiest to use, and what fits your logging needs.

Here are just a few ideas:

• Analog tools. Includes a paper and pen, index cards, a journal or log. Highly recommended, especially if the activity takes place away from the computer.
• Spreadsheet or text file. Probably the simplest of the digital tools, you can create a simple spreadsheet for logging an activity, or a text file, for ease of use. These are great solutions, especially if you use just one computer.
• Joe’s Goals. One of the coolest and simplest of the online solutions, Joe’s Goals can be used to track any goal or habit. And it’s easy to use: just put a checkmark if you completed the activity for the day, and you can graph your success over time and even share it on your webpage.
• Backpack. One of my favorite tools, the versatile Backpack is good for lists, of course, which makes it good for logging anything. You can log reading, activities, exercise, work … anything. And it’s easy to use.
• TracksLife. A slick solution that can also be used to track just about anything, creates nice graphs that you can share with others.
• FitDay. An easy-to-use and free logging system for diet and exercise.
• PeerTrainer. Similar to FitDay (but without the calorie-counting tools), but with an added bonus: you join small groups and help motivate each other to exercise or eat right.
• Google Docs. Similar to using a spreadsheet or text file, but accessible from anywhere. Good, simple solution.

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