Did you know the road to self-improvement takes less than 10 minutes a day? That's because it's paved with small steps – 'micro-habits.'
James Clear wrote about this reality in his bestselling book, "Atomic Habits", as did Stanford professor B.J. Fogg in his book, "Tiny Habits."
The basic premise: identify who you want to become, then figure out the micro-habits that will put you on the path to achievement – small habits that can be incrementally scaled up as you build momentum.
Bradley Hook, writing about the topic for www.entrepreneur.com, noted that change creates an imbalance – whether it's an imbalance in your life or your organization. That imbalance will cause some resistance. Just think of all the failed New Year's resolutions and diets and gym memberships – people want to maintain stability and avoid discomfort.
However, starting small – micro-habits – bypasses resistance to change. In other words, you may not begin by going for a half-hour job every day. Maybe you start simply by putting on your jogging shoes. You build from there, using cues, triggers, attaching new micro-habits to ones that are already strong.
According to James Clear, if you become 1% better each day, by the end of a year, you will be 37 times improved. One percent of 16 waking hours per day is 9.6 minutes.
Hook offers suggestions for starting off with 9.6 minutes and how to use them. His recommendations included stretching after waking up, a breathing exercise, spending a minute to identify three things that have gone well, brief, high intensity exercise, and micro-break in the afternoon.
While we're at it, www.entrepreneur has a couple of related articles: habits of successful entrepreneurs, and habits of highly effective entrepreneurs. If you compare the lists in both those related articles, there are a few things that overlap.
One is starting your day early, even if you don't go to work. Some collect their thoughts in the morning, others engage in some physical activity to get rolling. Others get to the office early to work without interruption.
Another is cultivating curiosity, which keeps you asking questions and generating ideas. Be open and curious. Be willing to listen and learn from other people, especially if they have experience or expertise that you want. Read information related to your industry and business – from the Pallet Enterprise, newspapers, websites, LinkedIn. And talk to other entrepreneurs that you respect, even if they're not in the same business.
Another overlapping concept relates to establishing simple practical routines. Set limits for yourself; don't take on unreasonable workloads. You establish routines by prioritizing what you need to do, and then acting daily.
If you're curious about some of the other ideas from those two lists, here they are:
Be good to yourself. Reward yourself once in a while and recharge your batteries.
Bring your team together now and then. Some of the best ideas will emerge from face-to-face communications with them, and not necessarily at the office – at a leisurely dinner, for example. This applies to customers, too.
Spend time thinking and envisioning your business, where you want it to go and how to get there.
People are more effective when they have good sleep. They are healthier and perform better.
Successful entrepreneurs write things down, whether it's lists or goals or just venting frustrations. Writing improves brainstorming and problem solving and relieves stress.
As important as practical routines are, it's equally important to remain flexible – to pivot in response to unforeseen or changing circumstances.
