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A Quote
"A habit must be established before it can be improved
You have to make it the standard in your life before you can worry about optimizing or expanding or upgrading from there."
- James Clear, author of Atomic Habits
A Pondering
Standard vs. Optimization — The preceding quote from The 10% Happier Podcast with guest James Clear, really got me thinking. Many times I have given up on a new habit or routine because I defined it through the lens of perfectionism. In short, a habit may be designed to be so difficult that the chances of actually succeeding are very low.
When we step back to define a new habit as being small and imperfect, there may be a better chance that we can stick with it long enough to then be able to change and optimize what we are doing. This is the intent behind "learn to walk before you can run", but a shift to "make a standard before you optimize" really resonates with me.
An Expansion
React vs. Respond — Last week I mentioned putting space between reaction and response to limit impulsivity during a sick day. But what does that actually mean?
Most of the time I tend to think of my reaction as my response, but that may not be true. Sure, a reaction may include a response but if you redefine respond as something done after taking time to think, you'll see there can actually be a space between the two.
For example, I might be in traffic and get angry at a driver that just cut me off. My reaction might be to grumble but if I put space between the grumble and the response of all-out highway warfare, I'll likely choose to disarm and let bygones be bygones.
In daily life, this space, or pause, between react and respond might be helpful while processing email. Upon seeing an "urgent" email, we might panic, feel overwhelmed and as though we've got to do something "right now!" That would be a reaction. Taking a moment to reflect might lead to a more measured response where we determine the email is not urgent and that we need to take some time to gather information to answer properly. This would stop us from impulsively hitting the reply button.
Theme Song Rabbit Hole
The Action News Theme — The other day I went into a "Wikihole" and found myself learning about the two predominant local news formats that were invented at the turn of the '70s. One thing led to another and I began wondering whether the Action News Theme might be useful to play as I start my day or a particular project.
Well, did you know what you hear on TV is only about 20-30 seconds of a larger song? The song is called Move Closer to Your World and if you care to hear it, along with the closing credits from WPVI, click here.
#yaydhd
A Video
The 20 Percent Rule for Decluttering
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This video from ADDitude Magazine emphasizes the importance of tackling the clutter in small chunks. When we set out to get everything organized in one sitting we give in to "All or Nothing" thinking which often leads us to fail and give up.
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I'm writing this edition on a "day off" and to be honest, it was quite difficult to get myself started. I knew I didn't want to break the streak but, "day off!"
This thinking has led to wondering about the difference between days off and time off. Could there be a benefit in switching my two days off per week into X hours of time off per week? There are likely endless combinations, but I sense an experiment brewing.
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