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ME+ Building proactive habits
- 1. Click to edit Master text styles October 2016
- 2. Assessing & selecting for success │ Where ambition meets opportunity Striking the right balance between planning and doing is one of the most challenging tasks in today’s fast moving work environment. Without time-out from the everyday rush to get things done, we become busy fools, and on the other hand, over analysis can lead to paralysis. So, we need high-quality planning time, away from the hustle and disruption of the daily grind, and to also build habits where we quickly tune into the action needed to move things on and make progress. Habit forming is the process by which new behaviours become automatic… That’s because the behavioural patterns we repeat most often are literally etched into our neural pathways. The good news is that, through repetition, it’s possible to form – and maintain – new habits. On average it take more than 2 months before new habits become automatic, but this can vary widely depending on the behaviour, the person and the circumstances. A habit is typically built through three primary elements: a cue, a routine and a reward. The cue is the trigger, the prompt that moves us to action. The routine is the action we take, which if repeated enough becomes automatic. The reward is the pleasure we gain from completing the action, which can be intrinsic or extrinsic. If either of the three elements are missing a habit will not form.
- 3. Building effective habits │ Avoiding common pitfalls To build effective habits, we also need to understand the potential pitfalls to avoid. If we understand typical human behavioural traits, we are better placed to counter any negative effects of them. Building effective habits Monkey mind It often happens when an action causes you to think of a related action. The second action leads to a third, and so on and so forth. Monkey mind is a Buddhist term that means “unsettled, restless, capricious, whimsical, fanciful, inconsistent, confused, indecisive, uncontrollable.” Learn to recognise when it’s happening and avoid succumbing to the lure of this thought pattern. Multi-tasking isn’t effective Multi-tasking is regarded as a faulty practice that causes you to get less done, not more. Instead of multi- tasking, choose to be present. ❶ Be mindful of your current focus ❷ Push aside anything that doesn’t enhance or add to that one thing ❸ Set a time limit for your current focus You will get a lot more done if you are completely present with whatever you are doing. You need downtime Sometimes, you need to do less in order to ultimately do more. Downtime is not an act of laziness, it is an incredibly important factor to keep in mind when it comes to daily routine. It is important to avoid getting so caught up in daily routines that you don’t have any time to recharge. Decision fatigue As you make decisions throughout the day, you will eventually become warn down and start to take shortcuts. Too many choices lead to overwhelm, causing people to make bad choices or shut down and do nothing Routines limit the number of decisions you have to make, increasing the odds of doing the right thing. . Cognitive load The more you have to think about the process of completing an activity, the less energy you will have for future activities The amount of cognitive load is lower when a topic requires less effort. Daily routines help in reducing the amount of cognitive load because, in a sense, you become an expert at the things you do day in and day out. Ego depletion Once you have used up your supply of willpower for the day, it is very difficult to exercise discipline. “A person’s diminished capacity to regulate their thoughts, feelings and actions.” from Willpower by Roy F. Baumeister and John Tierney. Focus on one routine at a time. Don’t worry about the others until you’ve turned your new routine into a series of pragmatic actions. ‘What-the-hell’ effect When one slip ruins everything and inspires self- sabotage. You have two choices: when you slip up: Learn from this mistake and jump right back into the routine Or succumb to the ‘what-the-hell’ effect. Avoid the ‘what-the- hell’ effect by turning short-term goals into long-term goals ! ? Multi-tasking isn’t effective You need downtime
- 4. Build cues into daily routines Start building proactive habits into your daily routines, by firstly thinking about the Cue. The Cue can often be something completely unrelated to the habit you are trying to form, but is already a part of your normal daily routine. For example, If you want to learn a new language, leave your car stereo on CD drive with a language disc in so it comes on automatically when you start the engine in the morning. So, applied to your career plan, My ME+ app will allow me to check into my career plan each day and the priority actions needed to progress that day. So, the Cue, leading to the routine: ❶ In the morning is getting on the train with my Latte. The routine is to create the list of the three most important things to do today. ❷ In the evening is getting on the train without the free newspaper. The routine is to check-off the actions complete in ME+ and capture notes on learning in evidence. The reward could be the intrinsic pleasure I get from doing the work to complete the action or from the act of ticking something off as complete. This might be enough, but, also consider adding in an additional element of reward when you have a good day . When you complete all three important actions for that day, treat yourself, do something that you enjoy! Now, personalise this. Apply to your own situation. What’s the habit you want to create? What are the cues in your daily routine? How will you reward success? I’ll use my time on the train to work with my morning Latte to list my three must dos each day, and on my journey home, I’ll not pick up the free newspaper – which is mostly advertising anyway - and, instead I’ll check-off the actions I’ve completed, and make a note of what I’ve learnt.
- 5. Check-ins and Check-ups As well as daily routines, also build into your practice regular Check-ins Source: Telos Partners Are the longer-term actions getting the attention they deserve? Are the most complicated actions progressing? Are you learning from things that aren’t going to plan and adjusting your approach so that you are able to work out how to do it? Are you building relationships with people who will help you achieve your longer-term goals (prior to you needing their support)? And regular Check-ups Are you on track to achieve success this week/month?
- 6. Pre-empt the experience and learn from others Career experiences have been around ever, so nothing is new here. What we often miss is the opportunity to reflect, learn and share that learning. When looking at the potential ‘career moments’ that leave an impact on people they might be classed as SNAKES, LADDERS or SWAMPS. Here are some typical experiences in these moments: And we asked those who had faced similar experiences in the past, what they would do now if faced with a similar experience. Here’s their advice: SNAKES The false start The going gets really tough Hate the job Hate (or don’t respect) the boss Getting fired Redundant skills Health issues - Illness or stress Personal circumstances LADDERS Promotion/Progression move Exciting new assignment Continuous learning Working with great people Great boss Stretching work Ability to work how I want On-going, purposeful feedback Personal/life balance SWAMPS Stalled progress Clock watching A good old moan Dead man’s shoes Marking time & holding on The threat of the young Hamster wheel: same old stuff, again and again… Take control! Be confident Confide in someone you trust and who knows you really well Stick at it, don’t give up! Do what you love doing Listen to others Be more self aware Do it your way Act like an entrepreneur
- 7. Understand career behaviour… If this was simple, there would be no need for this learning shot as it would come naturally to everyone. As humans, we are complex creatures. Taking a human-centred approach requires an understanding of common human behavioural traits, and how to counter any negative implication. See www.coglode.com for more information on each of these human traits PRESENT BIAS What we want now is not always what we want in the future OPTIMISM BIAS When looking to our future, we tend to inflate the good thinks and downplay the bad THE COGNITIVE MISER We’re intellectually lazy, avoiding hard questions where possible SOCIAL DEFAULT BIAS We copy others’ choices when we can’t make an informed decision GOAL GRADIENT EFFECT We progress faster if the task is started for us SUNK COST EFFECT We are reluctant to pull out of something we have put effort into