What an interesting idea to focus on one habit. Jeff calls it an anchor habit. That one habit anchors the rest of your activities as you accomplish a bigger task.
What do anchor habits have to do business, goal setting, leadership, planning and becoming more effective?
Let’s say you, well, okay, I have trouble getting a particular goal nailed down and accomplished. For me, one in particular was planning out my days and project for the day then sticking to the plan on a daily basis with all the emails, urgencies, interruptions and interesting things that pop up.
I’ve made this goal SMART and even put it on my calendar. For weeks it would flash by every morning as I rolled out of bed in the morning and rushed to get ready for the day.
It turns out I didn’t have an anchor habit to kick start the activity. My anchor habit was not aligned with what I wanted accomplished. That unhelpful anchor habit was to sleep in as long as possible and rush through the morning routine.
So I created a new anchor habit—Get up early. Immediately, I’d listen to or read something positive and business related. I was amazed the positive affect it created over time.
It sets the pace for my whole day.
- I stick to my plan and get the big tasks done I’ve planned to accomplish. All the other urgencies fill in.
- I’ve added exercise to the routine since.
- I’m not as rushed…most of the time.
- I’m getting more done and saying no to more unimportant tasks, which improves my focus.
I didn’t do it cold turkey. I worked into it over a month or so and before I knew it, I was planning my days, weeks, projects ahead of time in a much more effective way.
I had a habit in place that wasn’t necessarily bad but it was not helpful. Those are the insidious habits. They seem positive or at least not bad, but they really do hold you back.
Now, I have a very positive habit that kick starts my day the way I want.
Next, I want to find other unhelpful anchor habits and slip helpful anchor habits in my days, planning, execution and projects.
What helpful anchor habits do you have?
What anchor habits do you have that hold you back? What are you going to do about them?
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“Dominate your life with Focus, Decision and Execution.”