Bad Habits ---> Good Habits

In my experience working with people and helping them to work simpler, smarter and quicker. Mostly, they know what to do to improve their efficiency but they don't do what they know. A big part of this is that they have bad habits and struggle to change them.

I did an AI seach of the bad habits that mess up the management of that scarce resource time. This is the list of the top 10 major thieves of time.

1. Not setting concrete goals: Without clear goals, it’s hard to distinguish important tasks from distractions. To create achievable goals, try the SMART method: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
2. Failing to follow a to-do list: Starting work without a plan usually leads to bad time management. A good to-do list should be consistent, specific, and time-aware.
3. Prioritising ineffectively: Prioritising tasks based on their urgency rather than their importance can lead to poor time management. The Eisenhower Matrix can help you prioritise tasks based on their importance and urgency.
4. Scheduling poorly: Scheduling too many tasks in a day or not scheduling enough time for a task can lead to poor time management. To schedule effectively, try time blocking.
5. Disorganised meetings: Meetings that lack structure or go off-topic can waste time. To make meetings more productive, set an agenda and stick to it.
6. Allowing distractions: Distractions such as social media, email, or phone calls can disrupt your workflow. 
7. Tendency to multitask: Multitasking can lead to poor time management and decreased productivity. Instead, try focusing on one task at a time.
8. Having too much to do: Overcommitting yourself can lead to poor time management. To avoid this, learn to say no and delegate tasks when possible.
9. Aiming for perfection: Striving for perfection can lead to procrastination and poor time management. Instead, aim for progress over perfection.
10. Procrastination: Delaying tasks can lead to poor time management. To overcome procrastination, try breaking tasks into smaller, more manageable steps.

The solution to your problem could be the excellent "Atomic Habits" a book by James Clear that provides a comprehensive guide on how to change your habits and get 1% better every day. The book offers a practical and actionable plan for creating a system for getting 1% better every day. It teaches readers a simple set of rules for creating good habits and breaking bad ones using a framework called the Four Laws of Behaviour Change . 

The book also explains how to avoid common mistakes most people make when changing habits, how to overcome a lack of motivation and willpower, and how to develop a stronger identity and believe in yourself. The book has been praised for its practicality and usefulness by many best-selling authors and self-improvement gurus . If you're interested in learning more about how to build good habits and break bad ones, I highly recommend checking out "Atomic Habits" by James Clear.

This excellent YouTube video will explain what Atomic Habits is all about.

Confessions of a corporate warrior

Thinking back on my life I have to confess to applying massive dollops of procrastination to the routine of completing expense claims. I would head off on business trips around Europe most weeks and I had a corporate Amex card that was automatically reimbursed. My duty was to periodically complete expense returns to balance the books. I would dump the 'dockets' from my various trips into a folder and because it was boring admin I just put off completing returns. 

Then the system changed and we were to use our own credit cards and the only way we could get the money back was to complete a claim. GROAN ..... my first task was to clear my backlog from the old system and then prepare for the new system. It was a disaster and the end result was that I had to pay in hundreds of pounds, to which my wife was not amused. 

To survive I had to create a new system which I did before my next trip. I kept a plastic envelope in my briefcase and put all dockets and notes from my trip into this envelope. I would normally get back home on a friday and would allocate 30 minutes to complete my online expense claim. I was based in the UK with my manager based in Switzerland. The expense claim would be routed electronically to him, he would sign it off or query an item and effectively slow down the reimbursement process. To prevent any snags I would send him a detailed email explaining the expenses that I had incurred. My target was to claim on Friday and receive the reimbursement money in my bank account by the next friday.  

Using Atomic Habits to explain:-

Four Laws of Behaviour Change	New System – Good Habit
The 1st law (Cue): Make it obvious.	Put all dockets into a transparent envelope and place in a highly visual place.
The 2nd law (Craving): Make it attractive	Following the DO IT NOW approach and the pleasure of ticking off another potentially messy job.
The 3rd law (Response): Make it easy	All documents in one place and clear system in place and it would take less than 30 minutes to complete the claim!
The 4th law (Reward): Make it satisfying	Cash in bank in one week and a feeling that I had beaten the system. I would have the money in my bank account on average 4 weeks before I would have to pay my credit card.

Atomic Habits summary cheat sheet

This useful Atomic Habits summary cheat sheet compresses many of the key ideas and insights from the book into a handy reference guide for how to build a good habit or break a bad one.