50 Positive Habits: Transform you Life - Michael Chapman (2016)
Developing Habits
Why Will This Help Me Become More Positive?
A major part of my transformation from positivity to negativity came from creating more positive habits. For example, I removed distractions from work like smartphones, clutter and computers.
Applying The Action For Increased Positivity
By doing this I found that my days became far more productive. By removing distractions - even just placing my phone on silent, face down - I would work much harder.
How Often Should I Practice?
Incorporate this into your day to day working and a life of annoying problems will vanish. Productivity and positive thinking soars with this mentality, ensuring you’ll continue to change and adapt to face the problems head on.
Life Without This Change
I found that my life before this was simply chaotic. I would never get through a day without having to sit for an hour on Twitter; well, these problems are gone now.
Life With This Change
Now, I get through hours’ worth of work without having to take a break. My mind stays on the job so I get less frustrated, making me feel less negative than before.
Determining Productivity
Why Will This Help Me Become More Positive?
The best thing I can offer to anyone reading this in terms of becoming more productive is looking at how you are when you work today - do you complain?
Applying The Action For Increased Positivity
If you are someone who always looks to complain about a situation, then look to find out why. What is making you feel that way? Also, what’s the alternative view?
How Often Should I Practice?
This really helped me, when I looked at how other people may be seeing the picture. By simply being honest with myself when complaining, my wallowing would soon be over.
Life Without This Change
It’s that simple, really, but without this change I would never have become more productive. I would always be put off at the first hurdle, never seeking to clear it.
Life With This Change
This change became far more effective and simplistic as time went on. I soon learned how to understand that complaining was a waste of time and energy that could be positive, instead!
Batching for Success
Why Will This Help Me Become More Positive?
The best solution I found to making my days easier and more positive was to batch tasks together. This made sure that I was delivering more with every hour worked.
Applying The Action For Increased Positivity
How so? Because my mentality had changed. By simply making sure that objects 1-4 were finished before a longer break rather than 1 alone, I soon found jobs getting finished!
How Often Should I Practice?
I made this a way of life from now on. It soon became a major part of my life and my overall planning, ensuring I always batched similar tasks together.
Life Without This Change
Without changing this I would live a life still led by negativity. I would find the slightest problem with my perceived schedule would ruin my day, making tasks take longer.
Life With This Change
I also found that by changing to this system I got through tasks in an easier style. Now, all similar tasks would fall under one banner and be dealt with swiftly.
Creating Priority
Why Will This Help Me Become More Positive?
By creating a range and list of priorities I found it much easier to get to where I had to be in my life, ensuring that my days never became overwhelming.
Applying The Action For Increased Positivity
An hour before bed I would make up a list of what the next day was to unfold with rough timescales for each, meaning that planning was made simpler.
How Often Should I Practice?
Another major part of my day now was to practice this at night. I would make sure that my plans would become ever more rigid, to see how I handled deadlines like this.
Life Without This Change
I would just be chaotic and take “good days” and “bad days” where my work would pile up and become nearly impossible to deal with later.
Life With This Change
Now, though? I can live a happier quality of life as I know that my days are more consistent. Whilst there are less “good days” the “bad days” are finished with!
Waking Earlier
Why Will This Help Me Become More Positive?
Simply setting my alarm for one hour earlier has been one of the most positive actions I have ever taken - that extra hour makes all the difference in the morning.
Applying The Action For Increased Positivity
I just change my alarm by one hour. That hour being up earlier allows me to be more productive and also allows me crucial time to awaken before work.
How Often Should I Practice?
I now do this every single day. It has been a keystone in helping every other positive action in this book come to life, ensuring that I can continue to change and improve my mentality to fit with what’s needed.
Life Without This Change
Life without changing the time I woke up at was going to remain hectic. I would go into work still half-asleep and find productivity would be down across the day.
Life With This Change
This change, though, allowed me to easily avoid this problem and instead start working with a greater consistency and positivity.
Working in Bulk
Why Will This Help Me Become More Positive?
Instead of working in small groups and doing chunks, I found it was easier to work in longer bulks of 3-4 hours at a time, with less breaks in-between.
Applying The Action For Increased Positivity
The reason was quite simple - to apply this to my day I would be more productive, happier and more likely to keep a consistent level of performance rather than peaking and plowing.
How Often Should I Practice?
I just make this part of my day-to-day planning for the rest of my life. Now, I work in larger chunks with longer, more relaxing breaks.
Life Without This Change
Before I used to cram in work to reach a short break, and then spend all my break panicking. Now, I can just relax and allow the next part of the day to start.
Life With This Change
This change has helped me be more assertive and to work more productively. I’m now far less likely to take negative approaches to my working day, regardless of difficulty.
Learn to Say No
Why Will This Help Me Become More Positive?
A major issue I always had was failing to say no to people - it’s hard at times, and I used to just go along with scenarios making myself deeply unhappy.
Applying The Action For Increased Positivity
To counteract this I simply started to say no - it sounds simple, but the first time I forced it out, the easier it was every time after that in future.
How Often Should I Practice?
Every time I was agreeing to something I couldn’t or shouldn’t be doing. It made me feel more comfortable and improved both social and business relations with many different people.
Life Without This Change
Life without making this change was very hard - I would usually find myself making mistakes or getting into situations that I had no knowledge or experience of being able to handle.
Life With This Change
Now, I feel more confident and in control of my future than ever before. I’ve stopped making the same mistake and instead am now living the life I intended to!