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Work Life Balance, Work/life Balance: Forming Healthy Habits
by Wendy Betterini
A habit is an action or series of actions that we perform in a subconscious manner. We don't have to consciously think about doing these things, they seem to happen on their own. Habits can be good or bad, depending on how they enhance our quality of life, or detract from it.
Have you ever driven home or to work and then had no recollection of the ride? Or have you taken the wrong exit off a freeway because it's the one you usually take, when in fact you had intended to keep on to another exit? Our minds become conditioned to doing things in a certain way, simply because we have done them over and over again in that exact way. This can be a good thing, as it makes much of our daily routine somewhat effortless. Imagine having to focus intently on every little thing you did, like washing dishes or taking out the garbage. Sounds exhausting, doesn't it? However, negative actions can also become habits, and that makes them extremely difficult to change. How many times have you tried to adopt an exercise program, quit smoking, lose weight, or give up junk food? It takes between 21-30 days to form a new habit. This means you must perform your new actions repeatedly, day after day, for up to 30 days before your subconscious mind will begin to do them automatically. Until then it takes consistent effort and focus.
When trying to break a bad habit, it is usually helpful to substitute a good habit. Otherwise you'll end up feeling restless and gravitate back to the bad habit again to fill the void. For example, when quitting smoking, take up gum chewing, exercise, deep breathing, knitting, etc. When the urge for a cigarette hits, you have other activities you can use to busy yourself. At first, the new habit may not seem like an adequate substitute (especially if nicotene withdrawal is part of the equation!), but with consistent reinforcement, your mind will begin to let go of the old habit of smoking and adopt the newer habits you have substituted.
When trying to adopt a new habit, such as exercise, you may need to place visible reminders at your desk, on the refrigerator door, or the bathroom mirror. Remember that your mind is accustomed to not thinking about exercise. It will take some focused attention to change that.
It is important to have patience with yourself as you work on changing your habits. Remember that they are habits because they are largely subconscious. As you focus your conscious mind repeatedly on your new actions, they will also become subconscious, just like the negative actions did. Print out this handy Habit Forming Chart and hang it up where you will see it everyday. It can serve as a great reminder for your goals, as well as show your progress from day to day.
Don't beat yourself up if you have "failures" here and there as you work on forming new habits. No one is perfect, and you will probably have days where you don't meet your goals. The most difficult aspect of forming new habits is becoming aware of the automatic actions we take each day, and making a conscious decision to change them.
About The Author: Wendy Betterini is a freelance writer and web designer in New England. She is the owner of http://www.WorkatHomeBalance.com which features work/life balance tips for entrepreneurs, home business owners, telecommuters and freelancers. Visit today for more tips on balancing work and family under one roof.
These articles on lifestyle and more
Return to the selection of work life balance
You may want to try these articles on work life balance
Work Life Balance, Work Life Balance by John Furnem Approximately 615 Words
Work Life Balance, Life/work Balance; It’s A Conscious Decision by Simma Lieberman Approximately 2050 Words
Work Life Balance, Achieving Work/life Balance by Wally Bock Approximately 708 Words
Work Life Balance, Life Coaching by John Furnem Approximately 518 Words
Work Life Balance, Work Life Balance And Burnout by John Furnem Approximately 570 Words
Work Life Balance, Creating A Meaningful Life by Wendy Betterini Approximately 669 Words
Work Life Balance, Four Facets Of Work/life Balance by Wendy Betterini Approximately 964 Words
You may want to try these websites for additional information
http://www.dol.govt.nz/futureofwork/worklife.asp
http://management.about.com/od/lifeworkbalance/
http://www.sdc.gc.ca/asp/gateway.asp?hren/lp/spila/wlb/01home.shtml&hswnc
The information provided in this article is the express opinion of the author. Exchangenet is not responsible for the content!
A habit is an action or series of actions that we perform in a subconscious manner. We don't have to consciously think about doing these things, they seem to happen on their own. Habits can be good or bad, depending on how they enhance our quality of life, or detract from it.
Have you ever driven home or to work and then had no recollection of the ride? Or have you taken the wrong exit off a freeway because it's the one you usually take, when in fact you had intended to keep on to another exit? Our minds become conditioned to doing things in a certain way, simply because we have done them over and over again in that exact way. This can be a good thing, as it makes much of our daily routine somewhat effortless. Imagine having to focus intently on every little thing you did, like washing dishes or taking out the garbage. Sounds exhausting, doesn't it? However, negative actions can also become habits, and that makes them extremely difficult to change. How many times have you tried to adopt an exercise program, quit smoking, lose weight, or give up junk food? It takes between 21-30 days to form a new habit. This means you must perform your new actions repeatedly, day after day, for up to 30 days before your subconscious mind will begin to do them automatically. Until then it takes consistent effort and focus.
When trying to break a bad habit, it is usually helpful to substitute a good habit. Otherwise you'll end up feeling restless and gravitate back to the bad habit again to fill the void. For example, when quitting smoking, take up gum chewing, exercise, deep breathing, knitting, etc. When the urge for a cigarette hits, you have other activities you can use to busy yourself. At first, the new habit may not seem like an adequate substitute (especially if nicotene withdrawal is part of the equation!), but with consistent reinforcement, your mind will begin to let go of the old habit of smoking and adopt the newer habits you have substituted.
When trying to adopt a new habit, such as exercise, you may need to place visible reminders at your desk, on the refrigerator door, or the bathroom mirror. Remember that your mind is accustomed to not thinking about exercise. It will take some focused attention to change that.
It is important to have patience with yourself as you work on changing your habits. Remember that they are habits because they are largely subconscious. As you focus your conscious mind repeatedly on your new actions, they will also become subconscious, just like the negative actions did. Print out this handy Habit Forming Chart and hang it up where you will see it everyday. It can serve as a great reminder for your goals, as well as show your progress from day to day.
Don't beat yourself up if you have "failures" here and there as you work on forming new habits. No one is perfect, and you will probably have days where you don't meet your goals. The most difficult aspect of forming new habits is becoming aware of the automatic actions we take each day, and making a conscious decision to change them.
About The Author: Wendy Betterini is a freelance writer and web designer in New England. She is the owner of http://www.WorkatHomeBalance.com which features work/life balance tips for entrepreneurs, home business owners, telecommuters and freelancers. Visit today for more tips on balancing work and family under one roof.
These articles on lifestyle and more
Reprint this article free of charge as long as you keep the author's resource box or bio intact and the links active. A copy of the ezine or URL of the page where the article was reprinted emailed to the author would be very much appreciated. work life balance
Return to the selection of work life balance
You may want to try these articles on work life balance
Work Life Balance, Work Life Balance by John Furnem Approximately 615 Words
Work Life Balance, Life/work Balance; It’s A Conscious Decision by Simma Lieberman Approximately 2050 Words
Work Life Balance, Achieving Work/life Balance by Wally Bock Approximately 708 Words
Work Life Balance, Life Coaching by John Furnem Approximately 518 Words
Work Life Balance, Work Life Balance And Burnout by John Furnem Approximately 570 Words
Work Life Balance, Creating A Meaningful Life by Wendy Betterini Approximately 669 Words
Work Life Balance, Four Facets Of Work/life Balance by Wendy Betterini Approximately 964 Words
You may want to try these websites for additional information
http://www.dol.govt.nz/futureofwork/worklife.asp
http://management.about.com/od/lifeworkbalance/
http://www.sdc.gc.ca/asp/gateway.asp?hren/lp/spila/wlb/01home.shtml&hswnc
The information provided in this article is the express opinion of the author. Exchangenet is not responsible for the content!