how to break habits

Time to Break Those Old Shopping Habits?

Many of us are creatures of habit and we do not necessarily like change.

Many of us are creatures of habit and we do not necessarily like change.

We shop for the same items at the same store just because that's the way we have always done it.

We shop for the same items at the same store just because that's the way we have always done it.

That's unfortunate, because sometimes changing where and how we shop for things can save us a great deal of money.

Here are some examples of shopping opportunities that you may not have considered that could make a difference in your family budget.

Here are some examples of shopping opportunities that you may not have considered that could make a difference in your family budget.

Here are some examples of shopping opportunities that you may not have considered that could make a difference in your family budget.

Buyers Club, such as book, music or DVD clubs, can save you money, but the secret is reading the fine print before you sign up for a long-term commitment.

Consignment Shopping Saves You Money

You can find home furnishings, art, exercise equipment, musical instruments, fine jewelry, bridal wear, sports equipment, guns, and most anything that you want in secondhand shops online and off.

You can find home furnishings, art, exercise equipment, musical instruments, fine jewelry, bridal wear, sports equipment, guns, and most anything that you want in secondhand shops online and off.

You can find home furnishings, art, exercise equipment, musical instruments, fine jewelry, bridal wear, sports equipment, guns, and most anything that you want in secondhand shops online and off.

You can find home furnishings, art, exercise equipment, musical instruments, fine jewelry, bridal wear, sports equipment, guns, and most anything that you want in secondhand shops online and off.

Government Auctions

Here is a question: if you are already taking the time to clip and save coupons and carrying them shopping with you, why would you use them at a grocery that gives you only face value for the coupon when many stores will double it?

Here's another question: why pay retail prices when you can buy it wholesale?

Did you know that many wholesale distributors have scheduled times when they are open to the general public?

Did you know that many wholesale distributors have scheduled times when they are open to the general public?

Learn how you can find and purchase items at a genuine wholesale price.

Learn how you can find and purchase items at a genuine wholesale price.

Online auction sites have become extremely popular because they offer an amazing variety of items priced well below their usual value.

Online auction sites have become extremely popular because they offer an amazing variety of items priced well below their usual value.

Online auction sites have become extremely popular because they offer an amazing variety of items priced well below their usual value.

But before you place a bid, there are important guidelines to follow and tips that can help you win your bid and keep the process secure.

The secret to being successful at a live auction is in the research.

The secret to being successful at a live auction is in the research.

If you have been buying the same things and the same store for years just out of habit, you may be able to save a significant amount by buying staple items at the local dollar store.

Each year, airlines pay thousands of claims to passengers for lost luggage that they could not locate and return to the original owner.

Each year, airlines pay thousands of claims to passengers for lost luggage that they could not locate and return to the original owner.

That lost baggage does not vaporize into thin air.

Warehouse Store Shopping Tips

Warehouse-type stores can offer great deals to shoppers who pay their annual membership fees.

Warehouse-type stores can offer great deals to shoppers who pay their annual membership fees.

Overcoming Negative Behaviors

Overcoming Negative Behaviors

Bad habits, like checking email in meetings, can damage your career. © iStockphoto/jasantiso

Bad habits, like checking email in meetings, can damage your career. © iStockphoto/jasantiso

"Your net worth to the world is usually determined by what remains after your bad habits are subtracted from your good ones."

Benjamin Franklin, American inventor and politician.

Maybe you check your email when you're in meetings, turn up late to client visits, or take personal phone calls when you're supposed to be focusing on your work.

You might even let habits like watching too much television or excessive Internet surfing stop you working on learning goals in the evenings and at weekends.

You might even let habits like watching too much television or excessive Internet surfing stop you working on learning goals in the evenings and at weekends.

Bad habits like these can damage reputations and limit what's possible in our lives and careers, so it's important that we learn how to deal with them.

In this article, we'll look at bad habits in more detail: we'll explore why certain behaviors become habits in the first place, and we'll show you how you can overcome them.

A habit is an acquired behavior or thought pattern that you have repeated so many times that it has become almost unconscious.

A habit is an acquired behavior or thought pattern that you have repeated so many times that it has become almost unconscious.

A habit is an acquired behavior or thought pattern that you have repeated so many times that it has become almost unconscious.

As you likely already know, habits can be both helpful and harmful.

Habits are beneficial because they're automatic.

Habits are beneficial because they're automatic.

We engage in habits without thinking, which frees our brains up to focus on other things.

We can then use our energy to focus on things that need our special attention.

We engage in these behaviors without much thought, and they can damage our personal lives and careers without us being aware of them.

There are many bad habits that can negatively affect us in our careers.

Gossiping.

Resisting change.

Making rash decisions.

Making rash decisions.

Procrastinating.

Engaging in self-sabotage.

Being a maladaptive perfectionist.

In fact, many people procrastinate to some degree – but some are so chronically affected by procrastination that it stops them fulfilling their potential and disrupts their careers.

In fact, many people procrastinate to some degree – but some are so chronically affected by procrastination that it stops them fulfilling their potential and disrupts their careers.

In fact, many people procrastinate to some degree – but some are so chronically affected by procrastination that it stops them fulfilling their potential and disrupts their careers.

In fact, many people procrastinate to some degree – but some are so chronically affected by procrastination that it stops them fulfilling their potential and disrupts their careers.

The key to controlling this destructive habit is to recognize when you start procrastinating, understand why it happens (even to the best of us), and take active steps to manage your time and outcomes better.

The key to controlling this destructive habit is to recognize when you start procrastinating, understand why it happens (even to the best of us), and take active steps to manage your time and outcomes better.

In a nutshell, you procrastinate when you put off things that you should be focusing on right now, usually in favor of doing something that is more enjoyable or that you’re more comfortable doing.

In a nutshell, you procrastinate when you put off things that you should be focusing on right now, usually in favor of doing something that is more enjoyable or that you’re more comfortable doing.

According to psychologist Professor Clarry Lay, a prominent writer on procrastination, procrastination occurs when there’s “a temporal gap between intended behavior and enacted behavior.”

According to psychologist Professor Clarry Lay, a prominent writer on procrastination, procrastination occurs when there’s “a temporal gap between intended behavior and enacted behavior.”

According to psychologist Professor Clarry Lay, a prominent writer on procrastination, procrastination occurs when there’s “a temporal gap between intended behavior and enacted behavior.”

According to psychologist Professor Clarry Lay, a prominent writer on procrastination, procrastination occurs when there’s “a temporal gap between intended behavior and enacted behavior.”

According to psychologist Professor Clarry Lay, a prominent writer on procrastination, procrastination occurs when there’s “a temporal gap between intended behavior and enacted behavior.”

According to psychologist Professor Clarry Lay, a prominent writer on procrastination, procrastination occurs when there’s “a temporal gap between intended behavior and enacted behavior.”

According to psychologist Professor Clarry Lay, a prominent writer on procrastination, procrastination occurs when there’s “a temporal gap between intended behavior and enacted behavior.”

According to psychologist Professor Clarry Lay, a prominent writer on procrastination, procrastination occurs when there’s “a temporal gap between intended behavior and enacted behavior.”

Here are some useful indicators that will help you know when you’re procrastinating:

Sitting down to start a high-priority task, and almost immediately going off to make a cup of coffee.

Sitting down to start a high-priority task, and almost immediately going off to make a cup of coffee.

In his 1986 article “At Last, My Research Article on Procrastination”, published in the Journal of Research on Personality, Lay noted that procrastinatory behavior is independent of need for achievement, energy, or self-esteem.

In his 1986 article “At Last, My Research Article on Procrastination”, published in the Journal of Research on Personality, Lay noted that procrastinatory behavior is independent of need for achievement, energy, or self-esteem.

In other words, you may be a procrastinator even if you’re confident in your own abilities, energetic, and enjoy achieving things.

But it's important to understand which of the two is relevant in a given situation, so that you can select the best approach for overcoming your reluctance to get going.

But it's important to understand which of the two is relevant in a given situation, so that you can select the best approach for overcoming your reluctance to get going.

One reason for procrastination is that people find a particular job unpleasant, and try to avoid it because of that.

Organized people manage to fend of the temptation to procrastinate, because they will have things like prioritized to-do lists and schedules which emphasize how important the piece work is, and identify precisely when it’s due.

Organized people manage to fend of the temptation to procrastinate, because they will have things like prioritized to-do lists and schedules which emphasize how important the piece work is, and identify precisely when it’s due.

Organized people manage to fend of the temptation to procrastinate, because they will have things like prioritized to-do lists and schedules which emphasize how important the piece work is, and identify precisely when it’s due.

Organized people manage to fend of the temptation to procrastinate, because they will have things like prioritized to-do lists and schedules which emphasize how important the piece work is, and identify precisely when it’s due.

Organized people manage to fend of the temptation to procrastinate, because they will have things like prioritized to-do lists and schedules which emphasize how important the piece work is, and identify precisely when it’s due.

Organized people manage to fend of the temptation to procrastinate, because they will have things like prioritized to-do lists and schedules which emphasize how important the piece work is, and identify precisely when it’s due.

Organized people are also better placed to avoid procrastination, because they know how to break the work down into manageable “next steps”.

Even if you’re organized, you can feel overwhelmed by the task.

You may doubt that you have the skills or resources you think you need, so you seek comfort in doing tasks you know you're capable of completing.

You may doubt that you have the skills or resources you think you need, so you seek comfort in doing tasks you know you're capable of completing.

You may doubt that you have the skills or resources you think you need, so you seek comfort in doing tasks you know you're capable of completing.

Unfortunately, the big task isn't going to go away – truly important tasks rarely do.

For example, you may think that success will lead to you being swamped with more requests to do this type of task, or that you’ll be pushed to take on things that you feel are beyond you.

For example, you may think that success will lead to you being swamped with more requests to do this type of task, or that you’ll be pushed to take on things that you feel are beyond you.

Surprisingly, perfectionists are often procrastinators, as they can tend to think "I don't have the right skills or resources to do this perfectly now, so I won't do it at all."

Step 3: Adopt Anti-Procrastination Strategies

Habits only stop being habits when you have persistently stopped practising them, so use as many approaches as possible to maximize your chances of beating procrastination.

And, sometimes, you may simply need to try a fresh approach to beat the “procrastination peril”!

Make up your own rewards.

Peer pressure works!

Peer pressure works!

This is the principle behind slimming and other self-help groups, and it is widely recognized as a highly effective approach.

Identify the unpleasant consequences of NOT doing the task.

Use an Urgent/Important Matrix to help prioritize your to-do list so that you can’t try to kid yourself that it would be acceptable to put off doing something on the grounds that it’s unimportant, or that you have many urgent things which ought to be done first when, in reality, you’re procrastinating.

Set yourself time-bound goals: that way, you’ll have no time for procrastination!

Many procrastinators overestimate the unpleasantness of a task.

This teaches a range of powerful and effective decision-making techniques.

Then, you need to identify why you're procrastinating and taken appropriate steps to overcome the block.

You're on the phone with a supplier, while quietly typing up notes about your previous phone call.

To boost our productivity, many of us multitask like this to some degree.

To boost our productivity, many of us multitask like this to some degree.

And, in a world where the pace of life is often frantic, people who can multitask are typically seen as efficient and effective.

What's more, it's likely that the quality of our work is worse when we multitask.

In this article we'll examine the issues associated with multitasking, and look at why we shouldn't do it.

In this article we'll examine the issues associated with multitasking, and look at why we shouldn't do it.

We'll also look at some suggestions to help you get out of the multitasking habit.

Many people have studied multitasking over the last decade, and most of them have come to the same conclusion: Multitasking doesn't make us more productive!

You can't speak to someone and write a really clear and focused email at the same time.

The tasks are too conflicting – your mind gets overloaded as you try to switch between the two tasks.

When we switch tasks, our minds must reorient to cope with the new information.

When we switch tasks, our minds must reorient to cope with the new information.

So the quality of our work suffers.

For instance, it would be almost impossible to write a good-quality presentation while having an emotionally charged conversation with a co-worker!

Another major downside to multitasking is the effect it has on our stress levels.

Dealing with multiple things at once makes us feel overwhelmed, drained and frazzled.

On the other hand, think of how satisfied you feel when you devote your full attention to one task.

Spotting the Multitasking Tendency

For instance, creating a spreadsheet analysis might be an unwelcome task, so you might frequently check your email or do some research on a new assignment in order to lessen the pain of the current task.

For instance, creating a spreadsheet analysis might be an unwelcome task, so you might frequently check your email or do some research on a new assignment in order to lessen the pain of the current task.

Keep a log showing who interrupts you the most, and how urgent the requests are.

Once you've compiled a week's worth of interruptions, politely but assertively approach your colleagues with a view to managing and reducing their interruptions.

Doing this may feel awkward at first if you frequently multitask.

But you'll be surprised at how much you get done just by concentrating on one thing at a time.

Every time you go to check your email or take a call when you're actually supposed to be doing something else, take a deep breath and resist the urge.

If you get an audible or visual alert when emails come in, turn it off.

If you get an audible or visual alert when emails come in, turn it off.

Plus it can give your brain a welcome break during a hectic day.

But instead of trying to multitask through these, stop and make a note of where you left your current task.

This way you'll be able to handle both tasks well, and you'll leave yourself with some clues to help you restart the original task more quickly.

If you find your mind wandering when you should be focusing on something else, you need to guide your thoughts back to what you are doing by putting yourself in the moment.

Often, acknowledging the moment can help keep you focused.

These statements sound as if they're coming from a tyrannical and cruel person with a mission to destroy self-confidence.

These statements sound as if they're coming from a tyrannical and cruel person with a mission to destroy self-confidence.

These statements sound as if they're coming from a tyrannical and cruel person with a mission to destroy self-confidence.

Instead, we attribute our lack of success to inadequacy.

Instead, we attribute our lack of success to inadequacy.

The tell-tale sign that you are sabotaging your self is when you grind to a halt when you're trying to achieve your goals, for no rational reason.

The tell-tale sign that you are sabotaging your self is when you grind to a halt when you're trying to achieve your goals, for no rational reason.

Micromanagement constrains creativity. © iStockphoto/joebelanger

You've assigned an important task to a talented employee, and given him a deadline.

Now, do you let him do his work and simply touch base with him at pre-defined points along the way – or do you keep dropping by his desk and sending e-mails to check his progress?

Or, if you're the harried worker trying to make a deadline with a boss hovering at your shoulder, you might have a micromanager on your hands – someone who just can't let go of tiny details.

Or, if you're the harried worker trying to make a deadline with a boss hovering at your shoulder, you might have a micromanager on your hands – someone who just can't let go of tiny details.

Either because they're control-obsessed, or because they feel driven to push everyone around them to success, micromanagers risk disempowering their colleagues.

They ruin their colleagues' confidence, hurt their performance, and frustrate them to the point where they quit.

They ruin their colleagues' confidence, hurt their performance, and frustrate them to the point where they quit.

Luckily, though, there are ways to identify these overzealous tendencies in yourself – and get rid of them before they do more damage.

And if you work for a micromanager, there are strategies you can use to convince him or her to accept your independence.

Where is the line between being an involved manager, and an over-involved manager who's driving his team mad?

Resist delegating;

Immerse themselves in overseeing the projects of others;

Discourage others from making decisions without consulting them.

Discourage others from making decisions without consulting them.

Micromanagers often affirm the value of their approach with a simple experiment: They give an employee an assignment, and then disappear until the deadline.

Micromanagers often affirm the value of their approach with a simple experiment: They give an employee an assignment, and then disappear until the deadline.

Under micromanagement, however, most workers become timid and tentative – possibly even paralyzed.

Under micromanagement, however, most workers become timid and tentative – possibly even paralyzed.

Under micromanagement, however, most workers become timid and tentative – possibly even paralyzed.

Then one of two things will happen: Either the worker will ask the manager for guidance before the deadline, or he will forge ahead, but come up with an inadequate result.

In either case, the micromanager will interpret the result of his experiment as proof that, without his constant intervention, his people will flounder or fail.

In either case, the micromanager will interpret the result of his experiment as proof that, without his constant intervention, his people will flounder or fail.

In either case, the micromanager will interpret the result of his experiment as proof that, without his constant intervention, his people will flounder or fail.

But do these results verify the value of micromanagement – or condemn it?

Micromanagers, on the other hand, prevent employees from making – and taking responsibility for – their own decisions.

Good managers empower their employees to do well by giving opportunities to excel; Bad managers disempower their employees by hoarding those opportunities.

And a disempowered employee is an ineffective one – one who requires a lot of time and energy from his supervisor.

And a disempowered employee is an ineffective one – one who requires a lot of time and energy from his supervisor.

It's that time and energy, multiplied across a whole team of timid, cowed workers, that amounts to a serious and self-defeating drain on a manager's time.

It's that time and energy, multiplied across a whole team of timid, cowed workers, that amounts to a serious and self-defeating drain on a manager's time.

Escaping Micromanagement

From the micromanager's perspective, the best way to build healthier relationships with employees may be the most direct: Talk to them.

From the micromanager's perspective, the best way to build healthier relationships with employees may be the most direct: Talk to them.

Getting frank feedback from employees is the hard part.

Once you've done that, as executive coach Marshall Goldsmith recommends in his book What Got You Here Won't Get You There, it's time to apologize and change.

Once you've done that, as executive coach Marshall Goldsmith recommends in his book What Got You Here Won't Get You There, it's time to apologize and change.

Once you've done that, as executive coach Marshall Goldsmith recommends in his book What Got You Here Won't Get You There, it's time to apologize and change.

Read our article on delegation for more about this.

Managers fail to listen when they forget their employees have important insights – and people who don't feel listened to become disengaged.

Help your boss to delegate to you more effectively by prompting him to give you all the information you will need up front, and to set interim review points along the way.

Volunteer to take on work or projects that you're confident you'll be good at.

Micromanagement restricts the ability of micromanaged people to develop and grow, and it also limits what the micromanager's team can achieve, because everything has to go through him or her.

When a boss is reluctant to delegate, focuses on details ahead of the big picture and discourages his staff from taking the initiative, there's every chance that he's sliding towards micromanagement.

When a boss is reluctant to delegate, focuses on details ahead of the big picture and discourages his staff from taking the initiative, there's every chance that he's sliding towards micromanagement.

When a boss is reluctant to delegate, focuses on details ahead of the big picture and discourages his staff from taking the initiative, there's every chance that he's sliding towards micromanagement.

And if you are a micromanager, work hard on those delegation skills and learn to trust your staff to develop and deliver.

If something isn't perfect, they dismiss it.

It's important to understand the difference between maladaptive perfectionism and a healthy quest for success.

By contrast, people striving for excellence in a healthy way see mistakes as an opportunity to grow; they understand that mistakes are part of the learning process, and they accept them.

Here, a casual approach to quality can be catastrophic.

However, even with situations like these, you need to do your very best, test and check your work thoroughly, and then deliver.

Here, "good enough" genuinely is good enough.

You are also being wasteful if you keep on tweaking your work once you have successfully completed a thorough, disciplined, well-thought-through test plan.

You are also being wasteful if you keep on tweaking your work once you have successfully completed a thorough, disciplined, well-thought-through test plan.

According to an analysis published in the Journal of Counseling and Development, perfectionism has been linked to health issues such as eating disorders, depression, migraines, anxiety, and personality disorders.

According to an analysis published in the Journal of Counseling and Development, perfectionism has been linked to health issues such as eating disorders, depression, migraines, anxiety, and personality disorders.

According to an analysis published in the Journal of Counseling and Development, perfectionism has been linked to health issues such as eating disorders, depression, migraines, anxiety, and personality disorders.

The quest for perfection can also result in decreased productivity, stress, and troubled relationships.

Perfectionism has a negative impact on self-esteem.

Perfectionists see their own self-worth tied in to what they achieve, and they believe that others judge them on this as well.

This can lead to a downward spiral of self-criticism and blame.

One of the consequences of perfectionism is that it has an inhibiting nature: perfectionism keeps us from taking risks, and it constrains our playfulness and our desire to dream.

This, in turn, reduces our ability to innovate and to be creative.

You don't like taking risks, because there is then no guarantee that you can do the task perfectly.

You feel that if your flaws are exposed, others will reject you.

You feel that if your flaws are exposed, others will reject you.

You may apply your own unrealistic standards to those around you, becoming critical when colleagues don't meet those expectations.

You may apply your own unrealistic standards to those around you, becoming critical when colleagues don't meet those expectations.

If you do, don't be too concerned – we'll look at how you can manage these behaviors next.

The following steps, which are adapted from an approach developed by the Perth Center for Clinical Interventions, will help you challenge perfectionist behaviors and beliefs:

Perhaps you arrive at appointments very early, because you're afraid of being late.

Or you might spend an inordinate amount of time tidying up your desk; time that you could spend relaxing or working on other projects.

Or you might spend an inordinate amount of time tidying up your desk; time that you could spend relaxing or working on other projects.

Although it's healthy to have high personal standards, they need to be flexible and helpful, not unrelenting and unrealistic.