There are many mindsets that promote bad habits. The bad habits you create will lead to poor productivity and slowed growth in your business.
Today we’re uncovering three of those mindsets and sharing how you can reframe them to create better habits to be more effective.
TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:
[00:49] Intro
[01:59] You Are Responsible for You
[03:36] Do You Really Know What a Habit Is?
[07:11] Not All Good Habits are Right for You
[08:55] Habits Affect Productivity
[10:34] Mindsets that Promote Bad Habits
[20:22] When You Create Effective Habits
[21:36] Bloopers
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Good Habits, Bad Habits by Wendy
[Theresa] So, Meghan, it’ll probably come as no surprise to you that I’ve been thinking a lot about habits lately. Specifically, my own. I’ve been paying more attention to my behavior, especially my resistance to certain work activities.
[Meghan] That’s no surprise! Have you had any interesting insights?
[Theresa] Yep. I’ve discovered that I still have a fair amount of work to do! LOL
[Meghan] That’s also not a surprise! We are all works in progress. There’s always something to improve upon. And, all meaningful change begins with awareness.
One of my favorite things about Theresa is that she’s not afraid to look at her stuff. We all need to unpack the baggage from time to time. To identify what you want to change, you’ve got to look inside your mind and heart.
You Are Responsible for You
[Theresa] Thanks, Meghan. I appreciate that.
Now, what Meghan just said is immensely important. Change starts from within. We all have mindsets that promote bad habits. It’s a personal responsibility. If you’re not happy with something, you’re the one who has to change it.
At first, it can be scary and even a bit painful to look inside yourself.
[Meghan] It sure can be. But Theresa said something in a past episode that really stuck with me. She offered a way to reframe your thoughts about your shortcomings and flaws.
Do you want to talk about that a bit, Theresa?
[Theresa] Sure. I said instead of thinking about unwanted behaviors as shortcomings and flaws, reframe those thoughts with this mantra:
“I’m identifying and changing behaviors that no longer serve me.”
Those behaviors are habits that you’ve formed over time. I’m not going to lie to you, changing habits can be difficult. But when you start replacing those unwanted behaviors or bad habits with those that help improve your life, it feels amazing.
With that said, making those changes starts with you. You have to slow down long enough to identify what you want to improve on. Feel free to ask for support along the way, but ultimately you are the one who has to do the work.
Do You Really Know What a Habit Is?
[Meghan] Yes, it begins with you.
I want to remind you that first, you have to be aware of the habits that you have. Really pay attention to your behavior during the day. Even doing something small like turning on a light switch is a habit. You do it automatically, without thought.
[Theresa] That brings up the interesting question, “do you really understand what a habit is?”
Recently I read an interview with Wendy Wood, author of Good Habits, Bad Habits: The Science of Making Positive Changes That Stick. She describes habits this way:
“Habits are a learning mechanism. All we have to do is repeat something and get rewarded for it, and we’re learning a habit. In research that I’ve done, we find that about 43 percent of what people do every day is repeated in the same context, usually while they are thinking about something else. They’re automatically responding without really making decisions. And that’s what a habit is. A habit is a sort of a mental shortcut to repeat what we did in the past that worked for us and got us some reward.”
[Meghan] I heard the phrase “learning mechanism” in that description of a habit. Is that “learning mechanism” the habit loop that James Clear explains in Atomic Habits?
[Theresa] It is.
How Habit Loops Work
As a reminder, the habit loop or 4-step process from James Clear goes as follows:
- Cue (the trigger to initiate an action)
- Craving (the motivation or desire to perform the action)
- Response (the actual habit you perform)
- Reward (satisfies your craving)
To demonstrate how a habit loop is a learning mechanism, I’ll spell out the process with the example that Meghan just mentioned—turning on a light switch:
- You walk into a dark room. (that’s the cue)
- You want to see. (that’s the craving)
- So, you flip the light switch on. (that’s the response)
- Your desire to see is fulfilled. (that’s the reward)
What you’ve learned here is that in order to see you have to turn on the light. So that “mental shortcut” that Wendy Wood mentions is you turn on a light when you walk into a dark room.
[Meghan] You don’t wonder what to do when you walk into a dark room. You’ve already performed that process many times so often that it’s automatic.
It’s much like our autonomic reflexes or reactions like breathing. You don’t think about it, you just do it.
[Theresa] Exactly. And that’s why you still reach for the light switch during a power outage.
Now, this is an example of an innocuous habit. It would be great if all of our habits were like that, huh? If the only habits we performed during the day were neither good nor bad. That we were in full control of everything else.
[Meghan] That would be great. But, unfortunately, that’s not the way it works. You perform a task, you are rewarded in some way, and before you know it, it’s a habit.
If it’s a good habit—like making your bed when you get up or focusing on your most important task when you go into your office—that’s awesome, right?
Not All Good Habits are Right for You
[Theresa] Ah, a Utopian society. But, alas, it’s simply not that way. Not every habit you’ve created is in your best interest. Some habits may be good, but not necessarily good for you.
[Meghan] Ahhhh, and there’s the rub. Explain that one more please.
[Theresa] Well, most of us continually work on improving our habits, be it personal or professional. But just because a habit is good for me doesn’t me it will work well for you.
For example, I’m a member of the 5 AM club. In my quest to build a better morning ritual, I found that I enjoy getting up that early. My day begins with a leisurely morning ritual that focuses on self-care. I don’t even look at work stuff before 7 AM.
Now, for me, it works. That’s why I do it.
However, what typically happens is that you hear my whole morning ritual and think it sounds great. So, you decide that you’re going to get up at 5 AM. But what happens for you is that you can’t focus, you’re falling asleep at your desk, and you’re super cranky.
[Meghan] So, you want to create good habits, but good habits that work for you and your personality.
If you’re forcing yourself to get up at 5 AM, you may do more harm than good. And if that’s the case, you’re less likely to repeat that behavior.
The point is that even if a habit is a good one, if it doesn’t work for you and with you, then it’s not necessarily good for you.
Habits Affect Productivity
[Meghan] OK. Let’s talk about productivity for a minute.
As a productivity coach, Theresa helps clients with a myriad of things. So I’m curious. Theresa, what do you think is at the root cause of someone’s ability or inability to make meaningful progress in their business every day?
[Theresa] Good question. Not always, but most of the time, I’d say it’s someone’s mindset.
Once a client believes they can succeed, then creating the right foundation can occur. The right mindsets will help you create good habits. The wrong mindsets will foster bad habits.
Your habits affect just about everything you do throughout your day. And some of the habits you’ve formed are created by the mindset you have. So if your mindset is that business is hard and you can’t be successful, you’ll actually create habits that will confirm that narrative. Essentially, you’ll build habits that sabotage your success.
And those are mindsets that promote bad habits. Those bad habits will kill your productivity, for sure.
[Meghan] Mindset is a big deal. In my own business, I was really caught off guard by how much my mindset affected my success. Your beliefs frame your reality. I would blame other people or circumstances. And the ultimate realization was that I didn’t have a mindset that was supporting me well.
So, while we can’t unpack all of the mindsets that promote bad habits because we’d be here forever, Theresa is going to take us through three of them today.
Mindsets that Promote Bad Habits
[Theresa] As I mentioned earlier, I still have work to do on myself. Building good habits is an ongoing process. I still possess plenty of mindsets that promote bad habits and therefore affect my productivity. One day at a time!
However, I know that my bad habits are linked to mindsets that I still have to change. Some are limiting beliefs based on my life experience. Others are adopted beliefs that come from societal “norms” or old mentors.
I’m a work in progress. And as we’ve discussed many times on this podcast, I’ve started small. I’m not trying to wake up today and be someone else. I’m making adjustments one bit at a time.
So today, I want to share three mindsets that I’ve conquered quite successfully. I’ll also share some reframes that you can use if you’re struggling with any of these yourself.
[Meghan] That sounds like a great place to start. What’s first?
Being busy is better than being productive.
[Theresa] When it comes to mindsets that promote bad habits, nothing does it like prioritizing being busy over being productive. There is this misconception that if you’re not working every single minute of the day, then you aren’t a legitimate business.
I used to think like this. It’s how I ended up working 16-18 hours a day. I believed that in order to be taken as a serious business owner, it was my responsibility to do everything and anything.
Nothing could be further from the truth. When you have this mindset, you create lots of bad habits.
[Meghan] We want the juicy details! So tell us, what are some of the bad habits you created, Theresa?
[Theresa] Some of those bad habits were:
- Not stopping to eat, drink water or even bathe.
- Drinking massive amounts of caffeine.
- Not sleeping more than 2-3 hours a night.
- Being attached to my phone 24/7.
- Working without clear goals or a plan.
There were a lot more. One of my worst habits though involved my phone and social media. I’d wake up in the middle of the night, hide under the covers, and make graphics.
[Meghan] That’s me. I often work in bed, particularly in the winter when it’s dark in the early morning and I don’t want to wake up my husband. Writing in bed gives my brain something to do other than reading the news! And, it makes me feel like I’m being productive.
[Theresa] I get it. That was my reasoning as well. But believing that I needed to be busy all of the time kept me from being productive. I was doing things, sure, but I wasn’t accomplishing much.
Focus on what matters.
I’m proud to say that my life no longer looks like that. It’s taken time to develop my new mindset which is to focus on what matters. And that is how I approach every day.
[Meghan] Focus on what matters. That is so important to note. This is directly tied to your goals and your plan, right?
[Theresa] Yes. To figure out what work matters in your business, you have to know your goals and create your plan. Once you have that information, it’s easy to do less in your business.
And your productivity improves because the work you do has clear intention and purpose. You know how it fits into the big picture and why you’re doing it in the first place.
[Meghan] Instead of being scattered, your work has a focus and you actually make progress. Intentional, purposeful, goal-driven work is much better than busy work!
[Theresa] That feeling of accomplishment helps to improve productivity as well.
[Meghan] Love it. What’s next?
Notifications are helpful.
[Theresa] Another mindset that promotes bad habits is believing that notifications are helpful. Technology is amazing. I’m a total tech junkie. Meghan knows my Achilles heel, right?
[Meghan] Yep. It’s AppSumo.
[Theresa] That’s right. But most of our technology comes with the ability to receive push notifications. Whether it’s Instagram, email, texts, reminders, etc., in reality, notifications make you less productive. Those notifications add up to one thing—distraction.
[Meghan] Notifications are totally distracting!
Every time a device dings, rings, chimes, or buzzes, it’s a cue to check something. That cue creates a craving to satisfy your curiosity. You respond by checking whatever it is. And you are rewarded by having your curiosity satisfied.
That’s right. It’s a good ‘ole habit loop.
[Theresa] Exactly! The bad habit you’ve created is: every time I receive a notification, I stop what I’m doing to look.
Instead of being helpful, a notification becomes a distraction. When you create the habit of giving into notifications, you now work for your tools.
It prevents you from getting into a workflow state. And that kills your productivity.
Make your tools work for you.
[Meghan] So, what’s the best way to deal with this mindset?
[Theresa] First, reframe the thought with, “My tools work for me.” Then turn off your notifications! Instead, schedule time in your day to check things like email, texts, and social media.
[Meghan] That solution makes so much sense, but I can feel the resistance emanating from our readers.
[Theresa] Yeah, I get a lot of push back on this from clients. But I promise, once you create the new, better habit of checking notifications on your terms, you won’t regret it.
And listen, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t set alarms or reminders for super important things. I’ll use an occasional alarm myself. When I hear something chime on my phone, then I know it’s important.
[Meghan] I’ve reduced my notifications dramatically, and it’s really been beneficial to my productivity. So, great advice!
I think there’s one more mindset. Yes?
I have to be at everyone’s beck and call.
[Theresa] Yes. Out of all the mindsets that promote bad habits, this one was the hardest for me to banish. That mindset is that you have to be at everyone’s beck and call. This is particularly tough for those in service-based businesses.
And I get it. Who wants to disappoint clients or colleagues?
[Meghan] And it’s not just clients and colleagues. It could be friends and family. I think when you work for yourself, there’s this misconception that you’re sitting around watching Netflix all day.
[Theresa] I agree. And even though the mindset here is that you have to be “on call” with everyone, the deeper mindset is that your time and work isn’t as valuable as other people’s. And that’s completely untrue.
When you have this mindset the results are similar bad habits to those created when using push notifications. Essentially, the bad habit is, “when a client reaches out, I stop what I’m doing and respond immediately.”
And if you don’t believe that is a bad habit, deal with a string of clients all day long and then tell me how productive you were.
[Meghan] I agree with this so much! This was a hard lesson that I learned over many years. Besides being demoralizing, this behavior trains your clients to expect or even demand that you’re at their beck and call. And that’s simply a recipe for unhappiness.
So, Theresa, what’s the suggestion to reframe this mindset?
Set clear boundaries for yourself and others.
[Theresa] A good reframe for this is, “I set clear boundaries for myself and others.” And then take some time to figure out those boundaries as it relates to clients, colleagues, family, and friends.”
Here are a few examples:
- Set a clear policy with clients that you’ll reply back within 4 hours between 8 AM and 6 PM, Monday through Friday.
- Only take phone calls from your children during the workday.
- Create specific blocks of time a couple of days a week to network with colleagues or take meetings.
Honor the boundaries you choose. These will help you manage your time. And good time management helps productivity thrive.
Also, don’t be afraid to say no to things that cross your boundaries.
[Meghan] I love this, and this is how I dealt with my mindset in this area. Setting boundaries along with valuing my time made a massive difference.
As a business owner, one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself is to learn to say no more often.
And, you know what? An unexpected but welcome result was that I attracted better clients.
You Can Create Effective Habits
[Theresa] Hopefully, you see how certain mindsets that promote bad habits can hurt your productivity. There is so much to consider when it comes to mindset and creating good habits. So, I get that it can be overwhelming.
Remember that it didn’t take you a day to create the habits you have now, and it won’t take a day to change them. Always start small. Pick one thing you want to improve and then choose one behavior to eliminate or create.
One small step today and then every day after will move you further than you can imagine. You’ve totally got this.
[Meghan] And, we’ll leave you on that note.
We’d love to know what mindsets YOU believe lead to creating bad habits. Please take a minute to leave us your thoughts in a comment below. We appreciate it!
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