We all have bad habits. ?Some of them have been cultivated for years. ?But that doesn’t mean we’re stuck with them if we want to make positive changes in our lives.

For me, my top three have to be:

• being unproductive
• procrastinating
• running late

If I’m honest with myself, I can admit that all three can be due to living a life filled with busywork. ? And I’d be willing to bet that’s what’s driving your bad habits too.

There’s a difference between being busy and being productive. ?Busy means we run from one thing to another, allow constant interruptions like checking Facebook or email, and spend time doing non-critical tasks or procrastinating.

An example of what this looks like for me is: During the day, I decide to take a quick peek at Facebook and before I know it, a half hour has gone by. ?I’m behind in my list of things I want to get done and start to panic. ?This leads to procrastination – which task should I do? ?I’m adept at multi-tasking, so?I do a little of this and a little of that not really accomplishing anything. ? The next thing you know, I check my watch and I’m late for an appointment. ?I fly out the door hoping there’s no traffic and all green lights. ?Yes, I’ve been busy … but productive, not so much.

I’m sure you have your own version of this story. ?So what’s a girl to do? ?Here’s three surefire ways that will help you (and me!) break your bad habits.

1. Make a list. ?If your goal is to be more productive, put the two things that you absolutely must do at the top of the list. ?If you accomplish those two things, you can move on to what’s left. ?That way you can feel good about accomplishing something. And we all know how good it feels to check something off our lists!
2. Procrastination is usually the result of feeling anxious about a specific task. ?The best way to get around this is to ask yourself why you’re delaying. ?Do you need help or more information? Or do you just not like what you have to do? ?Getting to the heart of the matter may help you move forward. ?As the saying goes, what you resist – persists.
3. My husband who was an athlete in high school told me his coach used to say, “If you’re five minutes early, you’re late.” ?Being late and keeping others waiting is a sign of disrespect. ?I know when I’m late, it’s usually less than five minutes and caused by trying to squeeze in one more thing before I leave the house. ?But late is late. ?One way to avoid being late is to schedule appointments 15 minutes earlier in your calendar than they actually are. ?You can also put an alarm on your phone to remind you it’s time to get going. ?The effort you make to be on time will be well worth it. ?You’ll have a whole lot less stress because you won’t have to run through a litany of excuses in your head as you race to your destination!

What are a few of your bad habits? ?I’d love to hear about them and what you’re doing to make better choices. ?Be well.