So, I’m speaking to a number of clients right now who are seeing the summer* as a chance to reset. Maybe it’s a poor habit they want to change. Work boundaries they want to create. Or better day-to-day focus and prioritisation.

[*let’s just pretend we’re having a summer in the UK where the weather has been up and down like a pogo stick on a trampoline. Stay with me.]

The desire to change often starts with the (ultimately unhelpful) phrase – ‘I want less…’

• I want to be less distracted
• I want to waste less time
• I want to work fewer evenings and weekends
• I want to be less indecisive

These kind of statements rarely lead to real change in habits.

Why? Because they focus on what you DON’T want – and what you’re doing wrong. They focus on the vicious cycle you get into with those problems e.g.:

• Doing 8 things at once (and none of them well) because the deadlines are mounting. But then none of them get finished. And deadlines continue to mount. So, you feel pressure to try to do all of them at once…
• Finding your day drift away from you without real progress on the things that matter, then the next day and the next…
• Just doing an extra 30 mins. And another. And another. Until you have no evening left to do anything else…
• Faffing with a tough decision until it’s made for you. Then telling yourself you can’t make decisions. Then faffing with the next one because you believe you can’t make decisions…

And that’s a bit depressing, isn’t it?

So, let’s look at what does work: creating a new virtuous cycle that starts with a clear statement about what you DO want e.g.:

• I want to focus on one thing at a time and really give it my all
• I want to spend my day prioritising the things that are important to me – researching the latest trends, talking to my team, planning how we get over that governance hurdle, walking, swimming, taking time to make lunch
• I want to stop work at 6pm and log off at weekends
• I want to make big decisions quickly so I’ll set myself a time limit for each one

Now that seems clearer, doesn’t it? That feels like something you can do.

So, you just might give it a go. Then this might happen:

I had a go.

It went ok. I’ll learn the lessons for next time.

I feel more confident there’ll be a next time.

So, I’ll give it a go again.

It went ok…

Before you know it you’ve created a virtuous circle, not a vicious one. And you’re already on the road to making that positive new habit stick.

So, tell me. What will you be more virtuous about?!