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Using systems and habits to improve your life is a proven method to succeed. It requires seeing the work as a system and then adjusting your thoughts and behaviors to be able to take advantage of your opportunities in life.
Systems thinkers are always exploring patterns in their world. We look for recurring elements more than one-time events.
This is helpful because it helps us to better understand the underlying systems, structures, and mental models at play. When we see someone do something the same every time, we can identify it and understand the pros and cons of that behavior.
Read MoreAll of us are presented each day with millions of choices. On any day we can usually decide if we go to work or skip work, spend time with our family, work on a pet project, attend an important meeting at work etc.
We also choose things that seem minor and we don’t even think about them. We can turn our car right at the stop sign instead of left, we can brush our teeth in the morning before work or not, we can exercise or not, we can take the stairs or the elevator, we can find ways to stay focused at work or let our mind wonder, etc.
Read MoreHave you ever saw a news story and immediately formed an opinion about the situation but then see another story about the same situation and gained completely different information changing your perspective?
I’m sure we have all done this from time to time. It is natural for us to form an opinion before we have all of the information. In fact, we never really have all of the information about a situation.
Read MoreIn today’s world, there is a lot of advice about change. Some people promote the idea that we are all constantly changing and that being malleable is the only way to succeed in life.
Certainly many of the startup tech businesses promote this concept. They were either successful early in the process or they pivoted until they found something that clicked. Then they maximized it.
Read MoreMost people assume that the way to keep improving and getting better in life is to set goals and then work to reach them. We set goals that we can then point to as motivation to keep our effort up while we struggle through the steps until we reach the goal. Then we start over.
The idea is that to do this, we keep getting better and better over time. It sounds like it perfectly fits in most improvement programs and is necessary if we want something better from life.
Read MoreWhen it comes to designing systems and habits in your life, you will likely get to a point where you can’t continue with your systems.
For me it came when I found out that I had a hernia that needed surgery to repair. I was told to limit any lifting to 15 lbs or less. I was told to reduce exercise to only basic walking.
Read MoreThere is a major difference when you use the systems and habits approach to improve. Comparing it to the common practice of setting goals can highlight this difference.
The major difference is that the system attacks how you are going to improve. The goal is simply forecasting what level you hope to reach.
Read MoreThe past couple of months have been really interesting for me. I have spent years building solid systems and habits in key areas that I was forced to change.
The biggest change was that I had to ease up on exercising. I discovered I had a hernia and was told not to lift anything over 15 lbs and to take it easy until I had the surgery.
Read MoreI am the director of operations for a growing medical equipment repair company. We fix home medical equipment, the type of stuff that a doctor would prescribe a patient and the patient would then use in their home – like a CPAP, oxygen concentrator, ventilator, etc.
One of the things I enjoy most about this is the fact that when I was brought into the company the new owners saw the need for better processes and systems throughout the company. Since this is the area of business where I feel most passionate, I was able to combine a need they had with an area I had been focused for years.
Read MoreThis spring we have seen a lot of rain combined with melting water in the Cleveland Ohio area. As I drive to work I pass areas that are flooded and areas where the water begins to flow.
A few areas seem to flood quickly, before the water can travel to lower land. Once it reaches a certain level, it will start to leak out from that area and move to lower land creating a sort of mini stream.
Read MoreWe all like to be right and dislike being wrong. It is human nature to want to be able to make decisions and then look back and feel as though we made the correct decision.
Because of this, we tend to have a bias towards our own opinions and the decisions that we make. We inherently think we are right more often than we actually are. In addition, there is a lot of grey between right and wrong but we miss that when we get too caught up in trying to be right.
Read MoreWhen we are working to improve, there are a great many factors that suddenly come into play. They all seem important and it can be difficult to cut through the noise to receive the signal.
When I started my career I founded an audio engineering company, which basically meant I would rely on recording equipment and other audio production equipment in live and studio environments to complete a variety of projects for clients.
Read MoreWhen you first start to use the systems and habits approach to improvement it takes time to really gain the benefits. Initially you put a lot of thought and effort into the small changes and adjustments that you make.
These changes probably won’t have much impact on your life. The reason is simple. You aren’t doing enough to have an impact.
Read MoreWe all want to be successful and happy. We have an innate drive towards those things but along the way, most people that I meet go astray.
In my opinion the reason is simple. It is something that I have experienced and came face-to-face with.
Read MoreFew companies have been studied for their ability to efficiently manufacture a product as Toyota. Companies everywhere use the innovative techniques from Toyota today but when Toyota started utilizing the techniques, most companies had no idea what they were doing.
You can gain a better understanding of how to improve by studying how others improve. Therefore, it can be beneficial to look to Toyota for inspiration into how we can improve our own lives.
Read MoreI find it funny how busy everyone is. Rather, I tend to find that everyone assumes that they are incredibly busy.
By some standards they are. There are things to do that take time. We have to shuffle the kiddos to piano and karate. We have to pay bills. We have to take the car for an oil change. All this while still working more than 40 hours a week and spending quality time with our family.
Read MoreMost people take the systems and structures in their life for granted. They view people as being in complete control of their behaviors so they assume that their behaviors are the result of specific thoughts.
To some extent this is true. We all have the ability to choose how we act and how we think throughout our lives. But if we stop there, we never realize how the systems in place have a profound impact on us.
Read MoreMost people have a difficult time seeing things from any perspective but their own. You can sense this when you have a conversation with them and they seem completely blind to any other possible opinion.
In politics we see this quite a bit in the United States. Some of this is understandable due to the fact that we have a split in political parties where most people fall into one of two parties that hold very opposing views on important issues.
Read MoreWe all know what it is like to be in a situation that is uncomfortable. Sometimes when we are in that situation, our mind and body are telling us that something is off and needs to change.
It could be a good sign that we are in dangerous territory and need to change. If we are hanging out with a new friend and they take us to a new bar that makes us feel uncomfortable due to the people or environment, maybe we should pay attention to that discomfort and make a change. That could be our intuition letting us know that danger is present.
Read MoreEvery now and then when I give a speech to a group about the systems and habits approach to improvement, I have someone approach me after the speech with a familiar refrain.
He or she will start by stating they enjoyed what I had to say. Then they would proceed to tell me about some person in their life that really should hear what I say because they make all sorts of mistakes.
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