Motor habits, intellectual habits, and character habits. These are the three types of habits that we have. But which one should we be focusing on? Motor habits are a given. It’s entirely muscular in nature. It make us sit, stand, walk, run, and stand upright. Intellectual habits mainly deal with logic and reasoning. It also involves the processes we employ in decision-making. But another type of habit that we actually have to develop is character habits.
Character habits relate to who we are as human beings. It includes our work ethics, time management practices, and our patterns of emotions. So if we are to establish a good set of character habits, where should we start? I believe that these character habits are essential in our lives. Let’s start with the second six.
Read: Top 18 Character Habits You Should Have Part 1
7. MANAGING TIME
We often hear people say that they’re busy because there’s a lot of things to do. We also hear the same people complain about not having enough much time in the world. Well, if you think about it, all of us have the same amount of time available at our disposal. And the key to making the most out of it lies on effective time management.
And just to put an emphasis on this, success is linked to how effectively you manage your time. That’s because the more you’re able to do on a given day or time, the closer you are to your goals.
Now, effective time management is a conscious effort. Your time management style has to be ingrained on your daily routine, making it a part of your way of life.
8. SETTING GOALS
I’ve come across a book called The ONE Thing. It’s a book written by Gary Keller and it talks about doing the one thing that matters most on your day-to-day activities. While you may have a pile of things to do in a given day, its accomplishing the one that matters most that’s really important. And unless you get this one thing done, everything else is a distraction.
So start your day by setting a goal. Or maybe even set your next day goal the night before. What is it that you want to accomplish today? Investor Barbara Corcoran is known for doing this. She creates a list of the things she wants to accomplish on the next day before she retires for the night. The next day, she goes through the list and prioritise. She says that time has a way of getting away quietly, so its important for her to finish the most important ones first.
9. BEING INSPIRED
Let’s get real. Sometimes, we stray off the path towards our goals. At times, we feel discouraged. At other times, we just feel demotivated. Well, one effective way to sustain our motivation is to actively seek for motivational sources.
Think about how you get inspiration from the videos that you watch or by emulating the people you admire the most. Think about how a colleague is inspiring you to achieve more at work. Think about that kid who just blew the lid on a million-dollar idea. Or think about that new executive who turned a company on the brink of bankruptcy around.
In this world, our sources for inspiration is countless. All we need to do is to actually feel inspire by them and then capitalising on that positive feeling to push on.
10. SAVING, INVESTING, AND ENJOYING
How much money have you saved so far? Is this money really your ‘savings’? If so, then you’re well on your way. If it’s not, then you should start saving now. See, you won’t know what may happen in the future. And unless you have financial cushion, you may end up experiencing financial difficulties. No one wants that.
The beauty of saving, apart from having a certain level of security, is that you can invest it. Now, you have to be a very wise investor so you can replicate your money and improve your chances of living a comfortable life in the future.
No, you don’t have to be among the super rich (but it’ll quite beautiful if you can achieve that level). The only thing you need to make sure of is that you’ll be able to afford the finer things in life as you age.
11. LIVING ON A REALISTIC BUDGET
One of the secrets of saving more money is to have a sound budget in place. Be careful of small purchases. They add up and they surprise you when you do your own accounting. The point is to be always on top of what you spend, and to spend only when it’s necessary.
Now, preparing a budget is one thing, but staying faithful to it is another. Learn to say ‘No’ even when the temptation of ‘just this time’ is too great to resist.
12. LEARNING SOMETHING NEW
Warren Buffett advocates reading 500 pages of relevant material each day. Yes, that’s just like reading one book each day. You think that doing so it exaggerated but he’s made his point: knowledge is something that we need to acquire. It’s not something that simply knocks on our door.
Besides, there are a lot of ways to learn something new. Watching TED Talk episodes, reading a blog post while you’re stuck in traffic, watching a video tutorial, attending a webinar, and even doing an online course.
And here’s another thing: change your playlist. Yes, music is relaxing but the knowledge provided by audiobooks is engaging. Plug your earphones and listen to relevant audiobooks on your way to work, on your way home, or at any time that you’re alone waiting for the time to pass. Trust me: it does wonders on your mental clarity.
Read: Top 18 Character Habits You Should Have Part 3
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