Habit Forming Good Works

…rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands,

so that he may have something to share…

(Ephesians 4:28)

 

I am wired a certain way and I cannot deny it if I try. I like order, routine, consistency, and predictability.  A few weeks ago, I shared that I had a technology breakdown and decided that I would no longer be a slave to my gadgets (http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/2015/03/it-really-is-good-works_4.html). The reality is that I am so process driven that detaching from technology is not an option for me. I am wired so that most things in my life become an opportunity for process improvement. Let’s use my 10k steps per day goal to explain this more.

I am not concerned about distance, but I am obsessed about averaging 10k steps per day every month. If I miss the goal one day, I calculate how many additional steps I need to take the next day to stay on pace. And speaking of pace, I have predicted that if I have 5000 steps completed before I leave the house in the mornings, I have a high probability of reaching 10k steps for the day. Thus my morning begins with a walk around our neighborhood where I have a set route equivalent to 3500 steps. I walk the same path everyday, so I know the landmarks for where I should be after 10, 20, and 30 minutes.

After that event in March, I made a purposed decision to be more attuned to my surroundings. That is really how I discovered and started monitoring my takt time (process time for me to 3500 steps in 30 minutes). I leave the house at the top of the hour and I have a hard stop at 30 minutes. The first couple of weeks, it took me 32 minutes to get the steps on the predetermined path. Because I was adamant about 30 minutes, I knew I had to increase my walking pace (I am not a runner). So, I started walking faster and realized after a few days that my step count and landmarks changed at the 10, 20, and 30 minute time/process checks. Over several weeks, I improved from 32 minutes to 30 minutes to 29 minutes, to my current 27 minutes. If I can adjust my speed to comfortably walk the route in 26 minutes, I am planning on adding another segment to my set course, thus my new outside morning routine would become 4000 steps in 30 minutes. That gives me a little wiggle room in the other steps I take around the house in the morning to make sure that I have a minimum of 5000 steps before I leave home for the day.

I am a firm believer in establishing repeatable processes for achieving sustained results. A habit is defined as a regular tendency that occurs unconsciously. Some things we are naturally pre-disposed (or wired) to do; other things require purposed effort, or work. The following is a good process to follow when trying to establish a habit, or a repeatable process:

 

 

 
In my example for attaining 10k steps per day: The reminder is that I begin at the same time everyday. The routine is that I have a set route that I follow and monitor process checks throughout the activity. The reward is that I am on track of predictably increasing my morning step count from 3500 to 4000. I use this walking example to demonstrate that process improvement techniques can be applied to any process, whether business, home, or personal activities. How can you use these habit formation guidelines to improve some process in your purposed work? Feel free to comment, or, send me an email at latanyua.robinson@gmail.com. If you like this post and want to catch up on some of my previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/

Repeatable Good Works

…the same yesterday and today and forever.

(Hebrews 13:8)

My favorite Maya Angelou quote is “when you know better, you do better.” I am learning some things about myself in this process of walking in my purposed work. One thing that I have realized is that I have to have order and structure. I get up at the same time every morning, I start my day enjoying two cups of coffee while I record my daily reflections, and I follow what’s on the calendar. The other day, I had a 6:30 am teleconference scheduled. One of the participants called me at 6:15 to ask about the dial-in number…before I finished e-journaling and drinking my second cup of coffee. After the call, I was driving to my next appointment and wondered why I prefer to do things the same way.

In a manufacturing environment, we say that a process is in control if you can predict the outcome. How do you increase the probability of success? The best method is to develop a repeatable process, where the functions are performed the same, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. This allows you to monitor the progress, measure the performance, and make adjustments for further improvements. This same repeatable process methodology can be applied to address everyday life problems.

When I first made the commitment to blog, I was concerned about the time requirements to post consistently. We happened to have a visiting preacher at our church, and ironically, I had a hard time following his sermon. He delivered on style and pageantry…it’s just that my preferred learning method is for the preacher to present a three point message (introduce the subject, give three to four supporting facts from the bible, and close). This is the same process that I learned for writing good essays in elementary school. As I started to write more blog posts, I realized that I was following a similar pattern that allows me to have the order and structure I need for consistency. Since I practice writing daily, I noticed that I have reduced my process time for blogging from over three hours to less than an hour to come up with a topic, write the blog, edit (although I tend to update grammar mistakes throughout the week) and hit PUBLISH. The next frontier for me to conquer (besides grammar edits) is identifying a consistent day of the week to post, in lieu of this busy family and business season!

When you know better, you do better…the same principle applies in business and customer satisfaction. Customers prefer to transact with people and organizations that are consistent in the delivery of goods and services. Why? Because it allows them to predict the outcome and the probability of getting what they expected. Repeat customers tend to share their positive experience with others who could benefit from what you offer. Over time, the predictable outcome is an increase in activity, and prayerfully, revenue for the business.

How do you use order and structure in order to have consistency in your relationships with your family, co-workers, and customers? Feel free to comment, or, send me an email at latanyua.robinson@gmail.com. If you like this post and want to catch up on some of my previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/.