Usually, in order to instill a useful habit, it takes a fairly long period of time — at least a month. But what if you have a desire to do all this not with one habit, but with several? Taking on everything at the same time — means wasting time and energy, since everyone already knows that one habit goes at a time. If you allocate one month for each and at the same time not be sure that it will take root and you will be comfortable, then it will take a huge amount of time, and you will not necessarily be pleased with the results.
One of the ways out of this difficult situation may be to conduct micro-experiments, each of which may take you only one day. Matthew Cornell, a former NASA engineer, shares his experience. So let's start in the morning with pleasant experiments ;)
Experiment No. 1. Jing. Jing — is a special free tool for creating short screencasts. Matthew used it to point out and explain the error to the developer. If he had conveyed it in words or written a letter, it would have taken quite a long time to understand and correct the error. And so the screencast recording took only 4 minutes and the issue was resolved.
Experiment #2. Checking expectations. Very often we have certain expectations about an event or a person. It seems to us that we can predict the outcome in advance with an accuracy of 0.01%. In fact, all this is an illusion, and we can never know how things will go. The probability of a positive outcome is 50%: either lucky or not. Try to write down your expectations before an important call or a personal conversation, and then compare it with the result that turned out in the end. The outcome can be very unexpected and sometimes turns the case 90, if not 180 degrees. Why guess? It is better to prepare well. And in the future, based on such observations, you can create your own response system.
Experiment No. 3. Pay for someone to park. It's a small thing. And it doesn't have to be parking. It could be anything. Any pleasant little thing that is not burdensome for you. In return, you will receive a smile and words of gratitude that will cheer you up. And the very feeling that you have done something good is the key to a pleasant day.
If you don't know what would be so good to do, look at the article «20 good deeds that can be done today.».
Experiment No. 4. Turn off your mail for at least one day. Unless, of course, your job is directly related to the constant checking of mail. This has been written about more than once, so — just turn it off for at least one day! Do it! By the way, Friday may be your great chance — even though everyone is physically in the office, but in their thoughts they are probably already fishing or boating.
Experiment No. 5. Decision-making and glue for garden chairs. It is almost impossible to do something perfectly the first time. Let's just say that I do not know a single person who would have everything turned out perfectly on the first try. The incredibly small percentage of possibilities that follows «practical impossible » I will leave for geniuses. Matthew was faced with a trivial problem — it was necessary to fix two garden chairs with glue and he could not figure out which glue is better to choose? The conclusion is obvious — try both and, based on the results of the experiment, determine which glue is still better. The same can be done not only with the choice of glue.
Experiment No. 6. Do not eat before training. The general rule is not to eat at least two hours before the start of the workout, sometimes it is not fulfilled if the workout is morning — it is difficult to refuse breakfast. But in fact it is possible to survive. Moreover, during the workout to feel great. That's only after that you will surely feel animal hunger. Matthew was worried until he tried. I also sometimes neglect breakfast before the morning gym. It is better not to make this a rule, but it may very well be an exception.
Experiment No. 7. Don't be afraid of rejection. This is my favorite topic — the fear of asking for something, even if it is not prohibited by the rules. I myself am a terrible coward in this regard, and every such act is difficult for me. Matthew thought so too, until he ran into a similar problem at the bank. Yes, it was not according to the rules, but since there was no way out, he decided to ask the senior manager, and it turned out that it could be done without any problems. And if I hadn't asked?
Experiment No. 8. Culinary experiments. If your stove is still virgin, it's time to fix this misunderstanding. And crooked hands as an excuse are no longer accepted here. Cooking is creativity, it's art! There can be classics, avant-garde, and futurism. There can be anything you want, even if it's not very edible. But it's beautiful and fun! And cooking together brings us very close ;)
Such micro-experiments can be anything! Starting from a gradual change in the usual wardrobe (and what will happen if I wear this shirt / shoes / skirt / anything?!), to a change in the rhythm of life and work. Do you only wear black socks? Try to wear colored ones at least once! Do you drive all the time? Choose a sunny day and walk. Never greet your neighbors in the stairwell? Smile at them in the morning. Try it. Change. Start with the little things.
