“Choose the life that is most useful, and habit will make it the most agreeable.” -Sir Francis Bacon
Nowadays diets tend to have a bad name. Overly restrictive and temporary, they often ensure that people revert back to their old habits quickly, thereby eliminating long-term results. This year I’ve discovered a new way to apply the idea of a diet to a host of goals that have nothing to do with food. I’ve found that if I focus my attention on a specific topic and do one small task related to every day for 30 days, by the end of the month I’ve achieved remarkable things I never anticipated.
This is an idea you can have a lot of fun with. Just take an area of your work or life that you’d like to improve and then commit to doing one small thing related to that every day for 30 days. It’s important to keep the tasks small so that you’ll enjoy the process and stick with it.
So, if you want to improve your company’s marketing, on day one, maybe read some articles on marketing online. On day two, stop at a bookstore and browse the marketing section. On day three, call some inactive clients and see how they’re doing. To really give your 30-day diet an extra boost, do with in tandem with a friend, and commit to emailing each other each day with a YES or NO.
Here are some additional examples to get you thinking about what lifestyle diet you may want to embark on. Be creative and enjoy the process.
o Public relations diet – do something to help get your company’s message in front of your top audiences every day for one month
o Money diet – do one small thing to improve your finances for 30 days
o Fitness diet – resolve to move your body in a small way each day
o Pleasure diet – increase your enjoyment and pleasure in life by making sure you do at least one thing you find pleasurable every day for a month
o Tolerations diet – make a list of 60 petty annoyances that are bothering you such as a messy desk, a co-worker’s disrespect or a missing button on your favorite sweater. Then eliminate one toleration a day for 30 days
o Kindness diet – do one small act of kindness each day for 30 days
o Romance diet – do something romantic for your partner every day for 30 days
o Organization diet – take a small step each day to organize even just a desk drawer at a time. See how it adds up a month later
o Vibrant health diet – do one small thing a day to contribute to your or your family’s vibrant good health
This article may be reprinted when the copyright and author bio are included.
©2009 Barbara Wayman, BlueTree Media, LLC.