Assignment 1: Habit Scorecard

Habit Scorecard Wilson University LDR1104:Stratagies for Success Joseph Salas Jan’ 13, 2025 Daily Habits POSITIVE (+), NEGATIVE (-), OR NEUTRAL (=) Wake up + Turn off alarm + Fall back asleep - Wake up again + Turn off second alarm + Check my phone - Get dressed + Go bathroom = Wash hands and face + Let the dogs outside + Pack lunch = Make coffee for the day = Put food down for the dogs + Let the dogs back in + Drive to work with radio on - Clock in at work + Place lunch bag in locker = Check schedule for the day + Check phone - Take my break + Check phone - Eat a snack + Start work = Take my Lunch + Wash hands + Check my phone - Eat lunch with drink + Wash hands + Clock in = Check in with Manager + Start work = Check phone - Take a break + Drink soda - Check time on phone - Check in with Manager + Start cleanup + Clock out + Wash hands + Check phone - Start car and radio - Send text to wife + Drive home + Go bathroom when home = Wash hands and face + Change clothes = Eat dinner + Check phone - Get ready for bed + Sleep + Habit Scorecard Reflection of Overall Habit Assessment The first thing that I noticed from this test was how many nonconscious “habits” happen throughout the day, until I started focusing on what I was doing I didn’t even notice a lot of them, I was on autopilot. A lot of the habits are what I would have expected to be doing, washing my hands, using the bathroom, etc. yet I did notice that I checked my phone way too much, Although I'm sure that sadly this is true for most people living in today's world I had thought that I had a better handle on it, it would seem that I have developed this bad habit like most. The other Habit that I have developed that I wish to work on is turning the radio on as soon as I get in the car, although not a bad habit per se, I want to try and change this to give myself more time to pray and spend time with God rather than just mindlessly listen to the radio, which I believe has negative influences, even though I listen to a “Christian” station. Positive The positive habits are mostly the ones that I would expect, waking up, washing my hands, and similar habits. I would split my habits into two categories, personal and work habits. The personal is the expected, mostly around personal care as in cleaning, bathroom, etc. a few are related to being a pet owner such as feeding the dogs in the morning before I leave for work as my kids, who are homeschooled, often wake up later in the day. The work-related are ones that I was glad to see, such as checking in with my manager or checking my work schedule first thing in the morning before commencing my day. These are good habits as without them, the day would be slow to start, and without direction leading to unproductivity. There are some crossover habits, such as washing my hands, these are both personal habits, but also good for work environments as well, especially with everyone's hypersensitivity to illnesses since Covid. Negative The negative habits on my scorecard were, sadly, not a surprise: checking my phone too often, and though I didn’t put it on the scorecard as I was not sure if it fitted the parameters of a “Habit,” I noticed that I was a procrastinating way too many times between tasks at work, or when one task ran on for any extended period. This is something that I have discovered that I am prone to and need to change. I believe that Atomic Habits by James Clear is the perfect book, and I thank God that it was brought into my life at this time. The other big negative that I have been aware of for a while and have been trying to correct, without much success, is turning my alarm off and going back to sleep. It has gotten so bad that I actually set four different alarms on my phone, yes, using the dreaded phone as my alarm, but I find that the snooze button is just too easy to press. Neutral For me, these habits (the neutral ones) are ones that I'm not 100% sure whether they are actually habits or just actions that have become habitual, like clocking in and out at work or going to the bathroom. I find it hard to categorize them as true habits because they are essential for daily life, both personally and professionally. Although clocking in and out at work is essential, I find it challenging. For a long time, I was a salaried employee, which meant I didn’t have to clock in and out. Since then, I’ve gotten out of the habit, and even though I’ve been back to hourly work longer than I was as a salaried employee, I still often overlook it and forget to clock out for lunch and so on. I think this is because I view it as an annoyance rather than a requirement, which causes my brain to want to ignore it. As Clear states on page 49, “Finally, the response delivers a reward. Rewards are the end goal of every habit.” (Clear, 2018) I see no reward or, more importantly, no punishment for not clocking in or out, as it can easily be fixed later. Yet, even though I intellectually know I should still be doing it, I continue to struggle with this. Identify What Habits you have chosen to Implement. I have decided to implement a few different habits. Firstly, I am going to clock in and out of work, on time, without missing a day for three weeks, I believe if I can do this, then I will finally break my bad habit of not doing this, and stop having to submit “missed punch “forms. Secondly, I am going to try and control the use of my phone other than essential functions, I will be placing my phone in my locker for the latter part of the day to try and help with this, although, as a supervisor, I am allowed to have my phone on me at all times, just in case I am required to contact someone. I think that by putting it in the locker, I will choose other methods of communicating with the employees rather than instinctively going to the phone, and also because I don’t have it, I can’t check it constantly. I will also start to wear a watch, so as not to rely on the phone for the time. References