Micro Habits to build Atomic habits

Whether we are on the good or the bad/ healthy or unhealthy side of things, I think it’s safe to say that we are all a product of our habits – the things we repeat so often that they become second nature. 

Habits are great if they improve our health, wellbeing and productivity, less so if they drive us to unhealthy behaviours that we’d like to change. The difficulty lies in the fact that once a habit is wired into our brains, it’s a lot harder to break. This article offers a simple explanation as to why our brains are designed this way. It says: “Your sensory nervous system is always monitoring for actions you can take that will deliver a hit of dopamine, the brain’s reward chemical.” 

This means that when our brains recognise a connection between an action and satisfaction, the information gets filed away in the part of the brain (basal ganglia) where we also develop emotions. Unfortunately, this is a different part of the brain to where we make conscious decisions (the prefrontal cortex). This is also the reason why it can be so difficult to establish a healthy habit that isn’t immediately rewarding, or break a bad habit that delivers a quick dopamine shot on delivery. 

James Clear’s book, Atomic Habits has been mentioned in past newsletters, and I’d like to return to the topic as his emphasis on micro habits can have a lasting impact without too much effort on our part.

, Here are some of the Atomic Habits that we can all benefit from doing on a daily basis:-

1. Check your work before your send it. Kyocera’s Philosophy has a statement that says “Always double check”, whilst the double-check system from Kazuo Inamori is more about preventing mistakes in the handling of finances and goods, he also mentions that everyone makes mistakes and typos is a good example of this. A simple practice of double checking yourself prevents you sending out a work document with numerous mistakes, which may make you come across as less professional.
2. Using people’s names in conversations with them. This not only ensures that you’ll remember their names, but shows that you are taking a direct interest in that person.
3. Giving your customers more than they expectthis is an obvious one , it delights the people (our customers) and keeps them coming back for more.
4. Watch your language. The words we use have an effect on the people around us, so choose positive reinforcing words instead of highlighting the negative and steer away from swearing at work so as not to offend and distance people.
5. Go to bed a bit earlier so that you wake up before most people. Read Robin Sharma’s The 5AM Club to find out why this is a good thing.

By taking positive micro actions, we train our brain into making Atomic Habits a daily practice. And speaking of watching word choice, I love the word ‘practice,’ it is a reminder that we don’t need to be perfect — it’s about regularly trying. 

Michelle Frenzel - HR Manager - KYOCERA Document Solutions South Africa