Saturday, March 03, 2007

GTD and Weightloss

In my professional life I've been working on the "Getting Things Done" methodology as a way of being organised and successful in my job. It seems to be working, though it's largely about changing habits in how you approach each day at work.

I've been trying to approach weight loss more through changing habits than absolute points limits so far (don't knock it, it's working!) so I've been musing a bit on habits and how to change them, something I did a year ago in terms of how I organise myself at work. I used to have the messiest desk in the office; now there's hardly a piece of paper to be seen at the end of each day. For me, the secret is "mindfulness" - being aware of what you're really doing and why.

The other big thing is to make the new habit easier than the old one. So I've got a box of ww-friendly treats on the bookshelf near my desk. It's far enough away that I can't grab something without getting up and going over there. They're individual bars, so I can take just one, and they're nearer than the vending machine at the other end of the building.

So, a bit of thought, and the good habit is easier to follow than the old, ingrained, bad one. And before you know it, the good habit is the "default" one.

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