21 Days to a GREAT Habit!

Have you ever heard that saying "the way you do one thing is the way you do everything."? 

Well, I don't believe it.  I never liked the sound of it, and it recently became very clear why – it is so "all or nothing" and unfortunately the way most of us think – we think we need to do things better than we do -  which might translate to us as "I do everything poorly."! yuk!  I hate that way of thinking. 

So one day I was looking around my office thinking about what a POOR job I do about putting my work things away and how all-over-the-place my things are.   And I was thinking about how even though my office is a mess, my bookkeeping is not.  And how even though my fabric books pile up in the middle of my office until they are a mountain, I make up my bed every day and my clothes closet is more organized than the denim wall at the Gap (yes, I used to work there!)

Click below to see what you can do in 21 days…

So obviously – SOME things I do differently than others.

Turns out I don't love the fact that my office has things all over it – and since I keep my closet impeccable surely I have the skills needed to keep a neat office.  And!  I had heard the theory before that it only takes 21 days of a repeat behavior before your mind and your body make this behavior a "habit" – something you are almost compelled to do.

I have tried to be "neat" in my office many times in the past, and I just wasn't feeling up to the task of trying again.  I am ALWAYS working on my business, and didn't want to add another thing. BUT! There was an area of my life that was a little like my office – every night before I go to bed I pile up the clothes I wore in the da on my side chair.  And the pile grows and grows.  And quite frankly, I don't love THAT, either.

So I decided to take a baby step – not the neatness of my WHOLE office – but something similar and smaller – my clothes at the foot of the bed. And the decision I made was – I will spend 21 days where EVERY NIGHT without fail I will put away all of the clothes I wore during the day before I get into bed.  The only exception being travel days, in which case I will unpack and do laundry the VERY NEXT day.  And I will do this for 21 days.

Ok, everyone, I want to tell you what a smashing success this has been! I am well into 3 months, and my husband is SO AMAZED he is beside himself.  He had accepted long ago that my clothes did not hurt him personally, so he was going to stop asking my to put them away.  I didn't tell him about my "21 days" but he noticed on about day 4.  Because I mean it – I have been doing this every day!  And he is still shocked, and I am so proud and pleased and amazed at the "peace" it brings to my room to have my clothes put away in their pristine closet!

So my challenge to you is what habit can YOU make?  What thing would YOU like to change about the way you do things?  Just 21 days…. and you can do it!  Leave a comment bleow on what YOU would like to achieve in 21 days.  And don't worry, we won't be hard on you – practice makes perfect.

I am committing to you right now that for the next 21 days I will put away my daily paperwork at the end of the work day and put away all of the "stuff" that goes with me when I go on client appointments.

So what will YOU do?!!!  Best of luck and keep me posted!

-Mary