Every morning the first thing I do is take my dogs for a walk. And every day we go a different route. Sometimes up in the hills, other times along the canal. It is a great way to start the day by having some fresh air and taking exercise. Then on arriving home, I decide on what to eat for breakfast. And most days I have something different. Maybe cereal, or toast, or a boiled egg. It is rarely ever the same two days in a row.
I was telling a friend of mine about this recently, and she expressed surprise at my behaviour. “It seems like a quite a lot to think about at the start of the day” she said. “I like just having the same – it’s easier”.
Her comments made me think. Why do I do this? What is the purpose? It was then I realised that I am intentionally trying to make change a habit. She was right. It is easy to do the same thing, day in and day out, and not have to think about it. But when we encounter change, it can be harder to deal with it.
My approach means that I have trained myself to have to cope with change every morning. Now whilst I do not have an infinite number of choices of dog walk or breakfast to experience, and we do repeat things over time, the important fact is to introduce thinking and choice into the process, and not to operate on autopilot.
So if you want to get comfortable with change – make it a habit. Decide on how you are going to do things differently and introduce it into your daily routine. Funny isn’t it – to habitualise the idea of change seems odd, but it works!
To get more useful tips on coping with change read Cope with Change at Work
