3 Timely Strategies to Positive Change
Nov 05, 2023
The time changed in the U.S. this past weekend. You “fell back” unless you live in Arizona or Hawaii. Residents there are time agnostics, I guess.
Is it light earlier now? The “morning larks” love that.
Does it get dark earlier? The “night owls” are so ready for this.
Either way, how does this change affect you? And how do you best deal with it?
Here are 3 Timely Strategies to Positive Change:
Acknowledge the Change
First, acknowledge the change.
Yes, I know. The reversal back to Standard Time came without your permission. Congress extended Daylight Savings Time without so much as a text to me, either.
That’s the way change operates. It shows up without so much as a warning. You are blindsided by a software change, a systems change, a pricing change, and the list goes on.
Change is what it is regardless.
The faster you acknowledge the change, the more quickly you capitalize on it. Creating a positive work culture requires you to say to yourself and others, “This is the change. It’s here to stay. For now, anyway.”
Once you acknowledge the change, your brain reorganizes for optimal adaptation. Until you do, your brain is stuck in what was. That’s the pathway to a negative work culture.
Avoid Resisting the Change
Second, avoid resisting the change.
How often will you say something this week like, “My body is still adjusting to the new time. You know, it’s really x:xx o’clock in the old time”?
Change resistance is predictable. Your brain loves the familiar because mental file folders already exist for sorting and storing information. You know how to act in the old time.
Your brain resists the unfamiliar change because it’s lazy. You have to create new mental file folders and new behaviors when change shows up. That takes energy. Your mind prefers to conserve energy for more exciting actions.
You can stop yourself from mental capitulation to what was and reroute energy to accommodating the change.
For example, if your software changes, avoid saying, “I knew what to do in XYZ. I haven’t a clue now.” Instead, program your brain for quickly accepting the change by closely examining the new software, finding functions in the unfamiliar software that are similar to the familiar, make the mental connection, and accept the change.
Build a bridge of similarity between the familiar and unfamiliar. Avoid resisting the change.
Accelerate through the Change
Third, accelerate through the change.
You determine how quickly you adjust to the time change next week. Your mental attitude sets the pace.
The key to accelerating through change is repetition.
When your operational software changes, after you bridge the familiar and unfamiliar, invest time in repeating the functions.
Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
Persevere. Persist. Perform repetitive tasks.
Next week you’ll get up every morning by the alarm clock set to Standard Time rather than switching it back to DST. You repeat waking up to the new time daily until it becomes familiar.
Accelerate through the change at work by repetition. You adapt more quickly and capitalize on opportunities as you do.
Such rapid adaptation means you create a positive work culture that increases productivity and profits. You Work Positive!
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