Habits - Design Wall Monday

One thing that I've learned in the last 40 years, is that nothing good ever comes without hard work, focus and persistence.  And we all want good things right?  So why isn't it easier to get yourself to work hard and stay focus?

These thoughts all came to mind recently when I was reading an  article in Forbes about how to change bad habits.  It referenced a recent study where changing the way we think of a bad habit can affect how successful we are at breaking it.  It basically comes down to taking charge of a situation rather than letting it rule you.  Now that might appeal to the control freak segment of us (#me) - so I thought I would try to give it a chance.

The strategy  is not to think of a bad habit as "I can't" do this or that.  Rather think of it as "I don't" do this or that.  The study proved that just changing the one word from "Can't" to "Don't" empowers and motivates  us to change the habit.

Simple enough right?  So I thought I would give it a try and change a bad habit.  The last several years, I've tended to get up early, grab breakfast and sit down at my laptop.  I catch up on facebook, clear out emails, read my favorite blogs and play games.  Its a quiet way to start the morning - harmless right?  Wrong - its a huge time suck and hours can pass before I know it!  I'm such an early bird, why would I waste my most productive part of the day????

So starting today, I'm changing this habit.  I don't (and won't - grin) get up in the morning and hop on my lap top.  Rather I will exercise, do chores or gasp - go into my studio to sew.

Wellllll actually  I'll start tomorrow.... today I had to write this blog post to show my progress on lily quilt.  I did get in a few hours this weekend of practicing free motion quilting and then finally working on the piece itself.  I'm doing it in invisible thread and its going well accept for one thing - every once in a while it will skip about 5 stitches where it won't pick up the bobbin thread.   I have no idea why its doing it and after spending a goodly amount of time trying to fix it - I just decided to fix those areas that it skipped.  It doesn't do it on the practice piece - just my lily quilt itself.  Frustrating!  I'm thinking it has to do with the spray basting - but both pieces were sprayed so not sure!

Anyways almost done with this and since I don't get up and waste hours on the computer in the mornings now - I should be onto my next piece soon!

So what habit would  you like to change?

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