blog post<\/a> about what we could learn about concentration from a lion tamer.<\/p>\nWhen you see a lion tamer in a cage, they have two things: a whip and a chair. According to Clear, the whip is for show. What matters is the chair. Why? Because the lion tries to focus on all four legs. He can’t. So rather than attack, he pauses to wait and see what will come at him, thereby getting nothing done.<\/p>\n
The same thing can happen to us. We live in a world with too many options. Sometimes we’re frozen because we don’t know which is the best option. Honestly, in most cases it doesn’t matter. What’s the best kind of workout to lose weight? Anything that gets you off the couch and moving. What’s the best cookbook to help you improve your cooking? Anything that teaches you new recipes. Experiment. Even if you don’t choose the “best” option. You’re still doing more than you would be by not knowing what to choose.<\/p>\n
Stop procrastinating<\/h2>\n
We most often make resolutions for a new habit because we don’t enjoy it to begin with. It’s really hard to do things we don’t like. Here are a couple of tips that I have found help me when I’m tempted to put off unpleasant tasks:<\/p>\n
Finite times<\/h3>\n
One thing I do is give myself a short amount of time to do an unpleasant task. I’ll set my phone for thirty minutes. I can handle just about anything for thirty minutes. When that time is up, I do something I love…or at least like more.<\/p>\n
Rewards<\/h3>\n
In his book The Power of Habit<\/u>, Charles Duhigg writes about a marketing team that discovered the secret to getting people to loyally purchase things. They studied a homemaker tidy a bedroom. They noticed after she made the bed, she paused and looked at it. When she did, she looked satisfied and content. She liked how the bedroom looked when tidy. They realized then, the key to getting people to by their product was for them to feel a small reward at the end of using it.<\/p>\n
The same can work for you when forming a new habit. Why do you want to start this habit? What’s the end result that you’re hoping for? Are there immediate rewards. Do you get exercise endorphines? Do you feel better when you’re done? Those can keep you going.<\/p>\n
You’re capable of making great changes in your life. Try one or two of these ideas. You’ll likely see yourself making real improvements in 2016.<\/p>\n
Dr. Mike Malone and his team practice expert cosmetic dentistry in Lafayette, LA. Dr. Malone is the former president and current accredited member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is also the official Cosmetic Dentist of the Miss Louisiana USA and Miss Louisiana Teen USA pageants.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We want to get things done. We want to be productive. Did you make well-intentioned, audacious goals last week. Studies show that by February you’ll have\u00a0already given up. So, do\u00a0you Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":130,"featured_media":2296,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","twitterCardType":"","cardImageID":0,"cardImage":"","cardTitle":"","cardDesc":"","cardImageAlt":"","cardPlayer":"","cardPlayerWidth":0,"cardPlayerHeight":0,"cardPlayerStream":"","cardPlayerCodec":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[363],"tags":[964,960,961,965,962,963,598,949],"class_list":{"0":"post-2280","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health-lifestyle","8":"tag-charles-duhigg","9":"tag-choosing","10":"tag-creating-habits","11":"tag-doing-unpleasant-tasks","12":"tag-james-clear","13":"tag-lion-taming","14":"tag-new-years-resolutions","15":"tag-the-power-of-habit","16":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nHow to Get Things Done in the New Year...For Real This Time<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Do you every make New Year's Resolutions, but don't follow through? 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