Desk Organization For Focus

Success, whether personal or organizational, is never built on motivation alone. It’s built on habits and discipline. But when is a habit really a habit? Look at the 'Habit Curve'...we THINK we have formed a habit a few weeks into a new routine but studies show that most "habits" drop off after a few weeks if people don't see visible results. So...real habits are really only formed when it doesn't even feel like a conscious effort- when it’s just part of your routine, your identity, or how you operate. Like brushing your teeth! This is so relevant to how we develop ourselves as individuals AND how entire businesses scale and succeed. Habits aren’t just personal- they shape teams, cultures, and entire organizations. The way people communicate, solve problems, give feedback, or make decisions… all of these are organizational habits that either support success or hold a team back. So here's what you need to know... If you want habits to stick across an entire team, you need more than encouragement—you need structure. 📌 Make it part of the routine. If something is important, don’t treat it as optional. For example, if you want people to give regular feedback, don’t just expect them to. Make it a standing agenda item in team meetings and ask "What’s one thing we did well this week, and what’s one thing we can improve?" 📌 Remove unnecessary friction. If a habit requires extra effort, people won’t keep it up. Make it easy, visible, and seamless. For example, if people struggle to follow a new process, don’t just send another email about it...embed it into their workflow and use automated reminders in their task management system. The easier it is to remember and do, the more likely they’ll do it. 📌 Create shared accountability. Individual habits fade when there’s no reinforcement. For example, if you want teams to raise issues proactively, introduce a weekly problem-solving huddle where everyone is asked individually to share small inefficiencies they noticed. When the whole team expects it, no one feels like they’re "the only one speaking up." It shifts from an individual effort to a team norm. 📌 Measure what matters. What gets measured gets maintained!! For example, if you want better cross-team collaboration, track it. Count how many interdepartmental projects are completed each quarter. Recognize teams that worked together well to help people stay committed. ⁉️ Let's share what works... What’s the most effective way you’ve seen a team or organization turn a great idea into a real, lasting habit? Leave your stories below 🙏 ‐-------------------------------------------------------------- I'm Catherine, a LinkedIn Top Voice specializing in Lean Leadership. I provide 1:1 leadership coaching and facilitate the deployment of Lean across multiple industries

Before you send your team to another stress management workshop, read this. Over the years of helping people improve & transform their wellness, I’ve worked with professionals across different industries, banking, tech, education, even healthcare. And here’s one pattern I keep seeing: The workshop is good. People feel inspired. They WANT to change. But 2–3 weeks later… They’re back to the same stress patterns aka old habits. Not because they don’t care. But because execution was never designed properly. And here’s the truth most people don’t say out loud: Losing momentum doesn’t just happen in stress management workshops. It happens in all workshops, trainings, and bootcamps. You name it. They inspire. They empower. They even give templates and tracking metrics. And yet… people still slip back into old habits. It’s understandable. Because their brains have been wired that way for years...sometimes even decades. From what I’ve observed, real change doesn’t happen in one session. It happens in 2 phases: Phase 1️⃣ : Kick-starting Action (from Inertia to Action) This is where most workshops stop, but it’s actually where things should begin. People don’t need more information. They need momentum. Some ways to activate this phase: • Short, structured challenges (e.g. 5–7 day reset routines) • Simple, repeatable tools they can apply immediately • Clear “what to do tomorrow” steps • Light accountability loops Because insight without action… fades fast. Phase 2️⃣ : Long-term Habit Formation This is the part most organisations overlook. Stress isn’t a one-time problem. It’s a pattern. And patterns need systems, not just motivation. Some ways to sustain this phase: • Ongoing community or peer support • Monthly reinforcement sessions or check-ins • Leadership alignment (culture matters more than content) • Environmental cues that support new behaviours Because behaviour change doesn’t stick in isolation. It sticks in environments that support it. If we really want our teams to perform at a high level without burning out, we need to move from one-off events → to behaviour design → to culture change. Not just “teach and inspire.” But activate and sustain. If you’re looking to design a stress management program that actually translates into daily behaviour, I’m happy to have a conversation. Let’s build something that lasts. Hi, I’m Shirlyn Lim, a Brain Coach & Mental Health Speaker. I share science-backed insights to help you stay calm under pressure, think clearly, and lead with confidence. Follow me if you’re ready to build a sharper mind, a stronger team, and a version of success that doesn’t burn you out. 🏆🏆 #stressmanagement #braincoach #mentalhealthspeaker #corporatetraining #behavioralchange

I picked up "Atomic Habits" again last week. James Clear gets the neuroscience right. Most habit books don't. Your brain doesn't care about your goals. It cares about efficiency. When you force a big change, you're relying on your prefrontal cortex, the part responsible for conscious decisions. The problem? It exhausts easily. Your brain wants to move tasks to the basal ganglia, where automatic behaviors live. This is why willpower eventually fails. You're fighting your brain's biological drive to automate. Clear's 1% framework works because small actions don't trigger resistance, they create conditions for rewiring. This is where habit formation meets identity change. Every small habit casts a vote for who you're becoming. And when the right internal state supports those habits, the shift accelerates. A COO I worked with last year wanted to become more present with his team. His goal: "Be a better listener." Noble, but neurologically impossible to execute. His prefrontal cortex would have to stay on high alert in every single conversation. So we took a different approach. Instead of training listening skills, we worked on his nervous system. We identified the states where he felt rushed, defensive, reactive and rewired them at the source. We built his capacity to access a resourceful state on demand. Calm, present and grounded. Within 60 days, his team reported feeling more heard than they had in two years. He didn't learn new techniques. His nervous system learned a new default. Listening stopped being effortful. It became automatic, because presence became his baseline state. He didn't just listen. He became a leader who listens. And your team is watching. They don't hear your mission statement. They see your patterns. If your habits don't change, neither will the culture. You don't rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your internal operating system. What habit is quietly shaping who you're becoming as a leader?

5 science-backed ways to get started, even when you don't feel like it and/or are a bit scared: 1. Use the “5-Minute Rule” Tell yourself that you're only going do that thing for 5 minutes. Once you start, momentum often carries you further. Research shows initiation reduces resistance — the brain finds it easier to keep going once a task has begun (the Zeigarnik effect). 2. Shrink the Task Break the project into the smallest possible next action. Cognitive load theory suggests we procrastinate when tasks feel overwhelming. By making them smaller (e.g., “write one sentence” instead of “write a blog post”), you reduce mental resistance. 3. Change Your Self-Talk Neuroscience shows mindset shifts impact dopamine and motivation. Instead of “I have to do this,” reframe to “I choose to do this” or “I get to do this.” This taps into autonomy (a core motivator in self-determination theory), making the task feel less like a burden. 4. Commit to Action, Not Outcome Pick a set amount of an action you want to take. You can make that amount small. Just pick one. This uses the implementation intention strategy, which research shows doubles the likelihood of following through. Often, you’ll keep going once you’re past the initial friction. 5. Leverage Environment Cues Studies in behavioral economics and habit formation show the environment heavily influences action. Examples: Put your running shoes by the door, keep your work doc open on your desktop, or remove distractions from reach. Which of those do you use already?

I’ve been revisiting Atomic Habits by James Clear recently and thinking about how his ideas apply to the Executive Assistant role. When your role is interruption-heavy and reactive by default, it can be really hard to set up any routine or understanding around what is coming at you when you get into the office. The point of Atomic Habits is simply that having habits in place helps you feel more effective, calm, and strategic in your day-to-day work. Looking through the book, here is how you can apply those atomic habits to the EA role specifically. ☑️ Small actions add up quickly. Five minutes to scan your calendar, a quick end-of-day review, or one place to capture actions can stop bigger messes later in the week. ☑️ Habit stacking fits naturally into EA workflows. New habits stick when they come right after something you already do. Update your task list after an inbox scan. Log decisions right after meetings. ☑️ Your systems influence your habits. Folders, dashboards, inbox views, and templates decide what’s easy to keep up with. Keep them clean and predictable so the day takes less effort. ☑️ The habit loop plays out in reactive work. An urgent request triggers a fast reply. You feel relief. The cycle repeats. Notice the loop, then add an intake step, ask clearer questions, or pause for 30 seconds before you respond. ☑️ Professional identity shapes behaviour. If you see yourself as a strategic partner, you prep differently, communicate with more intent, and protect priority work. Your habits follow that view of the role. ☑️ Tracking reveals patterns. A few notes on repeat requests, recurring issues, and calendar clashes will show where a small change saves the most time. ☑️ Starting small reduces resistance. Two minutes is enough. Draft the first lines of a briefing, scan tomorrow’s schedule, or outline follow-ups. Once you start, the rest is easier. ☑️ Beliefs influence habit formation. Confidence comes from doing the basics over and over. Learn one feature or process at a time. ☑️ Disrupted days provide useful feedback. When the day blows up, it shows what your routine can’t handle. Adjust it to match real constraints so it lasts. ☑️ Consistency builds trust and impact. Steady habits create stability for both Assistant and Executive. Over time, that steadiness supports better decisions and a stronger working relationship. Atomic Habits translates well to the EA role because the work is built on rhythm, repetition, and judgment. Small, intentional habits shape how strategic the role feels over weeks and months. I’m curious. Which small habit has had the biggest impact on how you work as an EA?

When Ruhani joined her new company, she was overwhelmed. Emails poured in, meetings filled her calendar, and urgent requests popped up like mushrooms after the rain. One Monday, her boss, Ashish, told her something simple: “𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒉𝒂𝒖𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒆. 𝑱𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒅𝒂𝒚 — 𝒏𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕.” So, Ruhani decided that every morning, before opening her inbox, she’d spend 10 minutes listing her top three priorities for the day. At first, it felt too small to matter. But within a few weeks, she noticed she wasn’t rushing through tasks — she was finishing them with focus. A month later, colleagues started asking her how she stayed so organized. Her confidence grew, her stress shrank, and the 10-minute habit became the backbone of her workday. Ashish smiled when she told him about her progress. “𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕’𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒆𝒇𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒔,” 𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅. “𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆.” What truly matter is : ↳ 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 & 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 : Big changes fail because they’re vague or too ambitious. Instead: Set clear, small actions (e.g., “check emails only 3 times a day” vs. “be more productive”). ↳ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 You don’t need massive action — you need daily repetition. 𝐇𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐭 > 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. Create routines (e.g., “stand-up meetings at 10 AM every day”) so they become automatic. ↳ 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞-𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 Habits fail at work because of constant distractions. Use deep work blocks — no meetings, no Slack, just one task. Start with 25-minute focus sessions if longer feels overwhelming. ↳ 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Track habit streaks. Use: A simple checklist, or Tools like Notion, or a sticky note. Celebrating small wins reinforces behavior. ↳ 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐈𝐭 𝐎𝐛𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬, 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 Borrow from James Clear’s habit-building framework: Obvious: Visual cues (calendar reminders, post-its). Easy: Remove friction (automate or prep ahead). Rewarding: Immediate benefit (like checking a box or a mini-break). ↳ 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 Share your habit goals with a coworker or manager. Join peer circles or stand-ups that encourage mutual progress. ↳ 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐇𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 A habit sticks when it reinforces your identity. If your goal is to be a "reliable team member," then showing up on time or delivering on promises becomes meaningful — not just a task.

(On New Ways of Working) 🚨 The hardest part of designing new programming is changing old habits! Especially in #CSR, #DEI or adjacent fields, when designing community initiatives, a leadership program, or even an organizational culture shift, you often hit a wall. I've been there. Design what I feel is a great interaction model or an event, and participation drops, engagement stalls. Folks resist the change. As program designers, our brains panic. To escape the frustration, we instinctively fall back on old routines. That's VERY natural: we fall to behaviors that feel familiar. Write longer email announcements, create more guidelines, or spend even more time tweaking the logistics in isolation. What ends up happening is that the program feels forced, and engagement drops even lower. Why do I share this? Because I've been revisiting a book I read many years ago, "The Power of Habit," by Charles Duhigg. And would suggest others take a read, especially when instituting change! I'm reminded of the reality that during moments of stress, we can't just try and delete our knee-jerk habits. We MUST swap the routines we're most familiar with. Here's what I mean... As a program designer, if I want to restructure my habit loop to build better human engagement I have to deconstruct my habit loop and understand what's happening at each stage: The "cue," the old "routine," and the "reward" I get from it. For example: 🧠 The Cue: I hit a wall where people are resisting change. ❌ The Old Routine: I might push harder from the top down (more emails, more slides, more administrative rules). 🎁 The Reward: I may get the feeling like I'm "doing something" to fix the problem. It's taking action fast! This doesn't work, it's not productive. So, what I do is change the routine rather than doubling down on the old routine. ✅ The New Routine: The 5-15 minute gut check or check-in with trusted sources or those I'm seeking to engage. In those moments where engagement stalls or something isn't working, I step away from my planning document. I Teams chat a trusted team member and hop on a quick Teams meeting or walk I over for a quick drive by. I check in, share the background, context and get a gut check. In this example, it keeps the "cue" and delivers the exact same "reward" (taking action). But instead of guessing in isolation, I use the friction to stress test an idea, and invite co-design to arrive at a solution with others who have a different perspective, experience, thought process or those who may be closer to the solution itself! 📕 The lesson: When you design your ways of working with the same empathy and insights of those you're seeking to engage to design your programs, people don't just participate, they take ownership. 💡 First, one must inventory their habits and install new "routines." Otherwise you get the same results. What about you, how do you change old habits? Share below 👇🏾 #Change #Habit #Learning #ChangeManagement

Leadership isn’t built by intention alone. It’s shaped by the patterns you repeat—especially under pressure. Most leadership development focuses on vision, motivation, and goals. Useful—but incomplete. Because when stress rises, people don’t rise to their aspirations—they fall to their defaults: repeated behaviors, decision friction, and pressure responses. That’s why Patterns is a core pillar in The Cultivation Effect: it turns leadership from a “knowing” problem into a repeatability problem. A practical reset you can run this week: • Identify one pressure pattern you default to (control, avoid, rescue, withdraw, over-explain). • Define the trigger (time pressure, conflict, ambiguity, fatigue). • Replace it with one small repeatable behavior (one sentence, one pause, one question, one boundary). • Build a cue in your environment so it happens even when you’re tired. Real leadership growth doesn’t come from doing more. It comes from practicing better—until it becomes automatic. If you’re building patterns intentionally this week, tell me: What’s the one pattern you’re replacing? #Leadership #OrganizationalCulture #Habits #TeamEffectiveness #TheCultivationEffect