In this video, Dr. Melissa Gratias reads an excerpt from her book, ‘Establish Rituals…you deserve 15 minutes of control‘. Are you struggling with forming new, good habits? Listen to Dr. Gratias as she explains why rituals may be more productive than habits.

Excerpt from ‘Establish Rituals…you deserve 15 minutes of control‘:

Habits and rituals are close cousins.  Author Charles Duhigg describes a cycle of habit formation that includes a cue, routine, and reward.  A cue is a trigger for a particular, habitual behavior.  The routine is the habit, and the reward is a positive outcome resulting from the habit.  Rituals tend to be more intentional and “checklist-y” rather than the subconscious behaviors reminiscent of habits, but both can be triggered by environmental cues and reinforced with rewards.  However, while habits typically take anywhere from 18 to 254 days to become established, rituals can be scheduled on your calendar.  Habits and rituals are both self-rewarding if performing them leads directly to something desirable, such as stress-reduction or better performance.  Rituals can be approached more proactively than habits and adapted as appropriate to fit an unpredictable situation.

Are you ready to form productive habits that will change your work and life?


Read my eBook Establish Rituals…you deserve a few minutes of control.

Melissa Gratias (pronounced “Gracious”) used to think that productivity was a result of working long hours. And, she worked a lot of hours. Then, she learned that productivity is a skill set, not a personality trait. Now, Melissa is a productivity expert who coaches and trains other businesspeople to be more focused, balanced, and effective. She is a prolific writer and speaker who travels the world helping people change how they work and improve how they live. Contact her at getproductive@melissagratias.com or 912-417-2505. Sign up to receive her productivity tips via email.