Hire an Imaginary Manager

Every single day, I keep habits.

• Meditating

• Blogging

• Push ups

• Social media

• Vitamins

Some i don’t even think about, like brushing my teeth or teetotalling, and others require more effort to keep up, like meditating or posting on social media.

Recently I’ve been using the brilliant habit-keeping strategy employed by habits zealot, Gretchen Rubin: the strategy of the Imaginary Manager.

Imagine you’re a celebrity – one so glamorous and in-demand that you need a manager. Not a manager like a boss, but a manager that keeps your schedule and helps manage your booming career and VIP party invites.

My manager is called Barbara. I ‘hired’ Barbara in my first year of university when I was swamped with what felt like a million things to do for study, work, and social events.

When you’re unsure whether to follow a habit now (e.g. study for finals) or let yourself of the hook (e.g. go to the house party), you can ask yourself, “What would my manager say?”

Barbara would say things like:
“Sarah isn’t available right now, she’s got to meditate.”
“Sarah always does her push ups before dinner, I’m afraid she can’t take your call.”
“She has a prior appointment. She can’t attend your party at that time.”

Barbara knows what’s best for me. She’s like the cartoon angel on my shoulder.

I’ve even been known to leave Barbara sticky note to-dos (not even kidding).

If you’ve ever watched the TV show Suits, one of the main characters, Louis Litt, has an executive assistant known as Norma, and although we as viewers never actually see Norma, she is always alluded to (in one episode she even dies!). Louis leaves voice note memos to Norma daily.

The point is, Norma, Barbara, your higher self, whoever your manager is, they are there to set boundaries and keep your habits in check with a tight schedule. The beauty of your manager is that you are the boss of your manager, and your manager knows you inside and out. She knows what is best for you, but also what your biggest distractions are. She knows your strengths and your weaknesses. She knows you better than anyone in the whole world.

Imagine if you had a manager. Give him or her a name.

Then, whenever you’re contemplating a habit, you can ask yourself, ‘What would my manager say?’

This is surprisingly simple but highly effective for sticking to good habits.

I can almost never resist Barbara.