Business of Craft Episode 55 Gwen Bortner Encore

WELCOME TO EPISODE #55 OF BUSINESS OF CRAFT

My guest today is a well-known personality knitting world. Gwen Bortner has been a figure in the scene since the early ’80s.  Gwen is an idea generator, confidence builder and momentum creator in a variety of roles including consultant, coach, and teacher. This is her second appearance on our podcast having done Episode 12 on Organizational Optimization. We’re thrilled to have her do an encore episode on habits.

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#1 In your article you say that habits free our creativity. Why is that? [2:54]

#2 You also mention there are so many different habit building philosophies out there. One of your favorites is called Tiny Habits methodology by BJ Fogg. Can you tell us about that one and why do you like it? [5:50]

#3 On his page, BJ says that only three things can change behavior: An epiphany, your environment or take baby steps. I assume we can’t make an epiphany but the other two things we can change? [8:11]

#4 After time, we develop an emotional payoff to a habit- like a dopamine hit. Do I have that right? [14:19]

#5 I also understand that there are different stages of a habit, often called the Cue and a Routine and a Reward. Can you explain what those are? [15:55]

#6 Everybody seems to be constantly trying to do more with less and optimize their life with hacks. Why do you think that forming a habit might be a good life optimization hack? What are some of your productivity tips, Gwen? [24:00]

#7 Tell us about Keystone habits– which I think is a term coined by Charles Duhigg who wrote the book The Power of Habit. [27:45]

#8 And once you have a keystone habit, you can create other smaller habits off of that main one. Can you give us an example of that? [28:45]

#9 In your article you differentiate between a habit and a routine. How do we know that we do something out of habit vs. routine? [32:00]

#10 What about bad habits… is the formation of a bad habit the same as a good one? [35:45]

#11 I think a lot of people feel bad when breaking habits fails because they think it all comes down to willpower. Why is that a fallacy? [39:25]

#12 In the work that you do, I understand you coach and consult clients. Is habit formation one of the areas you can help with? [41:14]

#13 Tell us about the Confident Knitter Website. How is that different from GwenBortner.com [44:24]

#14 I always ask a quirky question so I’m wondering if you could have any billboard out on the side of a busy highway, what would it say and why? [45:56]

Additional Resources

Connect with Gwen  GwenBortner.com | Twitter | Instagram  | The Confident Knitter

Business of Craft Episode 12 Gwen Bortner Organizational Optimization

Gwen’s article: Habit Formation: Why Habits Matter and How to Make Them

Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod

Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg: https://www.tinyhabits.com/
Ted Talk: BJ Fogg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdKUJxjn-R8

Charles Duhigg: The Power of Habit
https://charlesduhigg.com/the-power-of-habit/

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