You get to decide how you spend your time!
My Breakthrough Strategy Sessions are getting increasingly popular, and my clients are having really great results learning to create empowering MAPs (Motivated Action Plans). In many of these sessions, the conversation keeps coming up that clients can’t get as much done as they would like; they seem to be bouncing off the walls and are concerned (or even convinced) they might have Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).
I get really uncomfortable when I see someone so easily claim a label and just settle into the dynamics of what that conveys rather than challenging the situation and looking at how they can empower themselves over/through it. I have to ask if that is why my clients have so much excitement after just a little discussion. I am confident the answer lies in bringing about the clarity necessary to know WHAT is the most important task they would like to accomplish. Once you know what you want to achieve, it is much easier to answer a few other really important questions. For example:
“What exactly would have to happen to complete this particular project?”
Productivity and Life Balance
A few minutes of brainstorming around this one question alone brings forth a myriad of small steps that can/must be taken to accomplish a particular objective. Once the goal/project is broken down into the smaller tasks, it seems not to be so overwhelming – converting to a compelling series of attainable goals that ultimately lead to the desired acheivement – without stress or that burdening sense of overwhelm.
Most people tend not to take the time to do this brainstorming. Their heads are filled with so many commitments – ranging from answering an increasing influx of emails for work to daily support required for family and friends. Some of these items are significantly important in reality; others only in our minds because of the increasing sense of overwhelm. Life just tends to lose all sense of balance, and we too easily buy into the “possibility” that we are just not capable, and probably because we have something wrong with us, like ADD. Awrggggg!
I would like to challenge you that there is not much wrong with you other than the fact that as life has changed, the parameters of what we are to accomplish has become blurred. When I was a kid, there were specific chores to be done that pretty much consumed the day, but there was no “chasing around in my head” trying to figure out what they were! Today, many of our jobs are a lot less “task” engagement – shifting to a lot more “knowledge based” requirements that call for us to think things through before we act on that one thing that should really be our priority. All this thinking can leave a ton of open loops blocking our ability to focus and immobilizing us.
I can remember a very wise friend telling me that 20% more planning provided 80% more productivity… now I know why! Living in this state of continual overwhelm, we tend to react to life rather than controling our activities. Another wise mentor, an acting president of American Express, also shared his secret to success and life balance as writing everything down so nothing got lost in the cracks and leaving his mind free for making strategic, calculated decisions. If I may share the outcome of those two thoughts… it becomes easy to create a 3-step process that will keep you out of overwhelm and into productive balance.
1. Capture all the things that need your attention in a system that is simple enough that you will use it consistently. Some people keep a journal that is merely a log including the day the item is listed, the task itself, and whether there is a deadline. Each day they glance through the items on the list, deciding which 3-5 of them need immediate action and plan their day around those tasks. At the end of each day they mark off the successfully completed items, and take a few minutes to list what new responsibilities need to be added for future reference.
Some people are overwhelmed looking at that big long list every day – many of them tend to like having index cards to write their tasks on, feeling this allows them to sort and categorize the items, and make decisions based on area of importance. Once the task is complete, they either save the card to add to a visibly growing stack as an indicator of successful completion, or discard it so their mind is forever free of thinking about it!
Some people like to use online calendars and task pads to prevent having to write the same task over and over again; others find discipline in making that conscious decision to post to their calendars.
The important key is finding what works for you – and developing a good habit around doing it consistently. You may have to try a couple of methods before you create what uniquely supports your best actions.
Decide, brainstorm, act...
2. Each day – at a time set aside specifically for planning, quickly look through your list and determine at least one primary obective you want to accomplish that day. Spend time “brainstorming” about the different steps required to complete your project, keeping in mind that when you are making this assessment, it might be larger than you imagined, and that it is perfectly ok to deal with only one of those sub-tasks, and schedule the others for another day.
The important thing is that you learn to assess, plan, decide and act – all with the intention of making progress and maintaining balance. It makes NO sense to turn your whole world upside down, focusing on one thing to the detriment of other areas of your life that would suffer should you do so. It is the forward progress, even if somewhat slower, that will get you to the finish line without burning out.
3. Once you have created your individual MAP (Motivated Action Plan) move those tasks and sub-tasks to your calendar – assign a specific time to complete each of them and keep your commitment to do so. I encourage my clients to post these items in their calendars with the thoughts that they are “dates with destiny!” Your future depends on giving these items priority.
I would like to leave you with one important assessment tool. When you are trying to decide WHAT is most important in a day so that you might focus on the appopriate task, think about the amount of “heat” that might be attached to a particular thing not getting done. Your life will be more balanced when you manage those things that will in the short term create a crisis in your life.
If your list doesn’t contain any critical commitments, take a minute to think about what really distracts you or in some manner seems to consume huge amounts of your thinking. Once you have identified that, take a few minutes and creatively write down what you would do to modify that – what WOULD your solution be IF you could make a change? Then… write down what the very next action you could take to make this change. If you had absolutely nothing else to do in the day, what would you be willing – and able – to do?
Creative thinking... YOU at your BEST!
This is creative thinking at its best, and far too few people allow themselves the privilege of designing their life by engaging in the process. In just a few minutes, by allowing your creative energies to participate in your planning, you will be more inspired, motivated and empowered than you can imagine. If nothing else happens from this exercise, you will acquire a clear definition of an outcome you actually desire and will have personally decided what your next step can/will be. How empowering is that!
I hope this planted a few seeds in your mind, and that you will sign up for the RSS feed so that you don’t miss more discussion about productivity and life balance!
Anna Weber 4-Dimensional Success Always… encouraging you to engage in positive, life-altering actions that will provide you with long-term, sustainable benefit. Need help creating your MAP? Check my site for how I may assist you with that!
