Brainstorms

Get ‘er done!

Execute!

Press Play!

Lots and lots of sayings, inspirational quotes, even advertising campaigns to tell us what we already know. We must move to create change.

Move.

Kick your saboteur to the curb. The little voice in your head that says “it’s not perfect” — tell it to shut up.  If you must, call a friend who can help you quiet the saboteur (it really all is in your head).

What first step can you take today? Ok. Now. do. it.

Perfect comes with practice. Practice comes from doing. You gotta do. And we’re back to Nike….

Create.

Crossing things off our list, ticking things “done”, are not just to track what’s done versus left to do — it is a pat on the back that says “I did it”. Tracking also helps us keep going when going seems like too much energy, not working, or whatever else your saboteur is telling you.

• Crossing off each day you worked out (even if you dialed it in) will help you push to work out each day. Fitbit pushes out reminders “2,838 steps to go” or makes a badge each time you work out 5 out of 7 days. Woo-hoo it says.
• Keep yourself honest: Scheduled 1 push email a month; Executed 1 push email a month. While not each push email is going to have the same results, collectively they are far more powerful because it is about touches, repetition, and staying top of mind.
• Discipline is a muscle than needs to practice and be trained. Our moms told us to pick up our clothes, make our bed, and put our dishes away. Mom was right — it becomes easier, quicker, and just better if we keep practicing our discipline.

Change. 

Change happens slowly.

Depending on what it is it happens while we sleep, while we are driving to work, over long periods of time. One day we wake up and notice we have muscles where there used to be flab; more people are acting on our emails than last year; sales are going up.

We are impatient for change; Amazon and the internet have taught us instant gratification. We need to keep ourselves busy executing and tracking that execution. With time, we can and measure the change. But for now — you gotta lean in to the process — and do. it.

New Years Resolutions, sigh

Isn’t it always the case? You plan to go to bed early, get up early, work on those sit-ups and back stretches. Then, it all goes pear-shaped. The kiddo throws up; you spend 8 hours in the emergency room.

Now you are not only NOT getting ahead, ticking off the items on your to-do list, you are behind. Sigh.

In a time management class I took a long, long time ago, they said make time in your schedule for the upsets, schedule buffers. They gave an example of a client whose day looked perfectly organized at 8 am. By 10 am, fire fighting on that day’s problems had blown up the schedule. After 10:05, nothing on the “To-Do” list ever looked the same and most did not get done.

The time management expert said, “then why plan at 8 when you know you don’t know what you need to know until 10:05?” Duh.

At 10:30, the client would look at the new fires, schedule the appropriate time to put out the fires, and then schedule the highest priority items from the standing To-Do list. Success!

When I, personally, am most successful, happy, and in control, it is because I scheduled out my blocks of working time, work-out time, and other tasks on my calendar. I know they will change. When life interferes, and it always does, I don’t delete the block, I move the block.

The time management people also said to prioritize A, B, and C tasks. Sometimes B tasks turn into A tasks; sometimes they turn into “nice to have” C tasks. If a B task keeps getting kicked to the curb…. it’s a C task.

Quick Tips to do right now:

1. Schedule time with yourself to mark up your calendar
   a) pick a time that is quiet where you WILL not be interrupted, like in the morning before the family wakes up or that first hour you are in the office
   b) pick a spot that is good for thinking, where you like to think
   c) treat yourself. Hey I’m all into bribes. I use a nice warm cup of coffee.
2. Put on that calendar appointments with yourself to work/execute/plan your 2018 Resolutions
   a) last year I started scheduling my jogs on my calendar (I jogged more!)
   b) in January I scheduled time to work on my personal finances, business finances, and taxes. All that stuff that I like to ignore and procrastinate on. I learned a lot about where I was losing money, spending money I didn’t need to, and got my financial house in better order. Talk about stress relief.
3. There’s an app for that!
   My friend the executive coach has an exercise where she has you imagine how your cell phone, light switch, chair or other random object would solve your current problem. I am a big fan of “is there an app for that”.Last year I found:

a) 5k training plan/app for 30 minute finish time. Every day I did what it said to do. I did not think, stress, I just did it. And voila! it worked.
b) this year I found the “clicklist”. A personal shopper for groceries. It’s like magic: the food goes on the list, I drive by the store, stop for 5 minutes, and the groceries are magically transported into my car. No wandering around the store looking for where this particular store hides rice milk, mole sauce, or tikka masala sauce.
c) ski distance, runs, speed app. It makes skiing more entertaining and more like a work-out (i.e. it makes me work harder).W

What app could you find that would make your life easier, simpler, less-stressful?