Action Step: Gratitude
Gratitude is a critical component to becoming your best self. Your best self is grateful for all the diverse experiences life has to offer. For the next week, I’d like you to practice saying “Thank you” to EVERYONE! This includes the person who sells you coffee or groceries, to the jerk who just cuts you off in traffic. Exercise those gratitude muscles!
Questions to ask
1. How does saying thank you make you feel inside?
2. How does it seem to affect the people you thank?
3. What self-awareness did this exercise give you?
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Action Step: Do, Undo, Delay, or Delegate
In this fast-paced world, almost everyone I know is overwhelmed by the number of things on their to-do list. We spend a lot of time focused on what we have to do next, which prevents us from giving our best in the element in front of us. While focusing on what you’re doing will help, it’s also critical to revisit that to-do list and break it down into 3 new categories:
1. To be abandoned: those things that do not really need to be done because their need has diminished over time or because it is not really something useful.
2. Being a Delegate: those things that another person can do.
3. True To-Do: Those items that really need to be done and will give you the most bang for your buck.
Once you have your real to-dos, break them down again according to the following categories.
1. This Week: All the items that really need your attention this week.
2. This month – All items that need to be completed this month.
3. At some point in the future: These are basically very low priority or “wouldn’t be a good thing to do” items.
I recommend creating a word processor file that includes all three lists on separate pages. I would just print the weekly list and focus on that. At the end of each week, look at the monthly list to see if anything should be moved to the “this week” file for the next week. Every once in a while, maybe once a month, check the archive someday to see if anything deserves to be moved to the “monthly” archive. I think you’ll find that over time many of the items in your temporary file will find their way to the “To Discard” list.
An additional recommendation: every day, use a 3×3 sticky note to choose 3 items from your weekly list to focus on today. Once you’ve done that, you can go back to the weekly list if you want. Either way, you’ll start to feel very productive if you actually do those 3 items!
Questions to ask
1. What objections arise when you put an item in the ditch or delegate list?
2. Be realistic about those objections. If they are based on fear, take a deep breath and stretch by letting go of one element and delegating another. As you feel comfortable, build on it and divest/delegate to someone else.
3. Just a note: if you put something on the delegate list, be sure to tell the person what output you want and not what steps to take (unless of course it’s the person’s first time doing something like this) . Micromanaging will hurt you, the other person, your relationship, and your motivation to get better at your job.
