My desk is still clean, I’ve created a schedule, I’m moving my projects over to ComNexus each day and I’m taking breaks, so I’m going to give myself a passing grade on working at home.
I mean, I still have issues with distractions, but I am an ENFP, and the quote I often get is, “I have something important to tell you… wait, is that a bird?”, so I’m giving myself a break on that one.
One down…
Next on the list for me is Are You Able to Change How You Do What You Do? This one was another challenge for me. I was actually given an assignment yesterday in my Certified Reinvention Practitioner Program to identify one thing that was no longer working for me and stop doing that. Sit with that for a minute. Start thinking of things you do that you know don’t have to be done by you, or you don’t need to do, but you still do them, and then think about telling someone else you are no longer going to do that task. Or, just say that last sentence one or two times fast, and you should be able to stop and laugh for a minute. I’m STILL working on what I can stop doing, but I’ll have my commitment by Monday. I mean I know some things I should stop doing, but I’m not sure which one I will choose. It definitely shows how difficult it can be to change what you do.
I have been practicing breathing and focusing on my circle of control and I’ve been able to do both of those pretty well, so I feel good about my progress. Bill says he is always breathing, but I have been working on taking deep breaths and doing the 4-count holds. I find two or three breaths like that and my mind is much clearer. I also have realized that if it is not, that is a good time to get up, take a walk and reset. Every day isn’t going to be your best day, so knowing how to reset is important.
I think my favorite part of this topic was failing forward and I’ve been doing a lot of that lately. I love the quote by Thomas Edison, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Sometimes I am just trying new things to see if they work, and when they do not, I go back to the five why’s and ask why it didn’t work. The Critical Function Worksheet helps me rate and review what I need to do next and makes it easy to see where I need to implement changes.
For me, it is just taking the time to really look at who is doing what and why and making sure that I am spending my time on the right things. How do I know if they are the right things? I know by using my measurements, which is my topic for next week.