On a climb recently, I realized my mind had slipped back into work mode. I was thinking, "What are some of the keys to productivity?"
(C'mon, have you ever been in one place, doing something, and realized your mind was somewhere else...a half a world away?)
One night, I looked through the mountain air toward the sky, and there I saw a faint, seemingly-twinkling star. I thought, "I wonder what this all looks like from there..."
From a couple of notes I scribbled while resting at one of the aid stations on my bike ride this week, here are 4 things to reflect on while you are performing:
1) Think about what you are thinking about. While I am riding - upwards of 50-90 miles a day - I find it easy to be distracted. So, ocassionally I stop the internal mind chatter by saying, "Hey Jason, look around and see something that was hidden up until now."
This immediately brings me into today, or even better... into right now. I do the same thing when I am working at my desk in my office! I know enough to know that I can be just as "spaced-out" at my workspace as I am riding dozens of miles on the open road.
2) Envision success. People ask me what my "pre-" rituals are. You know, pre-speech, pre-race, pre-meeting...
Your confidence is built by starting with a clear picture of "there," as well as some of the images of "along the way." This helps formulate a strategy for using your resources - time, energy and focus - effectively and efficiently.
Write it down, or describe it to someone in detail (one of my clients calls her voicemail machine at home when she gets to her office.. She tells herself what her intention is for the day - what she plans to work on, what she plans to finish, and how she plans to "be" that day).
3) Practice the "big things" on the "small things." Consider what it takes for you to perform at your best...pretend it's a work day, you are presenting at an upcoming meeting and three major projects are underway.
What do you need to succeed? How about: - A restful night sleep the night before; - Plenty of water throughout the day; - A balanced, protein-rich breakfast; - A step-by-step plan for the day, open to serendipity & interpretation.
Well, you don't want to practice this routine once a week (or worse, once a month or quarter!). Make it a habit, start this week and pick something you know will support your leadership and performance. Do it...everyday...and get used to doing it.
4) Stay engaged. Let's face it, you will be interrupted, your mind will chatter and distract you, suprises will appear, and other people's lack of planning and their failure to execute on their own unclear and ambiguous goals will force you to unhook and unfocus on your MIT's - Most Important Things.
Your competative advantage? -----
Come back to where you are. Look far enough ahead to stay on course, AND create action steps that are small - and significant - enough to experience regular, consistent wins.
Think on this: We're all following stars in the sky, and if we follow the bright ones, the ones that energize and stimulate our efforts, we will change, and slowly the world around us will change as well.
I've been reading your blog for about 6 weeks Jason, and this is my favorite post.
Posted by: Christopher Scott | June 19, 2007 at 08:10 PM