Accomplish Things Faster & Better
/Back in January I mentioned that I was giving my money away for a happiness project (clarification, it wasn’t all my money. It was totally reasonable in the grand scheme of things, but still, it was something I knew I had to do).
Now that March has come and almost gone, I’m reflecting back on that decision (to purchase the course), and what I have accomplished over the last two and a half months. Not only that, but what has, and hasn’t worked for me.
First, I’m not at all sad about my choice to go through the course. For me, it’s simple and doesn’t take a lot of time. However, by focusing on the topic of the month, and happiness in general, I’ve found that I’ve grown faster in areas of my life than I have before. I’ve been into personal development for years, however, the speed that I am accomplishing in areas that have seemed to drag has been mind-blowing. I never would have guessed that I could do so much “work” in so short of time.
So the first thing I asked myself was, “Why is everything clicking into place so much faster? I’ve been doing this personal development thing for a long time. What’s different about this approach?”
You’re going to hate this answer. Mindset and focus.
(Insert audible groan here)
I actually hate that I just typed those words a little. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve heard people talk about “focus” or “mindset.” And how frustrated I felt every time I heard those words. I know that’s what I need, but it’s how part that always eluded me. Until now.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not telling you that I’ve got everything figured out. Oh, no. Far from it. However, I think I’ve figured out one piece of the puzzle. For me, at least.
Focus doesn’t have to be on one specific thing, but rather, a general category of things. But not only have I found that broadening my idea of focus to a category instead of one specific piece of the pie helps, but also knowing what is coming next helps me stay on track.
For example, January’s focus was “Self-knowledge.” While it could have been easy for me to go down the rabbit hole of dealing with negative self-talk, body image, and business success/failure; I knew that we would be tackling “Work” in May, “Money” in August, and “Body” in October. Knowing these topics were coming up later this year freed my mind to focus on other aspects of Self-Knowledge. I wrote not one, but two 19 for 2019 lists, and I’ve started to make my way through them. I have read several books and listened to several podcasts about the Enneagram, and with that, I’ve come to realize that I’m just getting started. Both of these activities were not only productive, but they’ve produced results that I can see and feel in my everyday life.
On the other hand, if I tried to tackling all of my demons at once, it would have been overwhelming. I know it would have, because I’ve tried to do it that way before. After all, when we finally make the decision to be the best versions of ourselves, we want to be that version… yesterday! Or at the very latest, tomorrow. No wonder we get frustrated and overwhelmed when we are trying to do it all at once right now and not seeing anything to completion.
Breaking down improvement areas into categories has allowed me to dig deeper in these areas and figure out things that work for me, and things that don’t work.
February was all about Energy. For many people this may have (and did) include goals such as going to the gym or eating better. Since I already have a regular workout schedule, and I already eat well at least 85% of the time, I decided my focus for the month was better spent elsewhere.
My goals for the month were
Set out my work clothes the night before
Listen to music on the way home from work (instead of business or health related books/podcasts)
Walk for 15 minutes/day
Spend 10 minutes/day cleaning out my inbox
Take silly pictures every day
The cool thing about using the entire month to focus on energy was that it helped me see where my energy was being drained. I choose goals 2, 3, & 4 because I thought they would help clear my mind of all the “clutter” and “chatter.” I chose goal 1 to give myself extra time in the morning to feel less rushed (when you have to be at work at 6am most mornings, every minute counts). Finally I chose goal 5 because I enjoy being silly and having fun, and there’s something about having fun that lifts your energy.
I quickly realized that, for me at least, being forced to be silly was, in fact, no fun. In this case, it’s better for me to lift my spirits and energy naturally, which results in silliness and fun rather than “fake it ‘til you make it.” I let go of that goal very quickly, and replaced it with:
6. Spend one afternoon a week at the library or Starbucks instead of going home on my break.
This goal was magic. I don’t know if it was more magic since we’re still living primarily in the dungeon (err, basement) with all the house renovations, or if it was just because I cut out 45 minutes of drive time and 15 minutes of non-productive “I need to leave soon” time. Whatever it was, I was able to get several things accomplished in February that has been on my list… forever. Not only that, but I felt more creative during those large blocks of time, which allowed me to… be a little silly and have more fun! YAY! BONUS!
Moral of the story. Focus (groan). But instead of laser pointer focus, old-cheepo plastic flashlight focus. Meaning, focus on a general area, not necessarily one specific thing.
I know a lot of people may not agree with me. And here’s the thing, I might not even agree with me in another season of my life. But right now, this works. And it worlds better than anything I have ever tried before, so I’ve already started running with it in other areas of my life as well (i.e my business!).
And you know what, it works! By focusing on one specific area of my business that I want to improve each month (or every other month), by the end of the year- I am convinced I will have more knowledge, skill and aptitude in those areas. So what does this mean for you this year?
My weekly blogs are going to be getting better and better (well, at least I hope so!)
You might not see me on social media as much at first.
When you do start seeing me more on social media, it may only be on one platform vs. ALL the platforms
I’m going to finally not only finish, but make some of the (many) eBooks and mini courses I’ve started over the years available to you! (AHHHH! So exciting!)
I’m going to finally start that podcast I’ve been threatening to start ;)
Ultimately leading to:
Less stress and not having to work 60+ hours a week! (Huzzah)
OMGeeze, I am so FRICKin excited I can’t even stand it. And who would have thought that it’s all because of one of my least favorite words ever. Focus.