by Helena Escalante | Accountability, Creativity, Goals, Mindset, Planning, Productivity, Time, Tools
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 16 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: The Endless To-Do List
— From: Habit Changers: 81 Game-Changing Mantras to Mindfully Realize Your Goals by M. J. Ryan
I love Habit Changers: it’s a little book by M. J. Ryan that always seems to have the right answer for what I’m searching…
In this case, I was all worked up because, no matter what I do, work is never-ending. And Ryan has a very simple mantra for this that says, “Don’t worry, your to-do list is endless…” and she really means both the no worrying part as well as the endless to-do list!
Since I can imagine that most of us become overwhelmed at times with all that we have to do, I thought I’d share this quote from the book with you. It goes with my best wishes so that you can get rid of the anxiety that plagues us all when we have a crazy day (or several in a row) and our list seems interminable!
“This one’s for you if you are someone who stresses about trying to get everything done and/or feels anxious that your to-do list is too long, your email in-box too full. I promise you that no one gets to the end of the list or has an empty e-mail in-box–well, maybe for an hour or two, but if fills up again in a blink of an eye. We all have too much to do, and when you try to finish it all, you only put unnecessary pressure on yourself and cause yourself to work beyond the point of exhaustion. Doing the important work is hard enough–no need to add the extra pressure of presuming you should be superhuman. I’ve recommended this habit changer to dozens of people to help them stop beating themselves up over what is left undone.”
And this reminds me of an entry in Tim Urban’s blog Wait But Why that I read a while back. It’s called 100 Blocks a Day. The premise is very simple: between the time you are awake and the time you go to sleep you have approximately 100 “blocks” of 10 min each on a daily basis. How many blocks will you devote to each of your activities? Which tasks take up the bulk of your blocks? Is what you do during those blocks worth the time you spend doing it? What else should you do? What should you stop doing?
Lots of food for thought! How do you deal with your to-do list and with your blocks of time? Let me know in the comments here.
ACTION
TODAY: Do you have what seems like an endless to-do list? (Welcome to the club!) Here’s how I dealt with my overwhelm today: Remember that the list is there to serve you, not the other way around. Ask yourself these questions: How can you simplify your to-dos? What can you outsource, delegate, defer, or simply not do? Give some deep thought to each item on your to-do list today. Is everything in there absolutely necessary? Is there something that you can break down into a minimal component to make progress on that and continue tomorrow or next week?
FUTURE: I consider myself quite productive, yet sometimes I take on too much. When that is the case for you, consider putting some non-essential parts of your life on hold until you can return to them. For example, I’m working on several projects, and I also signed up for an online course. I was trying to do it all, but the truth is I can’t. So, I have given myself two weeks to finish the current projects, and then I will start again taking my online classes, otherwise, I’ll get overwhelmed with trying to do too much. Look at your to-do wants vs. your to-do needs and focus on the essential first. You can always return to the non-essential later.
Know someone who has an endless to-do list? Please share this post with them via email, Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, thank you!
by Helena Escalante | Accountability, Goals, Growth, Habits, Mindset, Planning, Productivity, Resolutions, Time, Tools
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 55 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Today is National Ditch Your Resolutions Day
— From The Perfect Day Formula: How to Own the Day And Control Your Life by Craig Ballantyne
Whaaaaaaaaaaaat???????!!!!!!
Not happy with Quitters’ Day someone decided to have a National Ditch Your Resolutions Day… Really?????!!!!!
Yep. And that day is today, January 17, “popularly thought to be the day when a large number of people abandon their New Year’s resolutions.” (Source.)
According to the stats cited in this Inc. Magazine article, 91% of people fail to keep their resolutions. However, that is not appalling, given that resolutions—in my opinion—are just like wishes: very nice to have but not necessary.
If you want to be successful, the resolutions and wishes have to be substituted by goals and habits.
And a great author and role model for this is Craig Ballantyne. In his book The Perfect Day Formula, he sets out a 7-step plan to create Habits of Steel:
1. Figure out what matters… and focus on it. “Success requires us to do the first things first. Choose your time wisely. Figure out what really matters to you and then use the rest of the steps to build habits that allow you to focus your time on it.”
2. Identify steps to success and rules for your life. “No one will ever be perfect at keeping to their rules, but you will be better for trying, and you will have stronger habits that allow you to avoid the disappointment, guilt, and regret of wasted days.”
3. Create a checklist for new habits. “Connecting a positive action… with a daily trigger… is a great way to create new habits. Each habit needs to be broken down into action items for you to get started.”
4. Prepare the night before. “Winning habits begin with proper planning. Prepare your checklist. Lay out an easy-to-follow pathway for success. Set out any tools you will need to do for the first things first.”
5. Remove all obstacles. “ Removing obstacles, temptations, and bad habits is one of the most important changes you can make in life. Eliminating the negatives is often more important for success than relying on willpower for the creation of new habits.”
6. Take massive action. “We can control what time we wake up, what habits we start the day with, what temptations enter—and are eliminated—from our lives, and what systems we have in place for dealing with all of these. We can believe in ourselves or we can have doubt. It’s our choice.”
7. Learn and improve. “Few days will be easy. Most days will require you to fight tooth-and-nail to stick to your habits and achieve your goals. On those days, take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes and struggles. They will make you stronger.”
Oh, and one last thing: Ballantyne says that a little incentive never hurts. “Give yourself a prize for taking action and following through. We repeat what we reward. It can be as simple as enjoying the beauty of a sunrise as you meditate.”
So, are you ready to celebrate National Ditch Your Resolutions Day by ditching your resolutions and turning them into habits? Imagine what your life will be like a year from now if you turned your resolutions or wishes into ingrained habits.
I’m cheering for you!
ACTION
TODAY: What resolutions would you like to turn into habits? Be very specific and then apply Ballantyne’s seven-step plan. For more on how to succeed at this, here’s a post I wrote last year: New Year’s Resolutions vs. SMART Goals.
FUTURE: Next year, don’t set resolutions. Instead, set goals that you can turn into habits.
Know someone who would like to ditch their resolutions for goals and habits instead? Please share this post with them via email, Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, thank you!
by Helena Escalante | Accountability, Goals, Growth, Mindset, Planning, Productivity, Time, Tools
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 57 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Quitters’ Day
— From Endeavor: Thrive Through Work Aligned with Your Values, Talents, and Tribe by Scott Perry
Strava, the British social network for athletes, studied social media and was able to pinpoint “Quitters’ Day” — the day in which people are most likely to give up on their new year’s resolutions.
And when is Quitter’s Day, you are asking? Tomorrow, the second Friday in January.
In case you are experiencing #resolutionfail and thinking about quitting, I wanted to share with you a passage from the marvelous book Endeavor by my friend Scott Perry.
Most of the time, when we quit, is because things got tough along the way and we saw those obstacles as unsurmountable. Alternatively, we also quit because we decide we simply aren’t willing to do what it takes to continue along the path we had set, and we prefer to pursue something else.
And while quitting projects isn’t bad per se, as it opens up time and opportunities for us to focus on something else, sometimes we feel terribly ashamed.
So, whether you decide to quit or not, move forward swiftly with your decision. And if you change your mind and don’t want to continue, don’t be ashamed. Here’s what Perry so eloquently and beautifully says about this:
“You can’t advance an endeavor without making mistakes. Getting things ‘right’ involves going through a lot of ‘wrong.’
And some of those ‘wrong’ choices come with a heaping helping of regret. And when regret appears, you can be sure that shame is following close behind.
But here’s the thing, when shame comes to visit, you don’t have to extend it an invitation to stay for a week or even overnight. You’re not required to ask shame to lunch or tea.
Don’t draw the shades and lock the door. That only encourages shame to hang around. And shame is very patient and extremely persistent.
Instead, meet shame at the door and thank it.
‘Thank you shame for coming by. Your presence indicates I have work to do. A mistake to own, an apology and amends to make. Sitting with you, for even a minute, will only get in the way of the important work I must do. So thanks again for stopping by, I’m quite sure I’ll be seeing you again.’
Then practice the 4 Rs of an intentional, healing, and meaningful apology: recognize that you’re wrong, take responsibility, express your regret, do what you can to make it right. Then move on to what’s next.
Mistakes are inevitable. Shame is a choice.”
If you give up, don’t give in to shame. You have your reasons to move on to something else and, as long as you learn from this, then you’ll be better off in whatever you decide to do next.
ACTION
TODAY: If you’ve been thinking about quitting your resolutions or goals, take a moment to ask yourself why five times until you get to the real reason. Only then you will be able to determine the best course of action for you, whether that means staying put or quitting. If you decide to continue with your resolution, here’s a post that may help: New Year’s Resolutions vs. SMART Goals.
FUTURE: Whenever you think about quitting your resolutions in the future, analyze the situation, ask why 5 times, and read these posts on quitting: Understanding when to quit and when to stick, Quit before you start, and Selective quitting. Then make a decision that will enable you to get to where you want to go faster. There’s no shame in that!
Know someone who would like to read this post? Please share it with them via email, Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, thank you!
by Helena Escalante | Growth, Leadership, Mindset, Miniseries, Productivity, Resources, Time
TODAY’S IDEA: 12 Books of Greatness – Day 12 & Bonus
The 12 days of Christmas refers to the period of celebration (secular and religious) from December 25 through January 5. And because it coincides with the period of time that I’m going to be out on vacation visiting my family, I thought I’d make a miniseries for you during this time with posts from 12 Books of Greatness.
I strongly believe that greatness starts within us, so all of the posts that I chose for these 12 days come from books that are tremendously insightful. My hope is that reading these posts will give you plenty of ideas and “a-ha!” moments to start 2019 on a high note!
Today is Day 12 of this miniseries, which means we’ve come to the end: I hope you’ve enjoyed it! Tomorrow we’ll get back to our regular posts. However, because some of you occasionally ask me for a non-business and non-fiction book recommendation, I’ve included one as a bonus in here today too.
Happy New Year and happy reading!
12 Books of Greatness – Day 12
From The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business
By Josh Kaufman
Bonus Book Recommendation
The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate―Discoveries from A Secret World
By Peter Wohlleben
This is probably one of the most beautiful and eye-opening non-business, non-fiction books that I read this past year. I liked it so much that I read it again a few months after the first time to learn more about the life of trees. It’s a fascinating account of how trees live, communicate, and help each other. After reading this you’ll never see another tree the same way again.
From the publisher: “Are trees social beings? In this international bestseller, forester and author Peter Wohlleben convincingly makes the case that, yes, the forest is a social network. He draws on groundbreaking scientific discoveries to describe how trees are like human families: tree parents live together with their children, communicate with them, support them as they grow, share nutrients with those who are sick or struggling, and even warn each other of impending dangers. Wohlleben also shares his deep love of woods and forests, explaining the amazing processes of life, death, and regeneration he has observed in his woodland.”
Links to other posts in this miniseries: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11.
Know someone who would like this book or this miniseries on 12 Books of Greatness? Please share it with them via email, Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, thank you!
by Helena Escalante | Goals, Growth, Habits, Leadership, Mindset, Miniseries, Planning, Productivity, Resources, Time, Tools
TODAY’S IDEA: 12 Books of Greatness – Day 6
The 12 days of Christmas refers to the period of celebration (secular and religious) from December 25 through January 5. And because it coincides with the period of time that I’m going to be out on vacation visiting my family, I thought I’d make a miniseries for you during this time with posts from 12 Books of Greatness.
I strongly believe that greatness starts within us, so all of the posts that I chose for these 12 days come from books that are tremendously insightful. My hope is that reading these posts will give you plenty of ideas and “a-ha!” moments to end 2018 strong and start 2019 on a high note!
12 Books of Greatness – Day 6
From Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
By James Clear
Links to other posts in this miniseries: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5.
Know someone who would like this book or this miniseries on 12 Books of Greatness? Please share it with them via email, Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, thank you!
by Helena Escalante | Growth, Leadership, Mindset, Miniseries, Planning, Productivity, Resources, Time, Tools
TODAY’S IDEA: 12 Books of Greatness – Day 5
The 12 days of Christmas refers to the period of celebration (secular and religious) from December 25 through January 5. And because it coincides with the period of time that I’m going to be out on vacation visiting my family, I thought I’d make a miniseries for you during this time with posts from 12 Books of Greatness.
I strongly believe that greatness starts within us, so all of the posts that I chose for these 12 days come from books that are tremendously insightful. My hope is that reading these posts will give you plenty of ideas and “a-ha!” moments to end 2018 strong and start 2019 on a high note!
12 Books of Greatness – Day 5
From Two Awesome Hours: Science-Based Strategies to Harness Your Best Time and Get Your Most Important Work Done
By Josh Davis, Ph.D.
Links to other posts in this miniseries: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4.
Know someone who would like this book or this miniseries on 12 Books of Greatness? Please share it with them via email, Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, thank you!
