I know lists are my greatest tool. With weekdays and weekends being so packed at my house, if I don't make a list for my days, I will inevitably fail at getting all I want done. Lists are my friend and knowing that Arthur and Alex suggest them makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
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I don't know about you but when I wake up in the morning my eyes are totally unable to open fully. It didn't use to be that way but now that I am older some things just don't work as well as they used to. Know what I mean?
But this has been a blessing in disguise for me and whether you are the same or not, the lessons I learned from it has been a source of motivation for me and will, for sure and for certain, be one for you.
These lessons can be summarized in the 3 questions I ask myself every day. Two of them are in the morning while lying there in bed with barely opened eyes. The other is one I keep asking myself over and over again during the day for the purpose of checking in with and staying aware of myself.
So, here are the questions and why they are important to ask.
Q1. What do I want to get done today?
Asking this question does 2 things. I creates an intentional path and it brings focus to my day. It makes me directly responsible for what I create in my day and... I can create anything I want. I am without excuse at the end of the day because the day was of my choosing.
This is also the only time of day when nothing will try to take control of it. It is just you and your thoughts. So, make what you want of it. It is in your total control.
Q2. How am I going to get it done?
This is the part when your eyes are just beginning to work. If you don't have a pen and paper... or a journal next to your bed, you might want to start. Keep your phone somewhere else because as great of an organizer it is, it is also too great a potential distraction.
Write down what you are going to do and how you will get it done. Writing brings our thoughts and all that is virtual into the real world. I am not going to go into all that the brain researchers have to say about that but... when you write something down it engages you more fully with it. And we need to be focused and as fully engaged as possible with our days. So write down just what you are going to get done and how you are going to get it done on some paper or in your journal. Carry it with you throughout the day to keep you focused and on track because things will always come up to get you sidetracked.
Q3. What do I need right now?
This is the question you keep asking yourself all day long and relates to keeping our energy levels up throughout the day.
LOOK... our days are truly unpredictable. That is why we set our intention for our activity and tasks at the beginning of the day while we are still seemingly in control. But as we move thru our day things come up which wear us out, destabilize our focus and slow us down.
To stay at our optimal performance we need to be constantly checking in with ourselves and asking ourselves what it is that we need. It may be something as simple as a glass of water or a bite to eat.
I mean, how many times have we missed a meal and pushed thru a project because we just forgot to eat when eating something would have made us sharper and more productive as our day progressed? Maybe we need a nap to get back up to peak performance or just to sit down and read something light.
There will be times when we will be ablaze with energy, creative thought and hyper-productivity all day without a break and other days when we will hit the ground dragging.
Whatever it is, we need to be constantly checking in with ourselves, checking in with our body, mind and emotion to see what it needs to keep us running at peak performance. We are Ferraris and not Fords. We need to be in tune with what is happening with our body, mind and emotion all day long to keep running at our peak.
At the end of the day, throw away that piece of paper. The day is over, you did your best and that is all we can expect of ourselves. Tomorrow will be another, very different day because that is what we will create for it.
I have found for me that making this a daily practice has given me more focus and kept me flowing more efficiently thru my day and it is my with that, if you adopt this practice, it will do the same for you.
Alex and I wish you safe travels in your path and remember to...
Create and KEEP your Stories
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Arthur & Alex
owner, INNOVATIVE Journaling
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