What to Do, When You Don't Know What to Do
It was the middle of the day. I had one of those rare, meeting free days, where essentially I could do what I want, when I wanted. I had a list of to-do’s; related to this day and beyond that I had to choose from. I couldn’t find the clarity to do anything. Mind you it wasn’t avoidance or motivation; which I know plagues many other people out their. It truly was having a deep sense of organization, that made those precious hours the most impactful they could be. Luckily, I knew what to do.
For me, time is not of the essence, it is the essence. There is no room for waste or misuse, because it is disappearing faster than a glacier. Every moment I use, will never.come.back….ever. Whenever I think about it, it feels so real. Especially as I age.
I feel like one of the lucky ones, who worked with a kick ass mentor and developed key systems early in my business. Someone to really lay it all out of the table, hold me to things(even in my darkest hours!) and taught me how to use tools to stay on point, all the time, no matter what. Because I will tell you, their were a lot of dark hours and off point moments she had to overcome with me. I was a handful, to say the least. She got me to the other side. I will forever be grateful for the work she did with me.
Outside of looking to get help, let me give you the tools, she gave me. While you still may need to go the extra mile and get more help, try the three systems below and let me know what happens.
Self Care: Have you ever tried to walk through a museum without a guidebook? What happens? For me, it is aimless walks down wrong hallways, running for a bathroom I have no idea where it is and missed items I wanted to see. Sure, it is fun to float around, but I miss out on a lot more. This is exactly what happens when you try to lead yourself without a vision. Caring about yourself, your time and your goals means getting committed with what those are and when you want to achieve them.
Self Organization: Are you expecting too much out of yourself? Human beings have a lot going on. I know, I don’t need to tell you all that. Your lives are full. You are running from activity to work to life to family and you know what? You cannot expect yourself to know what you are supposed to do when. Sure, you may remember the important stuff, but to do ALL the stuff, you need help. Calendars, task management software, project management systems and day planners are all tools to help you stay on point with what you need to do when. How about all the stuff you want to do, but can’t? That is how that stuff gets done as well. Being able to know what to do when, comes from tools, not your head, not your feelings, but well documented, organized lives. No one person should have to remember what to do and when. It is just too much stuff.
Self Management: By now, I hope you see what we are doing here. We need a vision, to then have work and tasks to organize. Next is your behavior. Behavior is everything, as it will break the best tools and waste good intentions…fast. Behavior’s are inherited from our surroundings. We don’t know how to behave until we learn it from something or someone else. Yes, they could have come from childhood, but we weren’t born with them. It was something we picked up from our parents, siblings, teachers or friends. As adults we are surrounded by employees, vendors, spouses and friends—all of whom show us good behavior or bad. We want to adopt the good, get rid of the bad and develop the behaviors necessary to achieve our vision. Until then, we will forever be unsure of what we should do.
How Do You Behave
I have met some incredible leaders during my time as a coach. Leaders that have acquired incredible tools, teams, brands and infrastructures over their tenure as an owner and leader. Yet, they are real assholes. Yep, you heard that right. They don’t have any basic mannerisms, habits, rules or structure that govern them. And you know what? It doesn’t have to be this way. I think at some point in time we are all assholes when it comes to what we appreciate we have. We take things for granted and then we squander them away. Good behaviors can be learned. Are you as incredible as you can be?
Do You Have A Vision?
Do You Have A Calendar and Task Management Tool?
What behaviors do you need to adopt or break?