With everything that comes flying at us these days, it is very easy to live life in reactionary mode. The problem with this is that while we are busy reacting to everything that’s going on, we lose sight of those things that are, or should be, our true priorities. We expend time and energy on things of little consequence, and have less than we need to finish the real tasks. Worst of all, the clutter of the world comes to define our path, rather than blazing our own trail and letting our actions shape the world around us according to our intentions.
When you find yourself slipping into reaction mode, here’s a simple exercise that is great for cutting through the noise and restoring your focus where you want it:
1) Write down everything that is on your mind. That means all the stuff that is on your mind – family, friends, finances, work, activities…you name it. This step is going to take you a while, but it is important that you don’t leave anything out. Take the time required and get it right.
2) Review your list and put a check next to everything that is under your control.
3) Next scratch a line through all of the things that are beyond your control.
- The goal is to understand what is in your direct control to influence, and focus in on that. This way you can begin to let go of the things that are not in your direct control or influence. As an exercise, exhale and actively release from your mind each item that you cross off the list. This step should be a BIG stress reliever!
4) You now want to create a separate, clean list of those items things that you can control and/or influence.
- Put the items you first checked on a new list, and lay them out in order of importance – top priorities first, lower priorities last. These are the things on which you want to apply your energy.
5) Focus on the top 5
- Write down any sticking points preventing you from accomplishing each of these 5 priorities. What might be hindering you – time, relationships, skills, etc. Identify the bottlenecks.
6) Identify what you can do to overcome any of these obstacles.
- If it is in a relationship – what can you do to effect positive change and either strengthen that relationship, or influence it in such a way as to create a positive reaction?
- If it is a skill – what can you do to acquire that skill?
- If it is another resource – who controls the resource you need? What can you do to get them on-board with you?
**Note**
If the answer to any of these questions is “nothing” – it’s the wrong answer here. Remember, these are the things that you’ve indicate are in your control. By definition, there is always something that you can do.
7) Take a page from Nike’s playbook – Just Do It.!
When you get to this point, you should have a clear understanding of what you can do to create the outcomes that you seek. Anything else is just a distraction. Don’t waste time staring at the shiny objects; just do what you need to do. Don’t live by accident, live by design – your design!
Popularity: 2% [?]
