April 2008: Ideas

April 2008: Ideas

Monday, April 14, 2008

Monthly Coaching Newsletter

I've been asked how I come up with newsletter ideas. Mostly it's from my own experiences. If it occured to me, I figure it might make sense to someone else.

I had a great conversation with a friend the other day and it seems perfect for a newsletter topic.

The Multi-Worry Syndrome

There are few people I know who are not afflicted with this syndrome. I for one have survived on it quite successfully. It comes from that skill that many of us mention during interviews - multi-tasking. Any group or company can count on you for handling lots of things at once.

Truth is, we can't do more than one thing at a time WELL. Sure you can walk and talk on your cell phone at the same time, but how much more likely are you to step in dog doo while you're doing it (speaking from experience). And if that's true, what about writing a report and eating your lunch?

Rather than completing several tasks at the same time, it's more likely that we're just worrying about all of those tasks at once. And not getting any of them done.

Monkey See Monkey Do

Children have the right idea. Sleeping until they wake up, eating only what they need and being curious about the world around them. Children may have short attention spans, but they do have a keen ability to focus.

Sure, one toy gets five minutes of play before moving onto the next, but what happens during those five minutes? That toy is the recipient of a child's full attention. There is nothing else around.

What would it mean to give that kind of attention to tasks you have now? If you could spend five minutes fully focused on paying your bills or talking to a friend, what would happen?

I encourage you to experiment with this at work, at home, even driving in your car. My guess is that you will find that it takes less time to do things, and that you get more out of each experience without worrying about what comes next.

You may also find that a written to-do list is more important than ever before -- that way you no longer need to worry about multiple things. They are all there patiently waiting for when you're ready to choose the next one.

One Small Step

The other day I conducted my own experiment. When the weather is nice, I usually go out for a walk - and end up running errands or catching up on phone calls while I'm at it. This time, I decided to just walk. No phone, no iPod.

I used a technique called a Pilgrim Walk which gives a specific focus to the walk, but it could work just as well without it.

It's in the Way You Walk

What a difference a little time can make, even if it's between two tasks. I highly recommend it.

Quote of the Day

"I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in." - John Muir