My 3-word update for October

Instead of New Year’s resolutions this year, I chose three words to keep me focused during the year based on the recommendation of Chris Brogan, New York Times bestselling author and master blogger.

My words this year are CONNECT, TRAIN, and ENJOY. You can read more about how I chose those words here. Surprisingly, seeing everything through the lens of these words has been much more beneficial than a resolution since all areas of my  life are impacted. And really, how often have you actually accomplished your resolutions? Don’t you spend the year avoiding them and then feeling guilty?

I have knocked CONNECT out of the park! Not only have I connected more with people at work and church, but I am now part of several online communities, one of which has become like a family, praying and caring for each other and even meeting in person despite living in spots all over the country. Surprisingly, all four online communities were made possible through my writing.

On a physical level, I am doing great with TRAIN, doing longer runs more consistently and continuing my yoga practice daily. As far as reading and “training” my mind, I have challenged myself with more books than I can even count lately. Inspiration has come from attending 3 recent conferences for leadership and goal setting. A work goal of conducting more training has not been met with much success, so need to continue working on that front. I am also taking an online blogging class to improve my writing skills.

Now, for the word that is the greatest challenge: ENJOY. Yes, I have “enjoyed” the writing, reading, connecting and training. But I need to continue to seek activities that are purely for enjoyment – like a free afternoon spent with friends or … There is the problem – I don’t even know what else to suggest! Definitely need to work on that.

Now, for next year, I’m already considering what words to choose. In what areas do I need to grow? What skills do I need to practice? It is still early, so this may change, but I’m thinking FOCUS, DELIVER, APPRECIATE – at least for now.

I challenge you now to start thinking – what will your 3 words be for 2013?

 

Is it time for a checkup?

Photo courtesy of Jacob Metcalf (Creative Commons)

I had my yearly physical yesterday, and it made me think of other areas of my life that probably need to have a regular checkup. Yet I neglect those areas because I’m too busy right now, or not in the right frame of mind, or think I have it all figured out already. But do I really?

To be truly happy, you need to balance the different areas of your life. In rereading Dave Ramsey’s EntreLeadership book, I am reminded of the “wheel of life” that  he describes from Zig Ziglar. “The wheel has spokes that represent each area of our lives, and for our lives to be successful as a whole we must address each area. The spokes of goal setting are: career, financial, spiritual, physical, intellectual, family, social.”

My “wheel of life” tends to not be round, what about yours? I freely admit that I am a workaholic, so my career and intellectual spokes tend to get the bulk of my focus, while I neglect other areas.

I suggest a regular time to do a “checkup,” whether that is yearly, quarterly or even monthly, so you can get back on track before you’ve veered too far off the road. The following steps can help you balance your “wheel of life”:

• Review – schedule a block of uninterrupted time to take a hard look at the last few weeks or months of your tasks and your calendar to see where you have been spending your energy. Just be honest in looking at your appointments and commitments to see what you spend your time on. This is not time to kick yourself for spending your time on the wrong areas, just an assessment of what you have been doing.
• Refocus – consider your “wheel of life” goals (or jot some down if you haven’t done that before). What are your goals in the different areas of your life (career, financial, spiritual, physical, intellectual, family, social)? What do you hope to accomplish or emphasize in each of those areas over the next few weeks and months?
• Realign – is one area of the “wheel of life” getting more attention than the others? There may be seasons when you focus more on a particular area, such as work, but be sure to balance that with the other areas or you risk burnout and frustration. Write down a new goal in each of your life areas for the coming months (writing makes it harder to ignore – just be sure to keep those written goals visible!).
• Renew – make some pledges to yourself (and maybe to your family too) to be more accountable for your new goals. Place your written goals on your desk, in your calendar, or somewhere that you will see them frequently.

By doing a regular goal checkup, you can adjust your priorities and even out your “wheel of life,” which will lead to greater satisfaction in all the areas of your life. Even if there is an area that will continue to need more focus in the next few weeks, be intentional in your goals for the other areas and you won’t lose that balance.

How round is your “wheel of life” and what do you need to do to even it out?

 

What are you letting get in your way?

Photo by amslerPIX (Creative Commons)

I ran in the rain this morning. It wasn’t a downpour, and it wasn’t thundering, but it was definitely raining. I still managed 5 miles.

On the way back, I started asking myself was I just crazy to be out there, or very resolute in pursuing my fitness goals? How do you tell the difference?

I thought about what I’m letting get in the way of accomplishing my work goals. Interruptions, mini-crises, and mind-numbing busywork take up a lot of my time lately. Maybe it’s time to rethink how I approach my work day. I’m tired of making excuses for why some of my projects aren’t finished. It’s time to stay on task and get things done.

What about you? When you face road blocks, do you seek a way around them so you can continue to succeed, or do you abandon the goal when faced with adversity? Have you settled for a mediocre job because you were turned down too many times in a job search? Have you just accepted that weight is a problem because you fell off your diet goals over the weekend? Are you enduring a frustrating situation because your Plan A didn’t work?

As we start a new week, let’s consider these questions. What do you need to address and/or put in place to make sure you stay on track with your goals for work? For your personal life?

What road block are you letting stop you from reaching your goals?

 

Only Talking Sense

I had a break-through last week.

I have struggled lately with productivity and personal accountability – feeling stuck on one project, overwhelmed by the amount of other things that needed to be done both at work and at home, and just feeling like I wanted to give up because I didn’t even know where to start.

But last week, I tried 3 things that seem to be getting me “unstuck.”

1. Personal accountability. I am the only one who can change my situation. Instead of letting my day manage me, I have tried to be more proactive in planning and managing my day. In the book QBQ: The Question Behind the Question, author John Miller promotes asking better questions, such as “what can I do to improve this situation?” instead of “why is this happening to me?” Makes a huge difference in perspective.
2. Write down priorities. In his GTD methodology, David Allen promotes the idea of getting everything out of your head and on a categorized list with next actions (the next actions are the hardest but most effective  part of this process). In his EntreLeadership book and training, Dave Ramsey recommends that you prioritize your to-do list, and rank the list with “A” for the items that must be done today, “B” for those that should be done soon, and so on. I have combined these two methods with success so far. Seeing my task list helps me reorient after interruptions, and keeps me focused on what is most important, instead of reacting to the latest and loudest. And having next actions listed help me know exactly what needs to be done to move forward on that project.
3. Communicate. I think this was the key piece of this puzzle. I told a couple of people what I hoped to accomplish and then I felt more obligated to complete it. The first day I tried this and didn’t tell anyone, it was easy to decide I was tired, it was late, and I’d deal with it the next day. Telling someone gave me even more accountability, because I did not want to come back the next day and say I didn’t finish.

I hope to continue refining these activities for another productive week.

I’d love to hear comments on what others are doing to be more productive. What are your tools for productivity and accountability?