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If you use any kind of productivity system, you probably at least attempt to do a weekly review of some kind. Two of the most popular productivity methodologies, Getting Things Done and Franklin Covey practically require a weekly review to work. There are lots of ways to approach doing a review, but the basic idea is to look at your current tasks (or to dos), your projects and your larger roles in life, then turn all of those things into concrete tasks for the next week.
Getting Things Done has a system based on altitude to classify all of these areas. It is explained pretty well in this passage from WikiSummaries:
The Six-Level Model for Reviewing Your Own Work is presented in terms of altitude:
50,000 + feet: Life
40,000 feet: Three- to five-year visions
30,000 feet: One-to two-year goals
20,000 feet: Areas of responsibility
10,000 feet: Current projects
Runway: Current actions
Each of these levels should enhance and align with the levels above it. Priorities are driven from the top. However, without a sense of control over current projects and actions, trying to manage oneself from the top down can create frustration. Allen recommends starting at the bottom level, first ensuring all action lists are complete, and then working up the model.
Franklin Covey uses a tool called the Weekly Compass Card in their planners to translate your key roles in life to weekly tasks. This is an excerpt from their site:
Behind the Values/Mission Tab in the Personal Management section, you’ll find ideas and activities that will help you identify the key roles you fill in life. After reviewing this information, you’ll understand how the Weekly Compass Card helps you add meaning to your planning every day. Please take the time to review this material.
I’m going to use my psychic powers and make a prediction… You want more inner peace.
Am I right? If not, the rest of this post is probably not for you. If so, boy do I have some help for you!
In today’s world our senses are constantly bombarded with stimuli, from loud car stereos to phones and televisions to “information” like cable news. This overabundance of input has the same effect on our bodies as a heat wave has on an air conditioner - we’re operating at 110% capacity. Most of us live with chronically frazzled nerves and short tempers. If we let that go on for too long, a meltdown is inevitable.
To avoid meltdown, we all have to take responsibility for our own peace of mind and become proactive - in other words, we have to stop the meltdown before it stops us. This is as simple as developing good habits and taking time out of our daily lives for self-care, reflection, and course correction. In just a few minutes a day you can accomplish all of this through one or two of the following:
Meditation. I’ve found that the best meditation technique for avoiding meltdown is simply breathing deeply and slowly for a few minutes. You can do this anywhere, anytime and it’s an instant stress-killer.
Free Writing/Journaling. If your brain is overheating, take 5 minutes to write whatever wants to travel from your brain to your pen. Don’t worry about making coherent sentences, just write. To use a computer analogy, this is like performing a core dump to clear out your mental RAM. If you want you can go over your free writing later and process it into lessons learned and actions to take, but that isn’t necessary.
Walking. Any kind of rhythmic aerobic activity will keep your body occupied and give your brain a chance to decompress. Walking is the easiest thing to do, but it works for running, bicycle riding, rollerblading and lots of other types of exercise. The key is to leave your iPod at home!
Choose Your Own. There are many other (healthy) habits that people practice to help them increase their inner peace. A short list includes: gardening, yoga, massage, cooking, knitting, fishing, reading, long baths, and artistic pursuits. Think about some activity in your life that helps you feel more peaceful. If you don’t have one, find one ASAP.
As the list above suggests, inner peace is achieved through practice. We have to actively pursue it, it doesn’t just come to us.
Achieve More Inner Peace
I’ve been thinking about inner peace a lot lately, because I’ve been involved in creating a Ebook that is all about helping people increase the amount of inner peace they experience. It is called Secrets to Creating More Inner Peace and it contains chapters by five bloggers who work in the personal development realm. We’re a diverse group with many different points of view on the subject. This diversity adds a lot of value to the work, because we approach the concept of inner peace from different ways that make it more accessible to more people.
The Ebook is completely free because we genuinely want to help people improve in this important area. The one thing we ask is that if you enjoy the work, or have any questions about it, you stop by the forums at Personal Development Partners and let us know. PDP is a community of people who are committed to personal growth and development. We support each other through the forums, mastermind groups and collaborative projects like Secrets to Creating More Inner Peace.
PDP has a free membership level, but to get maximum value out of your time there, I recommend joining as a Premium Member like me. Normally this type of membership costs $19.95 per month, and is well worth it, but until the end of June you can join at the Premium level for $57 for life! This is a great value because Premium members get access to well over $300 worth of electronic products from some great leaders in the personal development field.
We know gas prices suck. Instead of complaining about it, think about ways to be creative about your gas usage. There are lots of ways to accomplish your objectives without breaking the bank.
If you have ideas, reply to my Utter, or leave comments at NeverTheSameRiverTwice.com.
My friend and fellow blogger Andrew of Elephants on Bicycles posted this video, and I just had to follow suit. Right now, this very instant, pause for 2 minutes and 22 seconds and watch this:
Now, make a list of 3 ways you can “Dance to the Music” before this weekend is over. Here’s my list:
Get out on the water, or at least to the beach.
Sleep in tomorrow and enjoy every minute of it.
Tell 5 of the people closest to me that I love them - and really mean it.
Your turn. Make a list, go out and do it, and if you’re so inclined, tell us about it in the comments.
Anyone who has been near an airport in last five years knows that all of the romance of air travel is long gone. Present day flying experiences can be degrading, demoralizing, and downright crazy-making. From security regulations that scrutinize everything from your shampoo to your footwear, to airlines that are so financially screwed that they are charging you for the privilege of eating stale peanuts, leisure and business travel alike have become chores more than adventures.
Getting there (and back) is no longer half the fun.
There is a way to turn this challenge into an opportunity, however. It involves changing the way you approach a trip, doing a little scenario planning, and being prepared for the inevitable bumps in the road (pun intended) when you are traveling. By doing this, you can turn travel difficulties into personal growth opportunities.
I recently had the chance to test my own personal growth and levels of flexibility when my employer sent me on 24 hour trip with 3 days notice. For the real road warriors out there, this would be no big deal, but for me it was a stretch assignment. Because of the short notice, I had few flight options available. In addition, I really wanted to avoid a long drive to a major airport, so I was limited to a couple smaller regional airports that would require connecting flights. I ended up booking flights with short connection times, had 1 flight where I didn’t receive a seat assignment upon purchase (red flag!), had late flights that were probably the last ones in, and the weather forecast called for storms the whole time.
In short, this trip had the potential to be a nightmare.
The good news is, I knew it could be a nightmare, so I was able to plan ahead and prepare appropriately. How did I prepare myself to cope with a possible travel hell? I took the following 3 steps:
1. Do Some Scenario Planning. As I explained in my post How to Do Scenario Planning, scenario planning is a tool for imagining several possible futures, then planning your responses to them. In this situation, I knew that I had a good chance of missing a connection, getting bumped, or having a flight canceled due to weather. Because of my late flights, if that happened it would be nearly impossible to get a flight that same evening to my destination.
2. Figure Out Responses to Each Scenario. I realized that if I missed my flight, I probably would not be able to get to my destination on the evening before my meeting. Fortunately, the meeting didn’t start until 9:30 am and the really critical part wouldn’t begin until 11:00 am, so I had a little time to play with. I came up with three possible responses to this:
Sleep in an airport hotel and catch an early morning flight. This would be my first choice. Assuming a flight and a room was available, I would take this option.
Sleep in the airport and catch an early morning flight. If a flight was available, but the hotels were all booked, I figured I could get at least a little sleep in the airport before getting a 6:00 am flight.
Rent a car and drive through the night. The hub airport I had to fly into is about an 8 hour drive from my destination. If not flights could get me to my meeting before 11:00 am the next morning, I could make the drive and perhaps get a couple hours sleep.
3. Prepare For Each Response. After I decided on my possible responses, I did what I could to make each of them as pleasant as possible:
Carried on my luggage. That way I wouldn’t have to deal with lost luggage if I was delayed or put on another plane. Plus, it was only a 24 hour trip, so I didn’t need to carry much anyway.
Packed earplugs, a blind fold, snacks, and some entertainment in case I ended up sleeping in the airport.
Had contact information for the meeting organizers, my hotel, my office, and anyone else I might have to contact if my plans changed.
Carried some cash. I find that cash can make life easier in difficult circumstances, so I carried about $150 - just enough to help out with taxis, food, and tips for helpful people.
Most importantly, I mentally prepared to stay calm and stick with my planned responses by visualizing them ahead of time.
Keep It In Perspective
Nearly all travel, even for business, is optional these days. For most of us, most of the time, getting to our desired destination on time is a matter of convenience, not life and death. I knew during my whole trip that if I never made it to my meeting I wouldn’t get fired, my employer wouldn’t go out of business, and life as we know it would not end. Keeping that perspective made the whole experience less stressful.
Given how challenging travel can be, I think it is one of the best ways to stretch your mental muscles and exercise your creativity.
What Was the Result?
Well, after all my careful thinking and preparation, the travel gods decided to smile down upon me. Except for having to jog to make one connection, I had a very smooth trip, got to my meeting, and got home again within 32 hours. Maybe it was my advanced preparation that helped
If you have stories about ways that travel nightmares have helped you grow as a person, please tell us about them in the comments.
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