Category: Focus

Let Other People Stop You

Give your colleagues the power of No!
They’ll keep you in line.

“Don’t let me go to lunch with you!” 

Tell your favorite lunch-mate that you can’t go out because you have to finish a task. Later, have them tell you how awesome it was, so next time you’ll plan ahead.

“Don’t let me sign up for anything at today’s project meeting.”

Tell your colleague to poke you if you start to accept any new tasks or responsibilities. They’ll probably poke you harder than you like, but it will be worth it.

“Don’t let me leave my office unless I’ve handed off the mailing list.”

Tell your assistant to block the door unless you’ve finished the task. Let them tackle you if you try to escape.

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Photo by Planetbene, Creative Commons License

Posted on by Phil Marsosudiro 0

Do The Thing You’re Doing

Do the thing you’re doing.

If you start to write a quick email, WRITE THE QUICK EMAIL.

Are you sending a note to Ted? Between the time you click “start” and the time you hit “send”, a dozen things might try to grab you (e.g., check other email! clear recycling off your desk! get up and grab a snack! read the memo that’s on your desk!). Don’t do them. WRITE THE EMAIL TO TED.

Self-talk helps:

I’m writing an email to Ted.
I’m writing sentence one.
I’m writing sentence two
…
I’m writing the last sentence.
I’m clicking send.

Self-talk as much as you need. At every urge to do something different, talk yourself through the next sentence. You might need to self-talk through the end of the email. Or your mind might latch onto the task after one or two sentences, and you’ll finish without distraction.

Either way, guess what happens by the end?

You sent your email to Ted! Done. Finished. Off your list and out of your brain. Yay! Now pick the next thing to do, and Do It.

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Editor’s note: I’m pleased to say that I finished this whole post without writing any other post, dumping my recycling, getting a snack, or reading anything else on my desk. Self-talk!

Posted on by Phil Marsosudiro 0

You Can’t Score Twenty Points in One Play

to do vs done

You can’t score Twenty points in one play.

Coaches know this. Athletes need reminders.

In football, the most you can score in one play is six points. In basketball, only three.

If you’re down twenty and try to catch up in one play, you’ll fail. Even if you only think about all the plays you’ll need to catch up, you’ll fail.

One play at a time.

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*a four-point play after a foul doesn’t count because you can’t plan for it 🙂

Posted on by Phil Marsosudiro 0

Washing Dishes: Thich Nhat Hanh

“While washing the dishes one should only be washing the dishes,

which means that while washing the dishes one should be completely aware of the fact that one is washing the dishes.

…There are two ways to wash the dishes. The first is to wash the dishes in order to have clean dishes and the second is to wash the dishes in order to wash the dishes. …If while washing the dishes, we think only of the cup of tea that awaits us, thus hurrying to get the dishes out of the way as if they were a nuisance, then we are not “washing the dishes to wash the dishes.” What’s more, we are not alive during the time we are washing the dishes.

…If we can’t wash the dishes, the chances are we won’t be able to drink our tea either. While drinking the cup of tea, we will only be thinking of other things, barely aware of the cup in our hands. Thus we are sucked away into the future – and we are incapable of actually living one minute of life.”

—
The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation Thich Nhat Hanh

Posted on by Phil Marsosudiro 0