Life is busy for many of us. In fact, sometimes it feels like a whirlwind. Or a roller coaster. Or like I’ve been through the car wash outside of my car. When someone asks me how my week has gone, my initial answer is usually a reflection of the most recent things that have happened. But if I stop and really think about it, I often have a different reaction. My exclamation of, “What a week!” will often turn to, “Actually, it wasn’t too bad.” The difference is stopping to reflect.
Closing out the week
I’ve been having trouble staying asleep lately. I’m not completely sure what the root cause is quite yet, but I’ve definitely found some contributing factors. One of the big culprits is not emptying my brain at the end of the day. It builds throughout the week, and then spills over into the weekend. I decided to try taking my own advice.
At the end of the week, before I close down my computer, I turn to a fresh page in my notebook. I like writing this out rather than typing it. Seems to create more of a connection for me. But you do what works for you.
I look over the tasks from the past week and see if there’s anything I forgot to take care of. There almost always is. If I can knock it out quickly, I do. If I can’t (or have no more bandwidth), it goes on the list for the next week.
I also sit back and reflect on the week overall.
What do I feel good about from the week?
What did not go as planned?
Why did that happen?
What can I do differently next week to ensure a better outcome?
Simple, but not easy, solution
The answers usually lie in how I’ve managed my time. That’s not easy to admit for someone who helps other people think about these same challenges for a living. But at least you know I’m coming from a place of truly understanding how they show up and how hard they are to overcome. My best, simple tricks?
- Block time for working on projects that is protected from anyone scheduling a call or meeting with me.
- Respect said blocked time with the same level of protection I would if the time was blocked for a client call.
- Repeat
You may find another root cause for your challenges. The more honest with yourself you can be about what they are, the more likely you can find a true solution. And if running out of time is your nemesis, too, feel free to share what works best for you. We can all learn from each other.
