Uh-Oh. Here we are. It’s May 1. It’s almost the end of the Second Quarter. You started the year full of optimism, charted your goals, made it through the winter and now you are losing steam. The siren call of baseball games and restaurant patios can take over and before you know it you will be scrambling to make up for lost time in the fall. It is silly to think that your habits would not need to change when there is an average of three extra hours of sunlight each day to be enjoyed. Couple that with spring sports for the kids and increased social activity and it is easy to get overwhelmed.
Here are some tips to regain momentum while enjoying every moment of delicious sunshine you want.
1. Evaluate your original goals and targets. Are they still relevant? Have there been changes that now require you to pivot in a different direction? Or is your original goal even attainable still? Sometimes we lose motivation because deep down we are so far away from the original goal that we subconsciously give up. There is nothing wrong with changing your original goals especially if it re-energizes you to move forward. Progress is success and what is vital is that you are still excited to get up and attack the day.
2. Prioritize what matters most and eat the frog. Most of us are great at making to-do lists and checking them off. We typically will do the activities first that take the least amount of time and effort which may not get us closer to our goals. What is the one action that you could take that will get you the most results no matter how long it takes to get it done? Do that first. The principle is based on the concept that you can have exactly the life you want but some people wait to eat the frog until the end of the day and spend all day worrying about it instead of getting it over with. When you eat the frog first it has the dual benefit of you feeling successful because you made progress and you do not have the stress of incomplete tasks hanging over your head.
3. Schedule your week in advance. Do you schedule your week or does your schedule own you? Look at the meetings, conference calls, etc that you must attend or that someone else has planned for you for the following week. I do this on Thursday so on Friday I can contact people to move appointments if necessary. Once you have the “big rocks” in place what are the things you would like to do? What social outings do you want to schedule? What activities do you need to participate in for your kids? Once you have a clear picture of what this looks like you may need to change your schedule to complete work when others aren’t around to make up for lost productivity in the afternoon/evening. Examples would be waking up half an hour earlier to tackle e-mails while your family is still sleeping, only watching TV while you are on the treadmill or outsourcing your household chores.
Recent Comments