How do you start your Mondays?
No matter our work and purpose, the struggle to get stuff done is often a source of shame and pressure. It can be for my neurosparkly brain, anyway.
Below is my Monday plan - when I remember to use it, things actually turn out much smoother.
Offered in the spirit that some of this might spark something useful for you.
*****
Tune in - get quiet/ground/breathe etc.
Convert inbox messages with tasks to mini-projects (what I call tasks as they almost always have several steps hidden inside, sneaky buggers) - email/Teams/whatsapp
(Tune in)
Go through all lists and create post-its (or whatever) of mini-projects with a hard absolute deadline of your last working day this week or before
Sort by absolute hard deadline of today, tomorrow, next day etc
(Tune in)
In addition, choose the one important but not urgent project to focus on and book into Deep Work slot
(Tune in)
See if you’re mentally bouncing off/squinting/clenching/glazing over any of the mini-projects and go deeper into why (still, slow, gentle)
(Tune in)
Choose first mini-project with a deadline and list alllll the tiny steps
(Tune in)
Tune into which tools to use - postits, music/telly/podcast in background, stand/sit, rewards, timer, body double, text accountability…
(Tune in)
Do the steps!
(Tune in)
Choose next mini-project with a deadline (repeat 7-9) then nice-to-get-dones
****
Wish I'd remembered this today. Past Meg knows me well. I should listen to her advice…
A question that's helping me be less anxious as a leader
When I look at what's required for us to become the kind of leaders the world needs, so much of it comes down to... feelings.
Anxiety, dread, grief, anger, overwhelm, exhaustion. All of these come up as we face the challenges of creating a new world whilst swimming in the current world. They can stop us taking the action that we need to.
I have a question/reminder that I'm experimenting with today that might be useful.
When I read Laura Van Dernoot Lipsky's work on overwhelm and secondary trauma (back when I made all those youtube videos in six weeks?), I thought becoming less overwhelmed was going to be all about systems and stuff.
But so much of what she recommends is things that increase our capacity - like, being in nature, seeing people we love, getting sleep, having a stillness practice, moving....
And I'm really really doing my best to do these things. I'm moving once or twice a day, I'm convening some queer open house spaces so we have some community, I'm doing crafts, reading more, I'm trying to turn off Grey's Anatomy and prioritise sleep.
But I come from a line of matriarchs who worried. And let's be frank, we live in an increasingly worrying world.
For me, worry and anxiety is what I feel when a part of me feels like something bad is going to happen.
I don't know about you, but I forget that that feeling of certainty doesn't actually mean I can predict the future.
So here's the reminder I'm using today:
****
You don't actually know what's going to happen. Are you opening to the present moment?
****
I don't know what's going to happen later on today, tomorrow, next week. I certainly don't know what's going to happen nationally and globally in the coming years.
But opening to the current moment will make it more likely I can take the next wise and timely action.
I've already used this reminder SEVERAL times today and I think it's helping.
How does that sit with you? What else helps you with staying out of the worst bits of worry? I'm all ears for strategies!