Winning habits aren't always the most complex. Enhance clarity to build consistency and establish accountability through the simple discipline of scheduling. Scheduling is the process of having a plan, or at least attempting to tell you day how you think it should go. Writing down your goals is important to do on the macro level of having a life plan, on the annual level of mapping out your course and on the micro level of having a daily road map. There is something special that happens when we take the time to write things down, there is some connection between the engagement of the brain and the enabling of the will that is connected to committing something to your calendar. Read more on the stories of successful people who are in the habit of writing down their goals, HERE. Scheduling yourself the day prior or early in the morning enables you to be ahead of your day before the chaos hits and the day takes on a mind of it’s own. If you don't schedule ahead, you will always be playing from behind. You never want to get behind, as we all know - that's where the farts are. Whether you schedule in blocks of time or are down to the minute, prioritization (more) starts with having a target. Real Estate mogul and Shark Tank star, Barbara Cocoran, swears by her daily to-do list which she hand writes every night, prioritizes with a simple rating system and emails to her personal assistant for accountability. In an interview with Inc. Magazine Barbara outlines her process, “I rate the items in order of importance: A, B, or C. The A's are where the gold is. These are the things that will move my business ahead and make me money. I find there are really only three to five A items on any given day, and I do those first.” Goal setting is a muscle that must be worked out on the daily, it requires mental strength, it will test your will power and it is enhanced by accountability from others. Setting aside time in your day to prepare yourself can be as simple as the habit of writing down your schedule. Organization in this way becomes a powerful habit that will help you to make gains on the items that are important to you. Like budgeting for your finances, a good plan will assist you to spend your time (which is impossible to recoup) where it is needed rather than be in a vicious cycle of questioning where the time went at the end of your day. Making your schedule visible to yourself and your team members creates a level of accountability as well as demonstrates leadership by example (more). Vince Lombardi has a great saying, “The will to win is not nearly so important as the will to prepare to win.” Who doesn’t want to win? Yet the thing that separates those who achieve success from those who talk about it is found in the preparation that winners put in. Those hours of discipline do not happen by accident, they come with a commitment to schedule in time for the things that are important, to prioritize and to persevere through the pain. Organization can be painful or just plain overlooked by many, but a successful system does not have to be complex to be effective. In terms of property restoration every production manager knows that our schedules have to be constructed with a certain amount of flexibility in them for those inevitable calls for emergency services from water or fire related damages. Drafting a schedule the day prior and making the plan visible for the team (more) are key to communicating that leadership respects the team and is committed to helping them to be prepared for the upcoming needs of our clients. Scheduling is a core communication component that shows our employees we care about them and creates a visible game plan through which we are able to communicate effectively with our clients as well (more). The discipline of scheduling your self should carry into the care of scheduling the team and the courtesy of communicating those schedules to our clients. The will to prepare to win starts with personal habits that translate into organizational systems that guide our core professional services. Being organized forces us to care about and budget our time. Scheduling generates habits that position us to pursue our goals with clarity, consistency and accountability. Simple things can be the difference between long term success (more) and cycles of chaos. Organizational truth: Don’t get behind, that’s where the farts are. References: More from Barbara Cocoran in her interview with Inc. Magazine, including video - https://www.inc.com/magazine/201704/anna-hensel/day-in-the-life-barbara-corcoran.html
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My kids ask about the olden days, "You know, like back in the 1900's." There are moment as we laugh that we realize there are reference points and resources which they will have no frame work to comprehend. One such resource that we used in the days long before was the Thomas Guide, do you remember these? We tale for granted that you now can instantaneous directions that are interactive and will talk you through the intricacies of your journey. In the days before cell phones and data applications were a ubiquitous accessory, you used to have to sit down at your computer to print your directions from programs such as Mapquest. People complain that Siri get's them lost, those same people should force themselves to navigate with line item directions while traversing through rush hour traffic. Prior to the Thomas Guide, there were maps. Maps were created as a by product of natural selection in an effort to thin the population either by getting them lost where they could not be found, distracted from driving or to tear families apart arguing over which minuscule turn off was the shortest route. Maps were sold in a compact folded form that you could never get them back into without tearing or throwing into the glove box in a condition twice the purchased size. Imagine driving with a fold out that could fill the drivers compartment trying to read size 6 font in the dark to reach your destination - it makes it rather comical that some crusaders believe cell phones are the first and/or only incarnation of distracted driving. Imagine family trips with no seat belts, no air conditioning and navigating from parchment paper. Needless to say, when the Thomas Guide came out, the world of travel for business and for pleasure became so much more compact and concise. The Thomas Guide had a reference index, you would look up your street and be provided an page as well as index from which you could begin to construct your routes. As crazy as it sounds, in metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles, California, with the Thomas Guide you could more readily re-navigate when there were traffic jams because you could focus in on the area you were headed to rather than having to mess with a the jumbled monstrosity of a large paper map. The world was still un-chartered waters but the Thomas Guide made you feel like you could master the seas, or at least not get so lost that you would be left to die in the expanse with your only friend being a volleyball. Where are we going with this? First, I wanted to share a story about the Thomas Guide with you young-ins who have never heard of such a thing. Secondly, navigation is an essential component of exploration as it relates to achieving your personal and professional goals. Technology has advanced and you may be able to master the latest and greatest electronic gadgets but that doesn't mean you understand how to navigate your journey, connect with the best resources or conquer your ambitions. Mentorship is a catch phrase in the current economy and yet connecting the pieces is harder than it sounds even though we have so many collaboration opportunities. As discussed previously, discussion among peers can be a powerful resource (HERE), like a planned summer vacation the search for ideas and tips can start with sharing with others where you want to visit, what you hope to see as well as asking if others have been where you are trying to go. If you have been frustrated in your search for mentorship - 1) you are not alone, 2) don't give up as it is a worthwhile pursuit and 3) don't discount the network that you have that can help keep you accountable to your vision (The Power of Discussion). Another great place to start is Write It Down. Let us know what you have learned about navigation and mentorship. Connect. Collaborate. Conquer. The ol’ gut isn’t as firm as it used to be and you know you need some exercise but there are so many obstacles to getting into a regimen. First, you struggle with time, whether it’s overloaded while at work or running kids around for activities once you clock out, the amount of time available for personal exercise is limited for most adults. Secondly, like the rest of humanity, you struggle with motivation. The stress of trying to wake up early or to squeeze a quick work out in between the commute from the office to home seem to be the most common options but many working parents struggle to create openings in their packed calendars. Should you do decide to join a gym, you soon find yourself out of place in the politics of waiting for an exercise bike that isn’t designated as the property of the Armstrong wannabe or getting a few reps in on the weight bench from the semi-semi-pro that looks like they could compress you like a tin can. Statistics show that as high as 80% of persons who join a gym in January, the New Years Resolution folks, will drop off within five months (Lake 2014). Many adults are finding fulfillment and success with league based sports such as indoor soccer as they provided a fun way to exercise in a structured, exciting and competitive environment. Structured Most people thrive with some sort of structured activity. While we may be motivated to get healthy we may not know where to start. Unless you can afford the expense of gym membership and a personal trainer, your willingness to pursue your goals may be uprooted by your lack of experience in devising a realistic plan for success. Indoor soccer provides youth and adults with an opportunity to exercise within the structure of an organized activity. The objective is simple enough that all skill levels can immediately engage in the sport. Indoor soccer league play provides non-stop physical activity that engages the mind, challenges the body and activates that competitive spirit. When compared to running on a treadmill or other static cardio workouts, soccer provides a more complete workout. Soccer places positive stress on your muscles, heart and lungs within the structure of an activity that is fun to participate in. Depending on your body composition and intensity in the activity, 30 minutes of soccer can burn an average of 300 calories, whereas running an average pace of 6 miles per hour or 1 mile every 10 minutes burns roughly 135 calories for an averaged size person (many variables to both). Indoor soccer provides year round opportunities to engage in a higher intensity cardio activity that challenges the whole body. Thirty minutes of soccer will test your body and engage you in physical activity that would otherwise be rather mundane if that same amount of time were spent on a single piece of exercise equipment. Exciting The primary objective for soccer is to work with your teammates to kick a ball down the field (aka pitch) and into a net (the goal) while stopping the other team from trying to kick that same ball into your team’s net. Like many organized activities, as participants engage in the sport they often develop a desire to progress in the essential skills. Many parents are recognizing that soccer provides a fun introductory sport for children of all ages and skills and there are few sports as fast paced as soccer for young ones to enlist in. Rather than enduring long periods of inactivity or the potential to participate in an entire game without having ever touched the ball, children and adults will enjoy constant action through competitive soccer. In this way, competitive sports can also serve as a supplement to a fitness routine as the testing of cardio health, endurance, physical skill, coordination, flexibility and friendly competition are all positive enhancements in building overall health. Indoor soccer adds the convenience of being sheltered from weather conditions enabling year round participation and allowing parents to enjoy a snack or get some work done while children participate. Many indoor facilities such as Kick City Sports Park in Springfield, Oregon have a full pub onsite with warm food and cool drinks (Kick City in particular hosts 20 taps of local craft beers and ciders). Indoor soccer adds opportunities for connection with other players, friends and family as the indoor facilities has shelter and amenities which other sports programs cannot provide. Competitive As an adult your first time on the pitch for an indoor soccer game will confirm just how out of shape you are, as there is constant running combined with non-stop activity that will thoroughly test your endurance. The good news for indoor soccer league participants is that you can substitute as often and as many times as needed, again allowing persons who aren’t where they would like to be physically to engage and build their stamina. If you stay with the sport you will soon notice a hunger developing to be fit enough to complete (meeting your exercise goals) as well as the growing thirst to progress in your soccer skills (activating your competitive spirit). Exercising the body while challenging the minds through coordination of skills, the competitive nature of the sport of soccer becomes a fun means of keeping all ages focused in the setting and reaching of goals. Indoor soccer leagues provide opportunities to develop or deepen relationships with persons that will challenge as well as encourage you. Soccer provides a host of physical, mental and developmental challenges including cardio fitness, muscular dexterity, coordination, respect and teamwork. Whether you are an individual seeking an activity to help you get healthy or a parent who needs an activity for your children, you will find that soccer meets your needs and more. For the health conscious adult, as you consider your fitness goals for the following year, grab some friends and start an adult indoor soccer team or register with your local sports park and join a house team with the opportunity to meet new friends. If you are a parent looking for an activity to help your children burn off their energy, indoor soccer is about as good as it gets with regards to a fun activity to observe, has no bad weather days and provides opportunities to network or get some work done while your children participate. All ages and skill levels will find that indoor competitive soccer provides a fun way to exercise in a structured, exciting and competitive environment. Lake, Rebecca (2014, December 28) 23 Gym Membership Statistics That Will Astound You. Credit Donkey. Retrieved from https://www.creditdonkey.com/gym-membership-statistics.html
When you have four children, Disney movies come with the territory...all of them. Every now and again, a decent one comes along. Every now and now and again one comes along that is done really well. For those of you that don't have kids and would feel creepy going to a movie theater to watch a children's movie, you may have missed Zootopia. The brief backstory, there is a bunny, Judy Hopps, that wants to become a police officer. She is idealistic and ambitious but there has never been a bunny police officer on the Zootopia Police Department, her own parents believe the venture is too dangerous and no one believes that she can do it. As most children's stories go, the hardworking dreamer finds a way to achieve her goal, YAY! End of story, the movie is what we all thought it would be, right? Not quite. Judy Hopps becomes a police officer, there is a big ceremony and this historic first is politically lauded while simultaneously scoffed under the breath of most. Our heroine shows up for duty her first day at the ZPD and while everyone else is assigned to beats that have significance, young Hopps is assigned to lowly parking duty. Her boss, Chief Bogo declares, "Life isn't some cartoon musical where you sing a little song and your insipid dreams magically come true, so let it go." Parking duty it is. I'll try not to ruin the story too much but in short, Judy has a dream that has been laughed at since she was a child and even discouraged by her own parents. Ms. Hopps is able to find a way to achieve her dreams but once she makes it she finds there are still hills to climb if her dream is going to be fully realized. She excels in her original assignment and finds a means to acquire an assignment of significance that also comes with great personal risk. Officer Hopps has some initial success but reaches a point where she is ready to quit until she receives some inspiration and valuable assistance from an unlikely friend. Judy reaches what should be the pinnacle by cracking a case that no one else was able to solve. She is celebrated as a hero she is commemorated by the establishment but also makes a well intentioned blunder. She publicly putts her rabbit foot in her mouth in a big way, which proves to be a mistake that ripples into broad reaching negative impacts. Judy faces new challenges to deepen her understanding of what is important, to restore relationships, to find the resolve to create solutions as well as fight for success in the pursuit of her dreams. The philosophy of life so often promoted is that of get rich or die trying, when the reality is that the quality of life is a richer pursuit than becoming the next mega millionaire. Regardless of the end goal, the journey to any level of success is not one large hill with an epic battle to the top it is a series of hills with many battles, surviving many deaths and continuing momentum when each sequence reveals a new set of challenges. With Zootopia the takeaway isn't as much the often repeated, if you have a dream you can achieve it but a more apt overview of life where you may achieve it but that doesn't mean the battle is over. Keep doing good things. |
AuthorThoughts on personal and professional development. Jon Isaacson, The Intentional Restorer, is a contractor, author, and host of The DYOJO Podcast. The goal of The DYOJO is to help growth-minded restoration professionals shorten their DANG learning curve for personal and professional development. You can watch The DYOJO Podcast on YouTube on Thursdays or listen on your favorite podcast platform.
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