WEEK 38: LET GO AND BE PRESENT

WT = Waiting Time. DT = Development Time.

PLANNING (task, scheduling, and WT = DT):  I plan to write my Leap Year W9 post into the site Medium onWednesday at 6 PM in study. I plan to turn those small WTs into Grateful Time, where I look to see what I can be grateful for in those situations. For example, last week I thought how great it was to be able to speak another language. This ability has provides so many opportunities and allows me to communicate with more people than I ever thought possible. 

EXECUTION (strategies used):  W38 completed and it was done so on the first scheduled time. Although I use a combination of many strategies throughout the week, there are always some that are used more than others depending on what comes up. For example, I relied heavily on Implementation Intentions and Got 2-minutes strategies this week, as I was able to follow through and make use of small pockets of time to create meaningful results. The highlighted strategies that were used in the week are listed below along with the I CAN'T statements that they help overcome. 

Procrastination...I CAN'T because I am not motivated or do not feel like it...

Early Scheduling = Implementation Intentions: This is a strategy that I credit to completing my tasks consistently on a weekly basis. In this strategy, you first PLAN to complete a task at a SCHEDULED time (day and time) in a specific location as early in the week as you can. More specifically you fill in the following statement.

I plan to [task] on [day] at [time] in [location].

Three benefits are produced from doing this. First, you get a sense of accomplishment if you complete the task in the beginning of the week at the scheduled time. In addition, it allows you to devout more time to do additional tasks to reach your goals within the same week. Second, it provides more time to complete the task if life presents you with something that needs to be attended to during the original scheduled time. Lastly, research shows that you are 2X to 3X more likely to follow through on your actions. I learned about this strategy from James Clear, who is a great blogger that writes on the science of human behavior and how to build better habits. He shows the research on how Implementation Intentions help you follow through on your plans and achieve your goals.

Procrastination...I CAN'T start because I do not have enough time...

Got 2-minutes: I learned the 2-minute rule from James Clear and it helps you initiate a task, as usually this is the most difficult step. This strategy helps you focus on what you would do in the first 2 minutes of starting a task and then completing those actions.  Often times do this and then look up at the clock and see that I have been working for well over 2 minutes. I have now merged this with the "Got a Minute" strategy, which is used to turn any amount of free time into productive time. It comes from Vierordt's Law, which states that when estimating a previous task, people overestimate short durations and underestimate long ones. Simply, we regularly overestimate how long it will take to accomplish meaningful tasks. Often times they can be accomplished in a short amount of time, so don't judge if you will start something by how much time you think you have, just start! 

REFLECTIONS (learnings and actions): W38 check! Another week and another completed tasks. Below are my reflections from the week.

What went well?

I was able to complete the weekly task on the original scheduled time for the second week in a row and it was due to using Implementation Intentions. I realized the power of using them when I was talking to my Master Mind group from my software business. 

We were discussing how often times we place important task to be completed at the start of the day or either at end after work. Unfortunately, the temptation to sleep in another 45 minutes or the feeling of exhaustion after work pushes these important tasks, ie completing the weekly task, off until another day. Usually we all have a mental argument in our heads about whether to even start the task. Here is sample of internal conversation that I have sometimes.

(4:30 AM as the alarm goes off) 

ME 1: Hey you need to write 400 pages this morning!

ME 2: Yeah, but it would be great to sleep in for another hour. We did not go to sleep until 11 PM last night.

ME 1: I know, but we know by writing 400 words a day will make it easier to get to our goal of 37,000 words for the book before mid-June.

ME2: Yeah, but I can write 800 words tomorrow to make up for it.

ME1: You know you will never do that. 

ME2: No I promise I will do it, now please let me go back to sleep.

ME1: I know just as much as you that you are not going to write 800 words tomorrow slacker...

The conversation would probably continue, but you get the point. An important fact to point out here is that you are expending valuable will power during the process just to decide whether you will take an action. This in turn causes stress, which in turn creates a fertile setting for us to revert to our old habits (going back to sleep for me in the example above).

This is where the power of  Implementation Intentions comes in. Like I mentioned above you are 2X or 3X more likely to follow through on actions just by picking a [day] + [time] and [place] to complete your tasks. That is it! There is no catch, all you do is fill in that statement and complete the action. 

Now I know some of you are probably saying how can just picking the [day] + [time] and [place] help me do that? I thought  the same thing, and I didn't really see the power when I started using this strategy in the first weeks of my Leap Year process. But, what was the breakthrough? Well, even thoughI have added more things to do in my life recently, ie writing additional blog posts in the site Medium and starting my software company (and everything that entails to do that), and writing my book, I am able to follow through easier now then at the start of my process. Why? Because I use Implementation Intentions on tasks that I know will move me forward. There are weeks when I have to use multiple Implementation Intentions, but this reduces the strain on my will power because I have less mental arguments on whether I should complete the task. Which in turn,  puts less strain on the brain and allows me to focus my will power on more important things...like writing this beneficial post for you. 

This strategy is ingrained in my process now and has allowed me to be accountable for 38 straight weeks and it can help you too! So use IMPLEMENTATION INTENTIONS to complete your weekly tasks on a consistent basis!

What is something we can improve upon? What actions can we take next week?

Resisting the current situation. I often times want to control so many things in my life and this often leads to frustration. For example, I was preparing my 11th grade students for their end of the year exams and wanted to briefly review a past topic so that we could get to the more advanced material. Unfortunately a lot of them wanted to review the past topic more in depth. I was not present and did not listen to the current situation. Instead of using this valuable time together being productive, I guilted them for not knowing the material. :(  MRK...I know, a bad teaching moment. 

To remedy this I will take the advice from Dane and Andy, software consultants from The Foundation, and "Resist nothing, and welcome everything!" in order to be present, listen, and help others be understood.

What is something to avoid next week?

Not try to control everything and resisting what the current situation is presenting. 

Thanks for tuning in and see you in week 39!