WEEK 41: RESIST NOTHING, WELCOME EVERYTHING

WT = Waiting Time. DT = Development Time.

PLANNING (task, scheduling, and WT = DT):  I plan to write my Leap Year W12 post into the site Medium onWednesday at 6 PM in BRECKENRIDGE, CO. 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 travel and be able to see family. 

EXECUTION (strategies used):  W41 in the books. 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 the Implementation Intentions, and Got 2-minutes strategies as I was traveling to see family this week and had to take advantage of small pockets of time to complete the weekly tasks. 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): I am now more than 3/4 of the way through my Leap Year process and definitely feel a stronger pull towards the completion of the task. I am not sure where I heard this, but once you cross a certain point, the need to complete the task is greater than giving up. There are11 weeks left and although I felt getting to this point was near impossible when I started my Leap Year process, I am now wondering if I have enough time to get everything that I want done in the remaining time.

This sense of unknowing would have stressed me out, but I have learned that there will always be a level of uncertainty in whatever you try. You just have to "Trust that you will figure it out" and have a bias towards action. The steps that you will need will always appear at the right time.

What went well?

I was able to complete the weekly task not on the first scheduled date, but used two Implementation Intentions to complete it on Thursday. In addition, I was able to maximize my small pockets of time (when everyone was napping or eating breakfast) by incorporating the Got 2-minutes strategy.

Like I mentioned above I am  currently traveling in Colorado visiting family right now. I am grateful to be sharing these moments with my wife and son. Whether it be sharing conversations with my Great Grandam TuTu (she is 96 and is able to do more things than people 10 years younger) or driving through the Rockies and seeing the beauty of these majestic mountains. 

Additionally, I am a big supporter of technology, but nothing beats being physically in front of someone and being able to touch and converse with them. My son Tae has only really seen or communicated with his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins through Skype and Facetime, so it has been great for my family to interact with him and Megan in person. 

That being said, I have also learned that traveling with a 15 month year old also requires a lot of planning. Where will he sleep, what happens when he gets sick, what foods will he eat, what objects do we need to look out for....the list never ends. Furthermore, there is the task of packing, unpacking, and moving three suitcases and endless other small bags every couple of days from one house to another. Quite difficult and stressful at times to say the least.

I have mentioned this in earlier posts, but in the past I would have let these everyday challenges stress me out and I would not devote the time to meaningful tasks in my life...ie my Leap Year. I would complete these "To Do's", but this would leave me frustrated for not attending to the things that really mattered to me. I would be frantically trying to accomplish what was an immediate priority, while also trying to answer the nagging question in my head "When are you going to get back in shape, get your finances in order, or write that book?" 

Today, I am much more at ease and able to take on both the everyday challenges, while still devoting time to pursuing, discovering, and achieving my dreams. Hopefully the Leap Year process can provide you the strategies and tools to do the same for you. 

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

Not judging the WHATS, specific outcomes, of life. I often catch myself reacting to everything that is happening around me, which often leads to an unhealthy dose of judgement. For example, when my son fell and scraped his head, I thought "Who's fault was it, who was not watching him....?" But then taking a moment to think about it, I realized he could have and has fallen in front of me before. Truth of the matter is that kids will fall, even if you try to plan around every situation. 

This is but one instance where I judged a specific WHAT, and was not thinking of the WHY. For the example above, my WHY is that I love my son and he will fall from time to time, no matter how much I plan in advance. I just have to support him the best I can and trust others to do the same. This will help me move away from judging myself or others when he does fall. 

This situation also reminds me of a quote from Dane Maxwell. He says to "Resist nothing, and welcome everything" in life. In simple terms, you will be far more able to succeed if you don't react to every WHAT (judge the result) and welcome everything as an opportunity to learn and grow. 

What is something to avoid next week?

Judging...people, situations, and myself.