WEEK 45: BEING A PRO

WT = Waiting Time. DT = Development Time.

PLANNING (task, scheduling, and WT = DT):  I plan to write my Leap Year W16 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 back home in Brazil. It is a great feeling to be able to have a place called home and sleep in your own bed. 

EXECUTION (strategies used):  W45 complete! 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 Be a Po B and Implementation Intentions strategies, as I was not able to complete the task until later on in the week. 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...

Be a PRO: I actually learned this strategy through insights from Jeff Goins, Tim Ferris, and James Clear. 

First, Jeff Goins mentioned in a podcast that “action will follow mindset.” Second, James Clear wrote that it does not matter what you want to become better at, the only skill that separates a “Pro” from an “amateur” is the ability to show up. Third, Tim Ferris said on his 4-Hr Work Week blog that “Practicing key habits when we don’t want to is the most key habit to all.” This reinforces this idea of being a “Pro” by having the mindset to show up consistently and completing the work.

The difficult thing about being a pro requires us to consistently follow through. Yet, we often let the challenges of everyday life get in the way and only attempt to do the work when we feel motivated. This produces small gains if any and leads us down a path of frustration. There will be days when you do not want to complete a key habit or activity, but develop the mindset of a “Pro” by showing up, sticking to your schedule, and then completing the tasks that move your forward.

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.

REFLECTIONS (learnings and actions): Approximately 87% of my Leap Year process is now complete. Can't believe it, but also know there is a lot that has to be done before the completion of my first manuscript in the remaining 13% of the time I have left. While this will present challenges and might cause me to fear not getting done, I now know that fear will always be a part of completing something meaningful. You just have to be willing to dance with it on a continuous basis as there will always be a level of uncertainty in whatever you try. So let's dance!

Here are my reflections for the week.

What went well?

The weekly task was much easier to complete, as we finally made it back to our home in Brazil. We had an amazing time the last 30 days visiting family and friends from all across the US, but like I mentioned above, it is good to be home. 

I have learned that sticking to key habits and "Being a Pro" is much more difficult when you are traveling. Schedules are not set and there are numerous daily challenges that you have to deal with on a consistent basis. This all on top of staying committed to your key habits...completing your weekly task to complete your Leap Year process.

Now that we are home and I have had some time to reflect about this, I truly understand the meaning of "Being a Pro." In the past I would have let the challenges of traveling overwhelm me and allow myself to say "tomorrow I will get to those meaningful tasks." Additional excuses would have surfaced when I thought there was no time or I did not want to miss out on something. Thus, taking me away from dedicating time to those tasks that I know would have moved me forward. 

I will be honest and say it was a struggle at times to stay committed to the weekly tasks during the trip, but this idea of "Being a Pro" is one thing that also continually popped up in my mind every time I did not want to complete the task. This would take me back to the "Be a Pro" strategy that says to first have the mindset to show up. Then, stick to your schedule, even if that means you have to schedule another time to commit to the task as you were not able to do so on the original scheduled time. Lastly, complete the task, no matter what. It was not perfect at times and there times when I could only devote 10 - 20 minutes, but the key is that I showed up, stuck to my schedule, and completed the tasks! 

Lastly, I read something great from Benjamin Hardy on the site Medium titled  "There is No Way to Happiness." In the article he writes that we often have (money, time, love) before they can do what they want, which in turn allow them to be (happy, successful, motivated...). I can attest that I felt this way for long periods of time and would tell myself "If I only had more time or money, I could start." Probably some of you have told yourself the same thing at one point or another. 

The funny thing is that successful people actually look at this sequence in reverse. They first choose to be (happy, successful, motivated...). This leads them to do what they want and then have (money, time, love).

A prime example of this is Scott Adams, the famous cartoonist and creator of the comic strip Dilbert. He would write 15 times a day the sentence "I Scott Adams, will become a syndicated cartoonist." This idea was buried deep into his subconscious mind and he sought daily activities that would allow him to fulfill this statement. The more he drew and wrote, the more opportunities presented themselves to him that he never saw before. Then, he eventually became a syndicated cartoonist. 

What Benjamin wrote and the idea of "Being a Pro" go hand in hand. First, choose to be a pro. Second, commit to the schedule to do and complete activities that will help you become a pro. Third, one day you will have the life of a pro!

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

Speak in a manner that matches my intentions. I, or my wife, caught me talking in harsh and acerbic tones a couple of times this week. I did this unconsciously, and was not aware of this until she pointed this out to me. I will be mindful of this and match my intentions to the way I talk to others. 

What is something to avoid next week?

Speaking harshly to others.