WEEK 50: CONNECTIONS

WT = Waiting Time. DT = Development Time.

PLANNING (task, scheduling, and WT = DT):  I plan to write my Leap Year W21 post into the site Medium on Wednesday 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 discuss difficult topics, as usually the learnings and results of the talk are very beneficial. 

EXECUTION (strategies used):  W50 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 Be a Pro and Implementation Intentions strategies this week, as I was not able to complete the task until Saturday. 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): Two more weeks left in my Leap Year process and it is a mad sprint to the get my first manuscript done, but I know everything will turn out. 

I wanted to share how I have been able to crystalize the main purpose of the Leap Year in the past couple of weeks. This has taken 50 weeks to get to this point, but I can concisely state its purpose now. Thus, I can answer easily answer if someone asks "What is the purpose of the Leap Year?"

Identify what you are passionate about. This will lead you to find the highest expressions of your talent that you can share with the world. You do this by consistently devoting time to pursue activities that will help you discover what you are passionate about. That is the purpose of the Leap Year, and the book will provide practical steps to do this in the face of everyday challenges.

There it is!

What went well?

Short and sweet this week. Weekly task completed and the purpose of the Leap Year crystalized. Additionally, I am making good progress on the first manuscript and making a lot of connections through the editing process. Ideas that seemed separate when I added them to the book are now coming together and actually reinforcing each other.  

Cannot wait to share this will everyone!

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

Not holding everything inside and talking about things like an adult as they come up. Similar to a volcano, the more you hold things in, the more pressure is pent up, thus the bigger the eruption. 

What is something to avoid next week?

Bottling things up. 

Thanks for tuning in and see you in W51. 

WEEK 49: START WITH THE WHY

WT = Waiting Time. DT = Development Time.

PLANNING (task, scheduling, and WT = DT):  I plan to write my Leap Year W20 post into the site Medium on Wednesday 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 receive medical care when we need it. This is a privilege you really never know you have, unless you have this taken away from you.

EXECUTION (strategies used):  W49 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 Be a Pro and Implementation Intentions strategies this week, as I was not able to complete the tasks until Saturday morning. 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): I have been sharing my weekly progress on the site Medium and was finally able to crystalize a huge learning about "Following Your Passions" for the book. Below is the post:

Welcome back to the Leap Year, where I share helpful tips on how you can finally take the “Leap” and pursue, discover, and IDENTIFY WHAT YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT. I wanted to share something that I actually was able to connect recently in W49 of my Leap Year process that will allow you not feel overwhelmed with the idea of “Following your Passion.”

David Mead is the right hand man to Simon Sinek, who is an inspirational speaker who presented one of the top 20 TED talks of all time, titled “Start with the WHY.”  Additionally, Simon and David help people all around the world find their purpose, belief, or reasons for doing what they do, or what they call the WHY. This idea of starting with the WHY is the reason behind the success of many well known companies such as Apple and Amazon. 

David explains that certain situations and people put us in environments where we feel at our best. Furthermore, he urges that everyone should embark on this process of discovery to find out what experiences and people put us in these conditions This pursuit allows us to identify the WHY(reasons), HOW (method), and WHAT (specific actions) to our lives much easier.

This idea of starting with the WHY also correlates to human biology, as the outer layer of our brain, neocortex, is where logic and language are controlled. This is why the WHAT, or specific actions, is so easy to talk about. Where as, the inner part, the limbic system, which controls our feelings and houses our WHYs is difficult to talk about. For example, if someone asked you why you loved your spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend, you would probably say things like 

“I love them because they are smart, loves sports, or makes me laugh, or is my best friend.” 

These all describe easy characteristics that you love, but these do not truly express your feelings about them. 

Imagine if you were to take the time to discover and respond “they help me become the person I need to be to reach my potential.” 

This would be a precise assessment of why you love them.

Essentially, this is why it is so hard when someone asks you what you are passionate about or what is your purpose in life is? You have to take a moment to think, and usually respond 

“I don’t know, that is a good question.”

Furthermore, you might feel overwhelmed right now because you do not know what activities or situations bring out the highest expressions of your talents, let alone how to take the steps to pursue and discover the WHY of your life. 

I felt the same thing before I started my Leap Year process and would ask 

Shouldn’t I know my WHY or purpose by now?

Where do I even start?

How can I do this in the face of everyday challenges? 

I wanted to find my calling but felt like I was already drowning in all the questions and doubts that popped up in my mind.

Today, we often read the phrase “Follow Your Passions,” but this is a loaded statement. First, who really knows what they are truly passionate about, and second, how does one find out what they are passionate about? 

I would often feel overwhelmed or stressed not knowing before I started my Leap Year process, but I have learned that before you “Follow Your Passions,” you need to “Identify what you are passionate about.”

Following your passions, requires you to know what you are passionate about, which can be overwhelming just thinking about it. The key is to be passionate about identifying what you are passionate about. 

This will lead you to finding your highest expressions of you talent that you can better the world with. Imagine a world without Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, and the many others who found their passions and calling to add to the world in unthinkable ways.

The same is true for you…that is right, YOU! Everyone has something amazing to share with the world, you just have to take the time to pursue and discover what that is. 

Will it be easy, no, but the rewards of taking on such a worthwhile endeavor far out weigh the uncomfortable feelings that you might have to endure along the way.

What went well?

Weekly task completed and a huge learning about the order Identifying what you are passionate about.  

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

Admit when we don't know something. It is better in situations to listen and admit if you do not understand, rather than talking around an issue. Learned this from receiving a complex problem a student posed in class. 

Additionally, I have mentioned the Japanese word Kaizen in previous posts and I was able to make a connection to this situation. Kaizen is the opposite of perfection, and it focuses on continual learning and growth. 

This is an idea that centers around my core beliefs and is something that struck me when I reflected about being posed a difficult question and talking around it. 

We are all bombarded with various questions on a daily basis, where we have answers to most of them, but a few we do not. I have learned to apply the word Kaizen to these situations and admit that I do not know, but am going to learn what the answer is. 

It is not about having all the answers, but rather having the knowledge that you are be able to go out and find out if you do not know. 

KAIZEN!

What is something to avoid next week?

Think we know everything. 

WEEK 48: A JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND MILES BEGINS WITH A SINGLE STEP

WT = Waiting Time. DT = Development Time.

PLANNING (task, scheduling, and WT = DT):  I plan to write my Leap Year W19 post into the site Medium on Wednesday 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 grateful I was for having the abundance to buy medicine freely. If my family or I get sick, we can just buy what we need without a worry. I am grateful for that. 

EXECUTION (strategies used):  W48 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 Be a Pro, Implementation Intentions, and Got 2-Minutes strategies this week, as I was not able to complete the weekly task until Friday afternoon. 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.

Procrastination...I CAN'T 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. All you have to do is focus on what you would do in the first 2 minutes of starting a task and then complete those actions. If you complete those steps and want to stop you can, but I find that I look up at the clock and see that I have been working fro well past 2 minutes when I do this.

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 put, 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): The countdown has actually started, as there is less than a month until the completion of my Leap Year process. Wow, I can not believe there is only four weeks left.  

Although there is not enough room in this individual post for me to list all the things that I have been learned, achieved, or gained, I have decided to list some of the biggest learnings for the remaining four weeks. 

Starting from the first half of my Leap Year process I learned that meaningful results can be accomplished through consistent 1% improvements, or another name for this is Aggregation of Marginal Gains. Before I started the Leap Year, I thought meaningful results were the were the result of huge, drastic changes. Wrong. This only leads to you feeling overwhelmed, stressed, frustrated, burnt out, and eventually ends in you quitting whatever you started. 

I have gained the realization that meaningful changes take time, and can be accomplished through small actions done over and over. That is it. For example, I thought I would just have to have huge chunks of time or totally change my schedule to write this book, but I have literally just spent roughly 20 minutes per day for six months to reach 40,000+ words. This just highlights the power of doing small actions consistently.

So what do you want to accomplish or change? Whatever it is, just start and complete small actions that you can take to get there. I can easily say this is how I have reached the levels where I am today.  

Confucious said that "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." All you have to do is take the first step, then the next, and the next until you arrive at your destination. 

You got this!

What went well?

Weekly task completed and I am learning the power of prioritization. 

I pride myself on being efficient and getting all or most of my daily tasks completed, but I read a great piece from Darius Foroux, founder of @ProcrastZero, in the site Medium this week that highlighted the importance between being efficient and EFFECTIVE. 

First, efficient means you get a lot of things done, and allows you to do, learn, and advance more than others. This is a great quality, but this can lead to burnout, as you continually just push and push until you get to a point where everything just caves in on you. 

However, EFFECTIVENESS refers to getting the "right things done." This relates to tasks related to your work, but also meaningful endeavors you are taking on, ie the Leap Year process. 

Who else has a "To Do" list the size of Mount Everest? I did, and still do, but knowing the difference between being efficient and EFFECTIVE has helped me to weed items on the list, and even allowed me to feel no guilt if some things were not completed (if you know me that is huge thing!). 

Why? Although I know I feel a sense of achievement when I do complete all my daily tasks, I have learned that completing what is most important to my family, me, and my Leap Year are the most beneficial. If there are items on the list which have no lasting affect on my priorities, then I can easily take it off my list, or keep it there until I have more time. 

Hopefully you can use this clarification between being efficient (still a great quality to posses) and EFFECTIVE to prioritize the items on your "To Do" list.

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

Being EFFECTIVE and trimming items that do not fall in line with family, me, The Leap Year, and The Foundation. 

What is something to avoid next week?

Trying to accomplish anything and everything.  

Thanks for tuning in and see you in W49.

WEEK 47: MINDSET OF A PRO

WT = Waiting Time. DT = Development Time.

PLANNING (task, scheduling, and WT = DT):  I plan to write my Leap Year W18 post into the site Medium on Wednesday 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 meditate every morning. It allows me to center myself and sets the tone for the rest of the day.

EXECUTION (strategies used):  W47, check!  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 Pro, Implementation Intentions, and Got 2-Minutes strategies this week, as I was not able to complete the task until Saturday. 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.

Procrastination...I CAN'T 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. All you have to do is focus on what you would do in the first 2 minutes of starting a task and then complete those actions. If you complete those steps and want to stop you can, but I find that I look up at the clock and see that I have been working fro well past 2 minutes when I do this.

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 put, 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): FIVE weeks until the completion of my Leap Year! I am going to have to put in some extra hours in the coming weeks to finish my first manuscript, but I have learned to "trust that we will figure it out."

Below are my reflections for the week. 

What went well?

Another week, and another completed task. Although nothing really deviated from the normal this week,  I was able to connect the work this week to prior learnings from previous weeks.

Similar to several past weeks, I  planned, implemented, and now am reflecting about the completion of the weekly task. Even though I was not able to complete the task on the original set date, I was able to incorporate the strategies listed above to stay committed and disciplined to completing the task at a later time. 

This general description of completing the weekly task sounds pretty familiar to those of you have read my posts before. It is not sexy and there is no catching headline to grab your attention, but I have come to realize this is what a life of a pro looks like.

Pros have the mindset, of well...Pros. They know that success is mechanical and stay 100% committed and disciplined to actions that move them forward. What does this look like in real life? 

They show up day after day, battling through the challenges that everyday life presents them, and stick to their key habits. They also fall in love with the monotony and boredom of doing the same tasks over and over, as they know these actions are moving them forward. 

The weekly tasks are not exotic and exciting to complete every week, but I am 100% committed to them, as I know they are moving me closer to closing the gap between where I am and where I choose to be. 

Additionally, I have mentioned in previous weeks how Chinese Bamboo show no external growth for the first four years of their life. Then, all of sudden in the fifth year shoot up to 90 ft (30 m). Although an outside spectator will point out that the growth only occurred in the fifth year, the "Invisible Progress" that occurred in the four years before were necessary for development.  

I have connected that these periods of "Invisible Growth" can be boring and sometimes even not fun at all to go through, but are needed times of maturation. The key is to stay 100% committed and disciplined to actions that move you forward in these times, as this will lead you to that "fifth year" when you will shoot up exponentially into the air. 

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

Smile and laugh more. I have pointed this out in past weeks, and will make a conscious effort to do this more this week. 

 "Life moves pretty fast, if you don't take a moment to look around, it might pass you by." This is a quote by Ferris Buelher and is something I will think about this week, as I will make it a point to take a moment to "look around" and smile and laugh more. 

What is something to avoid next week?

Being serious and task oriented all the time. 

Thanks for tuning in and see you in W48.

WEEK 46: GROWTH MINDSET

WT = Waiting Time. DT = Development Time.

PLANNING (task, scheduling, and WT = DT):  I plan to write my Leap Year W17 post into the site Medium on Wednesday 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 grateful I am for health and the ability to recover from sickness. I had body aches, sinus congestion, and a sore throat all week, and was able to see how much more I am able to do when I feel 100%.

EXECUTION (strategies used):  46 total weeks 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 Pro, Implementation Intentions, and Got 2-Minutes strategies this week, as I was not able to complete the task until Saturday morning. 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.

Procrastination...I CAN'T 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. All you have to do is focus on what you would do in the first 2 minutes of starting a task and then complete those actions. If you complete those steps and want to stop you can, but I find that I look up at the clock and see that I have been working fro well past 2 minutes when I do this.

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 put, 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): Only six weeks until the completion of Leap Year process...wow! Six weeks in the past seemed like such a long period of time, but now I feel that is not enough. A lot to do in that time, but I trust that "we will figure it out!"

Here are my reflections for the week.

What went well?

Task complete and I was able to make a huge connection between the "Aggregation of Marginal Gains, growth mindset, and Japan."

First, lets start with the "Aggregation of Marginal Gains." I have mentioned this in previous weeks, but it is the idea that looking for and making 1% improvements in any area of your life consistently can produce meaningful results. This came from the strategy used by Dave Brailsford to help the British cycling team capture its first Tour De France title. 

Second, I watched a Ted talk this week on the power of "Growth Mindset" or the belief that the mind is malleable and is always able to grow and learn. It was a very interesting clip and Eduardo Briceno talked about studies that showed that students that were environments that praised effort, celebrated failure, and focused on the PROCESS did significantly better than students that had "Fixed" beliefs, such as "I am not a math person."

Third, is Japanese word Kaizen, which means "change for the better." It is used a lot in business and it is the belief of working for continual improvements. It is drastically different from perfection, where everything has to be set a certain way before you start something. Kazien is experimental in nature and allows you to iterate many times over, as you are looking to only continually improve the process.

So how do all of these connect to the Leap Year? Well, I have learned to look for daily 1% improvements to help me close the gap between where I currently am to where I want to be. Additionally, the focus is on the completion of the tasks and the process, not on the results. This belief has led me to learn and grow in ways that I would have never thought possible roughly 11 months ago. 

Thus the Leap Year has helped me learn the valuable lesson that we, yes you, and I can all learn and GROW through the consistent completion of small improvements done consistently.

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

Take better care of my body. We take our health for granted most times and drink and consume anything, without any regard to the effect it will have on our bodies. It is like given the keys to a Ferrari but filling it up with sludge you find in a dumpster.

I was operating at less than 100% for most of the week and totally felt different mentally and physically. This helped me realize that I like being healthy! And what keeps you healthy...eating well and exercising. 

Thus I plan to monitor what I eat on a meal by meal basis and ask "Is this the best fuel for my body?" in order to improve my health this week.

What is something to avoid next week?

Consuming food or beverages that take me away from a healthy lifestyle. 

Thanks for tuning in and see you in W47.