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.