Good morning!
It’s time to get ourselves back on course after this summer.
Our vacations have wrapped and, if you have kids like me, they are back in school, or maybe you are back in school.
Let’s get organized and set some goals and lead into the next frontier.
First things first, it’s time to wake up early again. Oh I know we’ve let the schedule creep a little, but even us non-morning folks are at our peak output time in the first half of the day. I’m stringing these sentences together at 5 am. Fun? Not so much. Necessary? Definitely. Research shows we have the most creativity early in the day as well as the most will power. So roll you alarm clock back.
Next, block off time in the first part of your work day to do your big thinking. Have a new work project taxing you? Have a thorny situation you’re a little unclear how to navigate? Have a tricky problem you must solve? You will do it best if you have uninterrupted time. Turn off your email notifications and your phone and block off concrete time on your calendar no one besides you can touch. Take advantage of your creative juices and maximum focus and layout a plan for your challenge.
Then, write down your priorities. What do you want to accomplish for the next month and through the end of the year? There’s nothing worse than getting to December and being ready for Christmas vacation only to realize to didn’t finish up what you wanted or had to accomplish. Write out how much progress you’ve made (10%? 50?), and then set interim goals.
How do you feel physically? Have you seen your doctor for a check up? Your dentist? Your optometrist? They’re back from summer vacation too and you need to use this year’s insurance dollars. Set up one appointment each month for the visits you have outstanding. Really watch what you eat in September and October and throw in a little extra exercise because even the most careful among us get derailed during the holidays.
You are going to rock this fall!
We’re all going to get back in order and update our calendar and our priorities and focus on what’s really critical in our lives. If unnecessary stuff crept in over the summer, then it’s time to cut it so you can turn your attention to the key things. My priorities for fall are: helping a team bring a big project to fruition, helping my kids transition to kindergarten and their new environment, finishing the chapters to my triplet tales book, losing 15 more pounds, and stepping into a new leadership assignment.
I know what each requires and a lot of that is just time and energy. I know your list requires time and energy too. Let’s make it happen.
Knock ’em dead!
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