You
know how you start off with one cup of coffee in the morning. But
then something happens mid-way, you’re distracted, and the cup of
formerly-hot cup of coffee gets left on the table only to be
discovered hours later colder than Canada.
The
hours that follow, you’ve also made yourself a hot cup of chocolate
when a guest whisks you away and the cup joins the formerly-hot cup
of coffee on the table.
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| Image Source: Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash |
At
the end of the day, you might end up with five cups of half-full,
empty, stained, or full cups left unceremoniously on the table.
What’s this got to with working from home, writing or doing anything
official?
What
if we all stuck to the one-cup rule for one day?
Don’t make another cup of anything until you’re done with what
you’ve made before? What if when you feel like drinking something
warm, you down the earlier cup-of-something and THEN
fix the new cup-of-something-new?
What
I am trying to suggest is for us stick to our guns...even when we
feel like we're losing ourselves in the shuffle.
Discard Dastardly Distractions
Many
of us are easily distracted by surrounding things, and we end up not
putting a bow on whatever we’ve started. The ability to see a
project to its end or close a chapter of an aspect of our lives are
enviable traits belonging to people who are often labeled
buttoned-up, straight-laced, focused and disciplined. They don’t
leave jam jars opened after using it.
Being
distracted impairs our ability to complete tasks (that goes without
saying but how easily we forget when we’re in the fray) and I am
using the concept of One-Cup-Only because it makes sense. I am also
looking at my younger son who holds the record of having the whole
inventory of mugs in this house on his table. I have the same problem
but to a lesser degree.
I
think if we change this simple behavior, it will seep into other
parts of our lives too, whether on a personal or professional level.
Habits Of Successful Humans
“This neural fast lane is meant to save the brain energy: When a habit is formed and stored in this region, the parts of the brain involved in deeper decision-making cease to fully participate in the activity"- https://www.success.com/16-rich-habits
In
a way, this habit forces people to stave off procrastination. If the
urge for a hot cup of cocoa arises at 11.30am and you still have a ¼
cup of morning coffee left on your table, the habit forces you to
finish off what’s left in the cup (or toss it away) first before
making a fresh cup of cocoa. By then, you’d have figured out
if:
(a) you wanted the new cup of cocoa in the first place
(b) you will walk back to the table, grab the dirty cup, wash it and make a new cup-of-something
(a) you wanted the new cup of cocoa in the first place
(b) you will walk back to the table, grab the dirty cup, wash it and make a new cup-of-something
Say a “do it now” affirmation. This is a self-nagging technique. Repeat the words “do it now” over and over again until you begin a task or project. TomCorley
This
makes me think about how people function in a high octane world.
There are things to get done, people talking, emails being sent,
appointments being made and deadlines to meet. We need to take a page
out of successful people's playbooks.
I’ve
read how successful people shy away from multitasking because they
don't believe a conducive environment has distractions in it. So,
they remain steadfast to the rule of picking one thing, and one thing
only, to work on at any given time.
It’s
easy to hasten the process, though. To perform tasks with half a
heart, coming up with sub-par results because we want to get them
over with. The trick is to engage in the task you’ve trained your
mind on and not let go until you can say for sure you’re at least
satisfied with it or you can deal with the result.
Saying
“Do it Now” is really powerful for people like my son who likes
to put things off because he (and I) sees things in large chunks. If
we break things down into tinier pieces, it won’t seem as daunting
not intimidating, and far more achievable. Chances of us “doing it
now” arises significantly then.
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| Image source: Samuel Zeller on Unsplash |
Triggering the Mentor Mentality
Some
people find using apps as reminders useful and if it floats your
boat, GO FOR IT! The most important thing is for it to help you move
beyond both your own excuses and limiting self-beliefs. If there’s
no one to push you to do things, kick your own ass. Better yet, set
someone successful as an example.
Even
if you don’t think you’re anywhere near as capable as the mentor
in question, fake it with such aplomb that you subconsciously live in
it. There’s a science behind it although I’ve never thrown my
weight behind faking anything.
And
it’s really not that difficult if you think about it. A vivid
imagination is, however, required.
Use
a trigger–a
picture, a destination, a goal, a number in your bank
account..whatever jolts you into action, use that.
No Perfection Exists in this World
One
of the biggest hurdles in this world is the concept of “perfection”.
To me, it’s an illusion because perfection does not exist. While I
can’t speak for everything else (balancing the bank account or
designing a building DOES require perfection – you'll have to speak
with an accountant, investor, a fund manager or an architect about
how they deal with that).
As a writer, your own premature internal report and auditing will try to
stop you from putting the first word onto paper. Writers don’t
start with the perfect piece in their minds. They start off with just
a basic idea. They then come up with a skeleton, build the
foundation, do their research, write, rewrite, edit, rewrite,
rewrite, rewrite, edit, rewrite, proofread, write, rewrite....before
it is final.
And
even then, there ARE imperfections! It frustrates the hell out of me
but I am only human. Even automated apps like Grammarly and
Prowritingaid have errors in them and it made me question whether an investment
in their apps a wise at all. If an app can't perfect the polish, IS
there perfection?
“No
one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” - Eleanor
Roosevelt
So,
don't allow yourself to do it either.
Start with Using One Cup at a Time
I
am a work-at-home mother. You can call me Marsha Multitasking Maung. 😂 It isn’t because I think it is the best way to get things done,
it’s because I am sometimes left with very few choices.
I’ve
learned over the years that a checklist works wonders. Putting things
down, either on paper or electronically, helped me zoom in on ONE
THING (fine, sometimes two) and focus on getting it done. I clear my
head of any other things that come my way, including my kids. I have
on a face that my boys call the
dangerous face.
#lol I don't neglect them but they know when NOT to push my buttons.
When
I am punching away at the keyboard with that face on and I hear them
arguing in the background or complaining about a trivial problem,
something HIGHLY unpleasant will happen when I get off that chair.
#badmother
Look, we're all trying to get things done, right? 😖
So,
if you think this makes sense, you can start with One Cup Only if you
don't already.
Happy Saturday, everyone!
💓💓💓
Marsha
Further
reading:
- Fake It and 5 Ways to Conquer Self-Doubt - https://www.success.com/fake-it-and-5-other-ways-to-conquer-self-doubt/
- 4 Honest as F Questions You Need To Ask Yourself If You Want To Get Ahead In Life - https://ideapod.com/4-honest-as-fck-questions-you-need-to-ask-yourself-if-you-want-to-get-ahead-in-life/?utm_source=ideapod&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=broadcast
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