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I remember as a young bride, the first time my mother-in-law was visiting our new apartment, I jumped out of bed, straightened up the house, started on lunch, washed several loads of clothes, rearranged the living room furniture, painted the -- (ok, now I am exaggerating, but it almost felt that way!)
I learned something that day -- how good I felt about all I had accomplishedeven if it was due to some external motivation.
Ever since that time, I've used what I call 'before lunch strategy'.
Have a definite objective.
When MIL was coming, my objective was to impress her as a wife. So I focused my efforts on what I thought would accomplish that. The same with your before lunch objective. It's crucial to decide beforehand what the true objective is, and stick to it. Ask yourself, what do I want to feel? In my example, I wanted to feel competent, in control, grownup. Without a reason resonating in your mind as big as MIL, you may get distracted. Use the objective to pull you back to the task when you get distracted.
Decide on three things.
This is the time to be realistic. If you have a habit of over-exaggerating what you can accomplish (you know who you are!), then work to create a new habit of getting just three small items accomplished before lunch. Consider your objective when you make your list. If this is new to you, your objective might be 'create new habit of before lunch strategy'. But of course it could be anything, 'look great for new boss', or 'get prepared for birthday this weekend'. Choosing the three things ahead of time lets you make the choices with a focused, clear head, not when you're rushed or pushed into it.
Stick to the objective.
If you use 1 and 2 above, sticking to it will be relatively easy. Remember your objective, what you want, how you want to feel. Keep focused on just a few items that you know you can accomplish given the time frame. If impressing MIL is the objective, making lunch, clearing the schedule, straightening the house are directly related. Other things I could argue also needed to be done - catching up with a friend I hadn't seen in a while, doing my taxes, shopping for the wedding next week - did not fit with my current objective. Keep the tasks related to the objective.
In the beginning it's not what gets done as much as it is about consciously choosing three things, then sticking to it before lunch to teach yourself the habit. So make the three things simple enough to ensure your success and build confidence in the strategy.
Once you have the habit under your belt, you can even make your list for the whole week out on Sunday night, taking your week's to-do list and chopping it into threes. By the end of the week, you'll look like the most organized, efficient person alive! |
| Author: Kathy Gates |
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Author Bio:
Kathy Gates is a Certified Emotional Intelligence Coach in Scottsdale, Arizona who specializes in focus and motivation. She will coach you via email or telephone, your choice. Take a look at Real Life Coach (www.reallifecoach.com) for more information. |
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