Sorry Mr. Shakespeare. But for me, that is a question that I believe we should be asking ourselves every day. Do we put off doing something because we are lazy or because it is hard or intimidating? Or, do we put it off because it is not the “best” thing for us to be focusing on right now? It is passive procrastination versus active procrastination. Being intentional about what you do and what you don’t do can determine what you be-come and what you don’t be-come.
Priorities and Passion
Some priorities we choose. Some priorities are dictated to us. But, we can control our passion and what we are passionate about.
Isn’t it interesting that if we are passionate about a priority how we are able to find time for it? We stay up late or get up early to focus and work on it. We eat lunch at our desk while working on it.
I relate having passionate priorities to reading a very good book. You can’t put it down. You are reading it at stop lights, in the bathroom, at the dinner table, in your bed…well into the night.
Identify those things that you are passionate about and make them a priority. Or, become passionate about your priorities. Life is too short to take time “on a bad book”. (There are so many other books just waiting to be read.) Delegate or ask for a reassignment if the passion isn’t there. You will be more productive when you will look for ways to spend time on what you love.
TO-MORROW
He was going to be all that a mortal should be
To-morrow.
No one should be kinder or braver than he
To-morrow.
A friend who was troubled and weary he knew,
Who’d be glad of a lift and who needed it, too;
On him he would call and see what he could do
To-morrow.
Each morning he stacked up the letters he’d write
To-morrow.
And thought of the folks he would fill with delight
To-morrow.
It was too bad, indeed, he was busy to-day,
And hadn’t a minute to stop on his way;
More times he would have to give others, he’s say
To-morrow.
The greatest of workers this man would have been
To-morrow.
The world would have known him, had he ever seen
To-morrow.
But the fact is he died and he faded from view,
And all that he left here when living was through
Was a mountain of things he intended to to
To-morrow.
—Edgar A. Guest
Stop! Do “I.T.” today!! Now!!!
Going Through the Motions or Being Intentional
Do you approach your work, relationships, hobbies, your life by just going through the motions or are you intentional? Did you think of what you wanted to accomplish today? How you can improve? Where or with whom you are going to make a difference? Do you have a purpose? Do you have a positive attitude?
Our time is so valuable. You are investing a moment of your life on what you are doing at this moment. You can just do what is required or you can acknowledge the worth of spending a portion of your life and give it all you have. With gusto, purpose, pizzazz, excellence, and so on.
It doesn’t matter where you are or what you are doing. You can be at work doing the most mundane job, reading a story to a child, attending a pee wee baseball game, or mowing the lawn. All of these tasks can be approached half-way (show up and just get through it) or all in (I’m going to do this with excellence).
The choice is yours. It is your life. How are you going to spend the time? Are you going to be highly effective or will you look back on a life of regrets and missed opportunity? Dig in.
You just spent a minute reading this blog. Take another two minutes and decide what you are now going to do intentionally as a result.
Take a Break
Where do you stand when it comes to taking a vacation or a well-deserved break? There is a spectrum. On one side of the spectrum are those that use up every minute of their vacation, utilize every 15-minute break and have a quality lunch away from their desk. Then there are those that take the minimal amount necessary because they are afraid of asking, worried that they will get behind and the world will end if they step away from their desk or phone for a minute. No breaks and lunch at their desk (if they take lunch at all). Honestly ask yourself where you sit on the spectrum.
It is so important to take time to recharge. In our book, “Juggling Elephants,” we call it an intermission. Taking time off (15 minutes for a walk around the office building, 60 minutes for lunch away from your desk, 1 day for a “mental wellness day”, or a week or two for a vacation) gives your brain a chance to slip into neutral and your body a chance to re-charge. Don’t underestimate the value of time off. Study after study shows that your effectiveness and productivity increase and that your quality of life and health will improve. Schedule some time right now in your calendar to regularly take a break.