Our attitudes impact how we manage our time, our energy and our work… and thus, how successful we are in getting what we want. Here are some ways to use the power of your mind for good instead of evil:
1. Focus on what you can do, not on what’s outside your control.
If you are worried about something or want to achieve a certain outcome, don’t get carried away with spending lots of time and emotional energy thinking about the aspects of the situation that you can’t control, like what someone else will do or think. Instead, do what you can do to shape the outcome or proactively prepare for handling it. (I know, I know– easier said than done sometimes, but keep working on it!)
2. Focus on what you have done, not just what you haven’t done.
It’s easy to see all the things on your list that still need to be done. Take a moment now and then to reflect on everything you’ve done already. Creating a sense of power and achievement will help you be more effective and efficient in the future because you are seeing yourself as a productive person who accomplishes things.
3. Focus on planning for success and being prepared for possible contingencies, but don’t expect failure.
If it makes you feel more secure or helps you contain real risk, consider how you would handle all sorts of outcomes from the wildest of success to the most dire failure. But don’t start assuming that the worst will happen. If you catch yourself doing this, ask yourself how likely the worst case scenario really is and trust that you would be able to handle it– then reorient yourself towards likelier and more positive scenarios. Try to believe that in the big picture, everything will work out even if you don’t always get everything you want.
4. Focus on doing what matters, not just getting stuff done.
It’s better to check off one highly meaningful task from your list than to spend an afternoon accomplishing tons of things that don’t matter that much. If it doesn’t matter, why are you tracking it on your list or doing it?
5. Focus on setting yourself up for success, not just on applying your will power.
It’s tiring to fight yourself, or to struggle through a bunch of tools, systems and objects that aren’t supporting you in your goals. Invest some time in cleaning up and getting organized, in setting up tools and systems that make it easy to do well. Sure, some things are challenging– but you owe it to yourself to make success as easy as possible.
6. Focus on working or on planning, not both at once.
If you are working, focus on the task at hand, the very next action item for your project. If you are planning, think about the big picture and how you will be working on your project in the future. If you are trying to work and plan simultaneously, you will not make much progress on either. You will also stress yourself out because part of your brain will think you are supposed to be accomplishing the entire project simultaneously, defying the laws of space and time.
What perspectives do you find empowering? How do your choices about what to focus on make you more effective?
Want to catch up? This post is part four in a series. You can also read about harnessing excitement, committing to less and the series introduction if you’d like to catch up.
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