Change is an opportunity for change. Every time there’s a shift in our routines, there’s a shift in our habits. What an opportunity! We change more easily and rapidly during moments of shift. I like to document processes, so this post is about my favorite tools for setting intention, forming habits, and being productive.
With every shift in our routines, we drop and pick up habits. When we move houses, change jobs, start a new school, approach summer break–whether it’s a physical change, like traveling or moving, or a change in our stage of life, if we know change is coming, we can seize the opportunity to re-calibrate.
COVID-19 has shifted our routines and disrupted life, both work and personal. Many of us are considering ways we can change to improve social justice and actively create liberty and justice for all. Some of us are going through very hard change we didn’t ask for or imagine for ourselves. We’re adjusting out of necessity. Sometimes it’s overwhelming. Always it’s uncertain. Here are some processes that have helped me walk through change.
We tend to drop and pick up habits with every shift in our routines…Let’s adjust our habits with intention.
How do we make the best of a big shift? Here are 3 ways:
1. Write it down. All of it.
For work, revisit your mission, vision and goals. As you align your tasks to these larger goals, and goals to the company’s mission, you’ll find your work is more effective and your teams are more productive.
For yourself, make a list of what you want the most. What are your priorities? What brings you joy? Name them, and write them down.
Work: revisit your mission, vision and goals.
Personal: name your priorities and points of joy.
Here are a few ideas for writing it down:
- Postcard moments. Visualize your work or life at its happiest and most satisfying. Draw scenes that represent the highlights you want, the things you’d write home about on vacation, what you imagine your peaks would be that you will remember over time. I love colored pencils and a stack of index cards for this.
- Mind map. There’s nothing like boiling things down to the center and finding what branches off. A simple word, a circle, and spokes. I love doing this with colorful pens, but there’s no reason you can’t do it digitally.
- Spreadsheet. There’s nothing like a good old fashioned spreadsheet for a budget, meal plan, a packing list, or a big decision. Recently I had an A or B decision and used plain old Excel to make a long list of all the ins and outs, assign numerical values to each point, and see which choice weighed higher. So satisfying.
2. Hire an expert.
We all need jumper cables! I’ve hired a designer, a trainer, a coach–whatever it takes.
PERSONAL EXPERT: It’s important we remember to reach out to the next right person.
Whether your house needs a designer, your website needs a blogger, your articles need a copy editor, or you need an executive leadership coach, now is the time to reach out to your network, make new connections, be vulnerable, and embrace change with intention.
Each expert doesn’t have to be the end-all, be-all. Just the next right person. Usually, we work with a series of experts, friends, mentors, and guides. Eventually, we find what we need.
VIRTUAL EXPERT: we got this.
Hiring an expert doesn’t always cost money, or even have to be a live human being. Sometimes consulting an expert means doing a google search, reading a book, or watching how-to videos. Sometimes hiring an expert means downloading a podcast or watching documentaries.
Learning from experts can be grounding. As we explore with curiosity, we let go of things we can’t control, and we find wonder and gratitude.
Whether digitally or in person, free or paid, remember to reach out for what you need. An expert is a springboard and can help you achieve greater success.
3. Hold yourself accountable.
Once you’ve named the habits you want to change, and you’ve worked through your thoughts with an expert, it’s time to find the accountability mechanism that works for you.
Here are some habit accountability ideas:
- TEAM. Set a regular meeting with your team to check on progress. Schedule a family meeting.
- COACH. Hire an executive leadership coach (I work with Clifton Carmody), a therapist, a body double, a trainer, an editor, or any individual who will participate in a way that motivates you.
- SOCIAL. Join a group with similar goals, like a writer’s club, outdoor yoga meet, workout partner, or activist organization.
I love to supplement a live partner with a digital tool. Here are some of my favorite Apps:
- Done: great for individual habit formation. I have used this app on and off, and I’m always happier when I’m using it! Mobile only, but I love the ability to create categories, color code, and produce reports. I get a thrill every time I click an item done!
- Asana: great for freelancers, volunteers, and businesses of many sizes. Create teams and projects, assign projects with due dates. See your tasks in visuals that work for you–lists, calendar, boards, and more. Mobile and desktop.
- Weekdone: great for teams. Effective way to track and align tasks to goals, and goals to a mission or purpose. Works on desktop or mobile.
- Evernote: lists, notebooks, and stacks—voila! Mobile and desktop accounts synch (just keep only one open at a time to avoid a conflict in synching). Unlike Apple Notes, this App has a trash bin, and for a while, you can recover notes if you pocket delete.
- BeFocused: a pomodoro app to help track and manage time in bursts. More on the pomodoro technique and other apps, here: https://zapier.com/blog/best-pomodoro-apps/
There’s always a way.
What do you need? Say it out loud. Bounce it off a trusted soundboard. What will make you want to do this habit?
Gretchen Rubin is a big cheese on habit formation these days. She has developed a “four tendencies” framework. Discovering your primary tendency for habit formation may help as you strategize how to hold yourself accountable. You can take Gretchen Rubin’s tendency quiz on her website.
Make it easy on yourself. Elizabeth Gilbert writes about the trickster versus martyr in her book, Big Magic, and I love her conversation with Brene Brown about tricksterdom versus martyrdom on this podcast, starting at 26:11.
We’re in this together.
Your stresses are unique. You probably have more concerns than just the big, obvious ones. But you are not alone. Most of us are in a state of change, whether in business or at home, whether we want to be or not.
If you’ve had more silver linings than stresses with more time at home recently, or if your business has actually thrived during the COVID-19 shutdown, then it’s time to consider two things:
- how to incorporate more of that goodness going forward, and
- empathy: how to help as the world faces change.
How can our businesses have a more positive impact, beyond what we previously imagined?
How can we be there for each other, as so many people are struggling with change–changes that are obvious and public, and ones that are unspoken, extremely private.
How are our extended family members, colleagues, clients, and neighbors being affected by the pandemic, by the economic downturn, and by all kinds of change?
People are still going through regular big life changes–having babies, burying loved ones, changing jobs, getting married, getting divorced, moving across the country, and facing an empty nest.
We can’t simply plow ahead without regard for what we’ve gained, what we’ve lost, and the concerns and suffering around us. It’s important to take this moment to set new goals, new intentions, and new habits.
Big picture, small steps
Many of us are hitting the reset button in big, global ways:
- We’re reconsidering our time on the planet and what we want in life.
- We’re re-writing our mission and honing our vision for the future.
- We’re getting clear about our goals. We’re making lists.
We’re also looking at local, practical changes to shift product offerings or prepare for future positions:
- connecting with colleagues, friends, and family
- focusing on mental and physical health
- mastering a new skill
- taking a new class, certification, or degree program
- networking
- practicing resilience, and
- simply staying alive
We have an opportunity to reconsider everything: the point of the business, each relationship, every routine, corporate culture, and each task. Now is the time to write it all down, hire an expert, and hold ourselves accountable.
Now is the time to write it all down, hire an expert, and hold ourselves accountable.
Experts I recommend:
This blog is not monetized, and I don’t share recommendations for profit–just because. This is not an exhaustive list–just a few experts to peruse for inspiration!
Gretchen Rubin, author, Better Than Before. Award-winning podcast, Happier. Take a free quiz to determine your strongest habit formation tendency.
Dr. El Brown: personal growth, parenting, and education. Her new podcast is great! BOOM!
Catherine Bruns, The OG of Postcard Moments (whose postcards are much prettier than mine!)
Clifton Carmody, MNDFL LDR, conscious executive leadership coach (and also one of my clients).
Tara Mohr, 10 Rules for Brilliant Women (sign up to get the valuable workbook); Playing Big; excellent blog
Calista Stafford, Acupuncture and Wellness Center in Parkville, Maryland. calistaenergy (at) gmail.com.
Genevive Gorder (designer and TV personality) presents a quick read/watch on home renovations as a boost for mental health.
Phillip Lantz Design, interior design. Clean out old intentions and establish clearer, beautiful spaces. Phillip is great at everything–art, entertaining, and design projects large or small.
Vestige Home, interior design. Create function and flow; enjoy where you work and live. Nicole helped me get unstuck when my kids’ nursery became too much. She was brilliant!
Patrick Pilon, video production and digital storyteller. Dream teammate.
Willow Web Design, web design. There’s nothing like having the right tech expert on your team! (Email me for Willow Web’s email address.)
Staci Giovino, Carmel Food Tours. Staci is a multi-disciplinary master and reinvention machine. Her food tours now offer by-mail packages, and will soon host online cooking instruction. Staci is an entrepreneurial goddess, one to watch and learn from.
Moving Beyond the Page, homeschooling (or AFTERschooling) curricula. If you’re ready to enrich learning as a family enterprise, MBP has individual lessons, individual subjects, or entire year programs. I love the online option.
Mandy See (me!) writer, editor, content creator, small teams leader, and communications and marketing consultant. Mandy (at) experienceconnectrelish.com.
Let’s move forward.
Anybody else been curled in a ball, frozen, and ready to stand up and get unstuck?
You are not alone. We are not alone.
Here’s what I keep telling myself:
- Say what you need.
- Write it all down.
- Connect with the next right person.
- Do the next right thing.
- You’ve got this!
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