As I mentioned yesterday, I’ve been struggling with purpose, motivation, direction, and focus. Part of my problem simply comes down to poor planning, over commitment, and setting unrealistic expectations. It’s like a punch in the gut every time I look at my to do list and realize how much I have NOT accomplished. I’ve set myself up for this perceived failure with poor project management.
I’m getting better about creating smaller, more actionable tasks in my project management tool (Asana for now; more on that later). It helps to see all the steps it takes to accomplish a larger goal, and it also helps with project planning and pricing in the future.
Interestingly, or bizarrely, this post was triggered by this bug walking across my porch table this morning.
Bugs may not be smart enough to break down goals into achievable tasks, but bear with me here. This little guy was probably seeking food or shelter or some other, larger goal than just crossing this table. But the first thing he had to do was cross the table. Not an easy task for a tiny bug. But it was simply one thing, and he did it.
I guess my goal in working and living out loud on this site, a decision I’ve committed to only recently, is that you’ll learn with me or from me as I broadcast my successes, failures, and discoveries. We’ll all experience ups and downs as we go through life, both professionally and personally. It’s how you grow. It’s how you learn to react to adversity, and that shows your true colors.
So, get to the end of the table, then do the next thing that gets you closer to your goal. For me, it’s posting something every day to achieve a larger goal of becoming a better writer, businessperson, and coach.
Hopefully you don’t get squashed before you get to the other side. In my neighborhood, it’s the wild turkeys, just trying to cross the street.
You’re singing to the choir over here! A very wise adviser of mine (wife) once told me to, “Narrow your focus.” It’s such simple yet profound statement. You can only work on one task at a time like that little bug in which he/she ‘narrowed its focus’ to cross the table…then, look for food or shelter.
I never seem to get to the end of the table though. “Oh, look…it’s there’s a crumb over there!”