A guest post by Claudia Hall Christian – on-a-limb.com
I don’t know about you, but I always get off track this time of year. I start every year with a bright spark of inspiration and a list of things to do. Spring arrives just in time to plant the seeds of my goals. Summer brings a burst of growth with its heat. But in the fall, my enthusiasm starts to wane. Some years, I’ve limped to the end of the year and hoped that New Years promise would spark my enthusiasm.
A few years ago, I started using a technique I call the “Brain Dump”. By dumping out my worries and thoughts, I can redirect my energy toward my goals. I am also able to determine what I need to accomplish by the end of the year. Sounds good right?.
Here’s how you do it:
1. Materials needed: Start by getting a pad of paper and a pencil or pen that is easy to write with. You will be working fast. I tend to use a pen and paper over my computer.
2. Block out an hour of uninterrupted time: The entire thing takes about an hour. If that’s impossible try to accomplish each task in an uninterrupted time. I’ve done one thing at a time over several days when I simply don’t have the time.
3. Create a master To Do list. I collect all the tiny pieces of paper, lists on back of receipts as well as my main To Do list. Once I’ve transferred all of these items to a single list, I add all the things I’ve thought about doing. I search out the deep recesses of my mind for anything that’s ever occurred to me to do. Knowing that I can cross out anything later, I dump all my to Do’s into list form. When I finish, I give myself a few minutes to see if anything else occurs to me.
4. Create a list of what you desire. If you want an expensive car, put it down. If you want to go on a nice vacation to a foreign country, put it down. My desire to live in
5. Create a list of what you fear. Everyone fears something. Some people fear a lot of things. This list can be hard and painful. Be brave. Fear is a feeling. Pretending it doesn’t exist will not make it go away. Breathe and write.
6. Congratulations! You’ve done most of the hard work! Pat yourself on the back. If you’re out of time, set aside your lists. If you have another half hour or so, now we start to work with your lists.
7. Glance over all three of your lists:
a. What moves you? What motivates you? What strikes an inner nerve? Underline these items.
b. Who are you doing this for? Cross off anything you are doing to please someone else.
c. Read all of your entries out loud. Ok, I almost never do this. But it’s a good idea. Try it. If it works, keep it. If not, don’t bother.
d. Add any new thoughts that come up.
8. Review your fear list with an eye for solutions: What can you do to alleviate these fears? You don’t need to live in fear. Think through real solutions and add them to your To Do list.
9. Review your desire list: You can have the life you desire. You must decide where to focus your limited time and energy. Solutions usually involve making more money. How will you make more money? Who will help you learn money management? Add your action items to your To Do list.
10. Your ‘To Do’ List: Most people are really overwhelmed by the depth and length of this list. Take a breath. Let’s sort this list out:
a. Remember those items you underlined? These may represent unnoticed passions. Create a section of your list for passions.
b. Separate out long-term goals from short-term goals. Break your long term goals up into steps by asking ‘what is one step I could take that would bring this into my life?’
c. I tend to separate items into self (working out, meditation, prayer), household (laundry, marketing), writing (novels, serial fiction) and business.
Congratulations! You have created your Master To Do list: This is a living breathing document. But the power of this process is in the day to day use of your lists. From your master list, create a weekly ‘To Do’ list with short term. Every day, pick out the three most important things for you to do in that day. Slowly but surely, you will work your way through your list – three small items at a time.
Mike
Sue
John
Joshua
Fitness
Praying
Friends
Abidjan