I keep thinking about Ross Perot in his 1992 presidential run. In
response to a question he would always say, "First...." and then
state what he would do. I don't recall him ever saying "next." I read
an article about him. It stated that he always felt "next" was just a
new "first" and was determined by how this "first" turned
out.
In getting out of the slump, first, I wrote about the slump, which
cleared my mind. I thought I was relaxing, but that didn't happen until I took
a week off with my family and read Agent
6 by Tom Rob Smith. I thought after a week on vacation, I would be good-to-go,
but I still feel slump-like. Here’s my checklist:
Relax - done
Do one thing - done
Keep it simple - done
Procrastinate - I think so, since the suitcases still aren’t back up
in the attic, there's a pile of dirt still in the driveway, and the kitchen
cabinets aren't refinished yet. Yes, procrastination is still done.
In my relaxation I was watching some Scrum and TED videos and came
upon one that really hit home for me called Getting
Things Done by David Allen. It’s a system of making lists that you can
prioritize. The point is that once you finish the first thing on your list, the
rest of the list needs to be re-organized. In the days before e-mail I had a
system of folding an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper so that it would fit into my shirt
pocket. On the top area was my to-do list and I would bury tasks inside that
were less important in covered up areas. Every Monday my ritual was to create a
new sheet of paper. I completely forgot that I used to do this until today. I
don't know if I was more or less productive during that time, but certainly
less distracted.
I'm searching for the proper medium of the sheet of paper now, but
in the meantime...
First, I've set some new goals for the rest of the year and
through Halloween in my Living Legacy and
have a breakfast setup with my Peer Coach. Depending on the outcome, I'll have something
to do first next.
