On The Way Out of The Slump

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.