White Knuckling The Week

“Let go or be dragged.” ~ Zen proverb

“Earlier this week,” is the phrase I used to start the weekly production meeting. Marci immediately cut me off: “Molly, its only Tuesday a.m.” Well, it certainly felt like late Thursday afternoon, with Friday tolerantly waiting on the horizon. I’ve been pondering that simple comment. So many people I talk with have the same theme, feeling like they are white-knuckling through their week. I realized how fast and furious we move through our days, hopping from one task to another, often unaware and unconscious.

In looking back on my week, I’m beginning to notice the absolute necessity for the power of the pause in our lives. We ignore the value of having that transition time between appointments, phone calls, tasks, etc. Most of the time we trick ourselves by saying, “I don’t want to be late,” “It can wait,” “I don’t have to pee THAT bad, it can wait another hour.” But the truth of the matter is, there is little that is more important than the power of the pause to transition between activities and appointments, because those waiting for that next appointment are better off for it. They get your full, undivided attention. They don’t have your rushed energy when you fly into their appointment, meeting, or whatever it is. I can’t tell you the countless times I have personally either been on the giving or receiving end of “Whew, sorry I’m a few minutes late, my last meeting went over.” Next thing you know, the person on the other end is trying to care for you. “Do you need a few minutes to….” “No, no, I’m fine. Let’s get started.”

Ironically, I was late to a call with my coach last Tuesday. I spun into the call with “Sorry I’m late, my last call went over.” She led me into a transformational conversation that started with, “Consider the possibility that when we don’t take the time to properly transition from one action to another that it can be counterproductive. Consider that your rushing because you do not want to be 1 minute late could be actually hindering you from allowing the time you have together to be so much more powerful.” WOW.

What I took away from that call is the necessity for “The 1-minute transition.”

1. Stop and take one deep transition breath (into your belly deep) and repeat, “I am done with X now and I have the follow-up notes there to support me during my office/admin time so I don’t drop the ball.” (10 seconds)
2. Physically get up and MOVE. Grab a glass of water, a bit of food, use the restroom. Do whatever you need to move into your next event while letting go of the previous. (40 seconds)
3. Stop and take one deep transition breath (into your belly deep) and repeat “I am moving into X next and my intention is to be fully present.” (10 seconds)

All it takes is a 1-minute transition to create a conscious shift. Paula taught me that, if I’m authentically going to help others, skipping this time is not an option. If we don’t take that sacred time, it communicates to the person/meeting/event how little we put into being fully prepared to be with them. WOW, what a breakthrough, this 1-minute transition “process.” Because my current reality is that I have an unforgiving calendar, unrelenting follow-up and time-sensitive year-end wrap up, and none of that is going to ease up between now and December 31st – and all without potty breaks.

My weekly planning is going to look a little different come Sunday evening. I’m going to add to the top of my weekly focuser “The 1-minute transition.”

I have also added this to my green “Meeting Focuser” sheets as well as a sticky note next to my phone and on my computer. White-knuckling is nothing more than a habit, a way of being. With the tools and training, it no longer has to be “It is what it is.” If you’re interested in hearing more about weekly planning and how to create safety nets to support you, please join us for a 1-hour webinar on “Effective Weekly Planning” on December 16th. Click here to register.