Mind Like Water
Do you feel like your head is crammed so full of things that you can’t string two thoughts together?
Each day, the average professional receives more than 200 new pieces of information– e-mails, phone calls, paper, items from meetings and yes, from their own head – about which they have to make a decision. Many of us are trying to manage all of these To Do’s in our head and we feel overwhelmed.
Our brains are good at a lot of things – problem solving, creative thinking, dreaming – but they are terrible storage devices. Your short-term memory can only hold 3 to 7 things at a time, so as new things come in, old things drop down into your unconscious. And when do you remember that To Do you forgot? At 3:00 in the morning when you are trying to sleep!
Instead of managing from your head, try the martial arts concept "Mind Like Water." Think of your head as a pond. When the water is clear and calm and someone tosses in a pebble, the water ripples (reacts) based on the size of the rock. But, when the water is choppy and someone throws in a rock, there may be no ripple (no reaction) or there may be more splash than is appropriate for the size of the rock (over reaction).
If you are trying to manage in your head all of the "rocks" that life throws your way, then you are creating a very choppy pond!
Instead, keep your head clear so that you can focus on your work and the new things coming into your world. Use a reliable tool to manage the list of actions you need to perform like Personal Information Management software, such as Microsoft Outlook or Lotus Notes, or even a paper-based planner.
Once you have your tool, perform an exercise called the "Mind Sweep" each day to clear your head of the incomplete tasks you are carrying around.
The Mind Sweep:
1. Open your software program or paper-based planner and locate the section for storing tasks or To Do’s.
2. Create a new entry for each action you need to take. They can be short-term or long-term items, personal or professional in nature. Record them so that you can stop thinking about them!
3. Continue this process for 10-15 minutes or until your head is completely clear of all those To Do’s you’ve been carrying around with you.
Remember, "Mind Like Water!"
--Christina Randle is CEO and Founder of The Effective Edge, a productivity training and coaching firm, and the author of Getting It Together: Gaining the Thriving Professional’s Effective Edge.