Time to think
“Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it” Henry Ford
Prior to learning to coach myself, I spent a lot of time just going through the motions of life and work. An entire year could go by and I would realize that I had not spent any time intentionally thinking. I unconsciously made sure I was so busy that I didn’t leave any time to think. After a lot of self-reflection, I realized this was because my thoughts would spin out of control making me feel endlessly overwhelmed.
"How can I possibly take time to think about 1-year, 3-year, or 10-year goals? I’m just trying to survive the day. I'm just trying to make it to the weekend."
This habit of busyness and overwhelm kept me from thinking in the long term; it kept me from intentionally deciding what I wanted. It also didn’t allow me to solve problems. The daily firefighting made me feel like I got a lot done. But how much of it could have been prevented if I had zoomed out and spent time thinking about the long-term.
An exercise I teach clients that I have used daily for years is to take a blank piece of paper and write down everything that comes to mind. I found that I can fill an entire page very quickly. However, I also found that I would want to stop and start judging myself for how much was running through my head. It's important to stay curious; these thoughts are all bouncing around in your mind for a reason; if you get them out on paper you can start to see the connections.
If a blank page seems too ambiguous, you can also start by writing a question at the top of the page. Here are some examples of questions that can help to pull out your thoughts.
How can I be an example for my team (or family)?
What am I grateful for today?
Is the life I’m living now what I want?
When you take time to write out what you are thinking, it actually saves time that you would have spent avoiding it.
It still amazes me when I remember where I was 10 years ago. My schedule was so full and busy the only time I slowed down was when I got a migraine. Now fast-forward to today where looking from the outside in, my schedule would not necessarily look any different than it did. But it feels completely different. I make time to intentionally coach myself every day. I’m solving problems and leading by allowing space to think. The percentage of time I spend in overwhelm is very small now compared to the time I spend calm and focused.
